138 Comments
Nov 17, 2022Liked by Emily Writes

My husband and I were both notoriously 'truant'. We wouldn't have represented well in any statistics.

My husband didn't have any money as a kid, and was raised by a single mum who was stretched to the absolute limit. He avoided school because he was bullied and he hated his teachers. But he still managed to study later on and get himself into a career. And his mum was there for him throughout.

School is just horrible for some people and it's not until after school that you start to figure things out and get onto a path that is right for you. As long as you have people in your life that care about you and will stick up for you, guide you... In my mind, you'll probably be okay.

So just looking at a study that says "not enough kids are going to school" is only a small part of the story.... I think there is a lot to fear from school these days. Sickness, anxiety, bullying in a degree that we didn't experience... It's so much more complex than the Luxons of the world would ever bother to consider.

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Nov 17, 2022Liked by Emily Writes

I had cancelled my subscription (sorry ☹) because life was getting busy and I didn't seem to have time to read all of the (excellent) articles. I have just read this one and renewed my subscription! Emily - we need people with your eloquence calling out this stuff. Thankyou for saying what many of us think.

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Nov 17, 2022Liked by Emily Writes

The whole school attendance non-story makes me cross. The comparative data was from 2019 after which time nothing is available because there has been a global pandemic on (and during which New Zealand will look comparatively stellar). GAH

Also, you are correct Emily. On all counts.

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Nov 17, 2022Liked by Emily Writes

Thank you for writing this Emily. I’ve been fuming about Luxon’s comments all week as I isolate with my “truant” child who has Covid. I’m so freaking proud of her for asking to test when she wasn’t feeling sick but had just a tiny tickle of a cough. She understands we’re still in a pandemic and need to look after each other. Her teacher understands and reminds the class to test and stay home if they’re sick. It seems like everyone I know understands. Thankfully I don’t spend much time with the human thumbs who will just never fucking get it.

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Nov 17, 2022Liked by Emily Writes

Makes me so angry. Imagine putting your hand up to 'govern' all New Zealanders, but thinking you're better than 99% of us.

Also, that photo *chef's kiss*

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Nov 17, 2022Liked by Emily Writes

I forgot to say that my kids always had very patchy school attendance due to bullying and being various shades of ND, also my youngest was treated badly for being gay. I'm not too scared to say that school is frankly SHITHOUSE for lots and lots of kids and teens, and I don't blame them for not wanting to be there. Which leads me to a heap of praise for Te Aho a te Kura Pounamu (used to be the Correspondence School), they saved the lives of 2 of my kids, thankk goodness for them :)

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Nov 17, 2022Liked by Emily Writes

The pic of Luxon (probably) made me snort.

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Nov 17, 2022Liked by Emily Writes

Rich white men, yes, but I found Nicola Willis's comment that NZ's top income tax rate (at 39% one of the OECD's lowest) was an "Envy Tax" pretty vile. Truer to say that Luxon's proposed tax cuts for the rich are "Greed Cuts"!

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Nov 17, 2022Liked by Emily Writes

Emily- yes, yes and yes. I try to think that people in his position don't understand what it is like to be that poor, working that hard to not get ahead. Fighting a system to get services for your children...BUT people in his position should make it their business to understand. I had my farmer uncle who I debate with regularly tell me that the minimum wage needs to be at least the living wage, I nearly fell over. years of explaining that our working poor are struggling, and working more hours than most (not drinking and smoking, feeding dogs etc) is finally getting somewhere. It is so easy to relax into comfortable, and forget that families are struggling hard.

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Nov 17, 2022Liked by Emily Writes

The sheer arrogance, and outright cruelty, of National's collection of rich males (and unpleasant females, they're all equally dreadful) takes my breath away. I live in terror of the alliance from hell (National and Act) taking over next year. In a country already desperate for more social services to rescue large parts of the population from ill health and misery, we will get more privilege for the wealthy at the expense of what they choose to describe as the 'bottom feeders'. If we classified people on the basis of how they care for each other rather than how they care for their bank balances, the bottom feeders would be a completely different demographic.

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Nov 17, 2022Liked by Emily Writes

God this is depressing .. 100% accurate and fucking depressing. Thanks for putting it all into words so articulately though... I wish I didn't feel so helpless 🥺

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Misery goblin. 100% apt, and I want it on a t-shirt.

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Nov 17, 2022Liked by Emily Writes

I should stop reading these at work because my loud yelps of agreement are alarming my colleagues. 💯 agree. So well put. Thank you for another eye opening, beautifully put piece of writing

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And now they're talking about 'boot camp' for 10 year olds!? I could not contain my rage when I heard that on the radio this afternoon. It would never occur to them that maybe the reason kids are going astray is because - for years - National ran down everything, including benefits, and now there's a massive wealth gap (though not for them, coz their mates looked after them, didn't they?) and kids are angry and disengaged and... [continues rant]. Honestly, punishing kids or parents is never going to fix things. Why do they always think that's the answer?! (But not for them *looks at Sam Uffindell AGAIN*). UGH.

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Nov 17, 2022·edited Nov 17, 2022Liked by Emily Writes

Kia ora Emily. I have read your awesome work for a while with pleasure - and a little guilt because I would read it for free. I subscribed today after reading this. It is just so fucking TRUE and so important. I'm a teacher which means I don't have loads of money. It also means I know that what you wrote about what people do for their kids is a total understatement. I cannot believe some parents I have seen are still standing - working their asses off to make sure their kids don't go without - and yet those are the ones Luxon disparages. What a messed up world. Go well x

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Nov 17, 2022Liked by Emily Writes

This just makes me so angry. Having taught for over ten years absence is so complex for some children. As a Mum it’s something we are struggling with, one of our ND children has had a fair bit of time off at the start of the year due to illness, now near the end of year she is in burnout mode and struggling with relievers and some days I physically can’t get her to school. The school luckily so far have been ok but if it continues or gets worse I don’t know what we will do. We aren’t keeping her home by choice, but some days it’s our only option.

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