President Janet - June 26

Tena koutou katoa

Has society in general lost hope for the future? Has social cohesion eroded? Cost of living pressures are everywhere – not just in Aotearoa New Zealand. A recent webinar I listened to mentioned that poverty is an enormous driver of lack of social cohesion. Loss of trust in governments, no consistency in policy decision making – dogmatic policy flip flopping is adding to the problem. There is a lot on everyone’s minds.

Engaged people want to know what they can do. There is still hope out there. We need an evidence-based approach to policy. We need more cross-party accords. E.g. the Infrastructure Commission plan. We need certainty from community leaders. 

Participation in community leads to better citizenship. We provide community connections through clubs – be it sports, schools, service organisations, and a sense of belonging finding one’s tribe so to speak.

I visited a place in Berlin called Futurium: The House of Futures - everything revolves around one central question: How do we want to live? In the exhibition, you can explore a range of possible futures; in the Forum, you can participate in open discussions; and in the Futurium Lab, you can experiment with your own ideas. It is a fascinating place. It is extremely thought provoking. Here are quotes from the displays:

“The Great Acceleration: Man has always changed the world in an attempt to improve living conditions. This development picked up speed about 200 years ago. Each innovation was followed by newer ones – at ever shorter intervals. As a result of many small steps and bug leaps, people are doing better today than ever before: health care has never been better, there has been such an abundance of food, never have more people had access to education. And never has so much been consumed. BUT these developments also have a downside: our natural foundations of life are in peril.”

“A sphere of contending futures: What tomorrow may bring depends on an infinite number of things. We may be unable to control everything, but a lot is still in our hands. With our visions and dreams, our ideas and inventions, we can indeed set a course towards diverse variants of possible futures. The Futurium tells of the challenges of the 21^st century and of the ways large-scale solutions and small opportunities can shape the future. This is always a matter of the interaction between forces: nature, people and technology. Which technologies do we embrace and how do we use them? How do we fulfil our needs without causing further harm to nature? How do we want to live with each other? We navigate this sphere of contending interests, we set priorities, and we act. And in doing so we determine which of the possible futures will become our present.”

“Towards new horizons: Humanoid robots, flying cars, cities in outer space. In our imaginations the future is often full of fantastic technologies. Technology stands for progress. It expands human capabilities and is expected to make our lives easier and more comfortable. What kind of future will emerge if we mainly rely on major technological developments as its driving force? New technologies often grow out of bold ideas and big dreams that push the limits of what’s possible. They often hold out the promise of both solving major problems and providing profits and success as well. A great deal of time and effort is required to turn a vision into a functioning technology. For this reason, it is not only large research institutes that are behind technological developments, but giant corporations and even strategic alliances of countries as well.

Such technologies can spark enthusiasm – and generate skepticism at the same time. For the question quickly arises as to whether we can have any influence over technological developments at all. And some people find it frightening not to know, as a layperson, how new technologies work or how they affect our lives.

But machines are not independent creatures, and even the cleverest robots have been programmed and can be controlled. Technologies will always be created – by people, by us. So, its should be up to us to decide which technologies should be developed further, how we should use them and what rules should govern their application.”

I found these quotes thought provoking to say the least. It is up to us to be involved, stay informed, advocate for what we believe is right and stay connected. Social cohesion is key to shaping our future together. We are relevant.

Ngā mihi nui

President Janet