Mayday – the day when workers across the world celebrate their contribution to society.

 

 This year’s Mayday, jointly hosted by Mahi Tupuna, Blackball Museum of Working Class History, Unions West Coast, West Coast Labour Party and West Coast Greens will be held at the Blackball Working Men’s Club and Mutual School of Arts, Main Road, Blackball, beginning on Friday 27th April at 7.30pm with the annual debate. This year’s topic: Until a single wage supports a family there will not be a stable society.

And then on Saturday April 28^th, the programme is as follows:

10.00am: AGM of Te Puawai Co-operative Society Limited. Shareholders and supporters, or even the curious, are welcome.

11.00am: Presentation by Te Puawai working group of a proposed co-operative structure for Blackball’s response to the Paparoa Track opportunity. All residents and wider district stakeholders welcome.

12.00pm Cultural interlude: Songs of Solidarity.

12.10pm Lunch. $10/unwaged $7.50.

1.00pm Forum. Transposing the values and intent of Labour-led Government (biculturalism, equity, living wage, diversity, regional development…) to the West Coast (Local Bodies, Development West Coast, Economic Development agencies, local business, media, NGOs, tourist operations, CBD development).

Keynote speaker: Right Honourable Shane Jones, Minister for Regional Development.

Also in attendance in mentor role: Labour MPs, Poto Williams & Rino Tirikatene; plus Cuban Ambassador, Mario Alzugaray. Local body representatives, community and business leaders and all citizens of a progressive mind are invited to attend the forum, with an eye to next year’s local body elections.

3pm Opening of new Exhibition at Museum: A woman’s right: Equal Pay, Equal Opportunity (past and present) by Poto Williams. Curated by Blackball Museum.

3.30pm. Afternoon tea and for those who wish, travel to Punakaiki for The Petrel Festival (food available).

We hope you can come to all or part of the day. Enquiries: wkcultur@gmail.com