Tough choices in life are inevitable.
At 37 years old, I suffered a stroke. It was a big one, leaving a portion of my brain the size of a golf ball essentially inert, dead. Of course, it could have been much worse. The stroke came completely out of the blue - no warning signs, no obvious risk factors and if the medical staff who treated me hadn't been so swift, perceptive and decisive, I almost certainly wouldn't be walking and talking today. But it also took a lowly fourth year medical student questioning the specialists' initial misdiagnosis to find the right answer. I owe my life to that young woman who was brave enough to question the experts. And the experts who listened and recognised the sense in what she said.
We all know that sound decision-making requires good information, but also that information alone isn't enough. In life there usually comes a point, especially in matters of principle, when we know we've gained enough of a picture for the moral choice before us to be clear. The question really becomes whether we want to honour a principle or not. The principled way forward usually isn't the easiest way. But it is one our consciences can live with.
Our world is full of experts, and expertise is a good thing as long as it comes with humility. But an expert who makes no allowance for the possibility they may sometimes be wrong can unwittingly end up destroying those they intend to save.
At PILLAR we don't claim to be experts. And that's not false humility talking. Our team recognises that not only is it principled in our democracy to recognise the inherent dignity and rights of our fellow Kiwis, but it also makes practical sense. The experience and democratic ethos residing in most citizens in this country is a profound resource even though many self-appointed experts in recent years have come to disdain the views of the "average man or woman" on the street.
If PILLAR is therefore about anything, it's about reviving and encouraging the principle that many minds applied to a problem are more likely to solve it. We live in an era where mountains of information can overwhelm citizens and more and more people are tempted to outsource political problems to the so-called "experts". At PILLAR we don't claim to know everything. Far from it. But we do firmly believe that if we can return to first principles when faced with complex problems, express those as clearly as possible, and not exclude from the debate the guy mowing his lawn in Ashburton or the woman running her small business in Kaikohe, we will, on balance, all be better off.
Whether we're challenging the claims of those pushing for an under 16 social media ban, calling out government overreach, or exposing cases of foreign interference and transnational repression occurring on our very own shores, we will always make the choice to stay principled even if it costs us support.
That's our pledge.
In the past week we’ve been laser focused on the pushing back against the proposal to ban under 16s from social media. This will continue to be a key focus. I am confident that we have you on our side, so thank you for sticking with us.
We’ve met with MPs, academic experts, industry leaders and even young students who are likely to be impacted by this policy. This is a big task but we are encouraged by the voices of reason that are speaking up - but there is more to do and so we will continue the fight.
