He Whakaaro

Nā ĀWHINA McGLINCHEY

Changing our mindsets...together

Keeping up with the endless cycle of ensuring my tamariki are nourished while constantly needing to buy new clothes to fit ever growing teens is something that I am grateful to be in a position to do. On recent trips to the supermarket, I find myself increasingly noticing how little ‘bang for your buck’ you get these days, and this has made me wonder how other solo mums, who may not be in the same position as me, are faring with the escalating cost of living alongside all the other stresses life throws at one. These thoughts always bring up for me the unfairness of the ingrained disparities in our society – the unfairness of the gender pay gap is just one that is often top of mind.

PAY GAPS AND THE HUMAN COST
Currently here in Aotearoa the pay gap sits around 8.9 per cent. In an article published in September 2024, Rachel Mackintosh, the Assistant National Secretary at the union E Tū, said people should consider the wider effects of women being paid less.

“Children are in poverty, there are ripple effects of that through people's whole lives. If you've got that in mind, it's much more motivating to do something about it... Whole sectors are undervalued because they are female-dominated.”

She goes on to say “It's human lives we are talking about, it's not just the physical, practical things like having enough money to live on ... it's also the psychological effect of having the whole of society telling you that what you do is not as valuable as what someone else does, even if they're doing the same thing.”

And it goes way deeper than just gender of course. If you are wāhine Māori, Pacific, ethnic or have a disability the gap is significantly higher than the national gender pay gap. Suffice to say this leaves many of our māmā, their pēpi and tamariki in already vulnerable positions sinking further into or towards poverty.

THE TANGLED WEB OF ISSUES
The poverty I referred to at the start of this piece is but one of a number of interconnected complex issues we are currently facing: climate change, education, health and the list goes on. This has also led me to looking at the value of collective
cultural mindsets, and why they matter when thinking about some of these issues, and how they might best be navigated to
ensure no one gets left behind.

How is this approach different? Most importantly it considers the needs and goals of a community as a whole rather
than prioritising those of individuals.

The thinking has emerged from and is tied to those cultural and social practices and institutions with deep historical roots.

The role of mindsets in shifting systems has become a global phenomenon as around the world we seek solutions to what is now commonly referred to as poly-crisis. Here in Aotearoa I have had the opportunity to work with The Workshop, a research organisation that has done some great mahi in the poverty mindset space. If you are keen to shift your own thinking, I encourage you to read Talking about poverty and welfare reform in Aotearoa – a short guide, which you can find online.

How amazing would it be if we were all able to imagine a future where people and planet are at heart of decision-making. As a māmā of teenagers this would certainly give me reassurance about the world they will make their way in in the years to come.

HOW IS THIS STILL HAPPENING?
It’s 2025 and it seems insane that I am even thinking and writing any of this, but along with my supermarket musings I have been listening as politicians and the public speak about our vulnerable whānau using language that squarely rests the hardships on the individual and their choices with no consideration of wider systemic issues, nor the decision-making of those in positions of power, who often have little or no understanding of or empathy for the communities they are there to act in the best interests of.

I am not going to repeat the dehumanising language I hear bandied about as you too will have heard it. What I will say though is that I believe it is this type of rhetoric that seeds, upholds and reinforces the dominant capitalist mindsets among our wider society that place individual greed above the wider needs of communities, and promotes the idea that an individual’s personal choices are responsible for their life outcomes. How sad is it that we have such firmly intrenched ways of thinking that we see success or failure in life based on individual accumulation of ‘perceived’ wealth rather than our role in creating strong and inclusive communities.

While I do believe there may be space in this individualistic mindset to think collectively, it is limited to those who share similar mindsets ensuring that the collective is upholding the status quo that benefits the individual.

Changing our mindsets... together

Āwhina McGlinchey (Kāti Hateatea) is raising her two tamariki in Ōtautahi while maintaining a strong connection to their pā at Moeraki. She is the Managing Director of Tokona Te Raki where she is co lead of Mō Kā Uri – Ngāi Tahu 2050, a project designing the collective iwi vision for the next 25 years informed by our whānau voice.