July 16, 2024 • 9 mins
Today we shine a light on the work of Sherwood-O’Regan, a disability, climate, and indigenous rights activist.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:05):
Hey, this is Anny and Samantha and welcome to Stefan
Never Told You production of iHeart Radio.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
And y'all go ahead and put this again. I feel
like we do this so much with this second, but
specifically pronunciations, we're trying our best. We are speaking about
an indigenous Maori activist, so when it comes to the
Maori language, we don't know it.
Speaker 1 (00:35):
Point point.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
I definitely, definitely, definitely don't know it. So I did
try and find the pronunciations. It's a little difficult. Some
things were a lot easier to find than others. So
if you hear us struggling or trying, yes, yes, And
with that today we are talking about an Indigenous New
Zealander activist. Kira Shearwood Oregan. Shearwood Oregan is a disability,
(00:59):
climate and Indigenous rights activist. She has been vocal about
different issues and needs when it comes to climate change
and indigenous and disability issues. Again, she's one of those
that is intersectional to the core and understands the depth
about how they overlap and why the needs need to
be handled intersectionally. As a Maori woman from New Zealand,
(01:21):
she has always been conscious of the need to protect
the environment and the implications of the way the world
has been destroying it. Here's a bit from her blog,
found at Kira o'reagan dot WordPress dot com. I hail
from the beautiful Tewa Ponamu, the south island of Altaora,
New Zealand. In these days and based in the sunny
Tamaki makura Auckland on Nati Vatua and Natipawa Land. I
(01:45):
am an interdisciplinary storyteller and change maker working at the
intersections of Indigenous and disability rights, hu aa or health
and climate change. Having lived experience of disability and a
diagnosis of fibromyologia, and growing up surrounded by empowering Maori
change makers, I am passionate about making social change movements
accessible and equitable for all. Alongside my partner, I am
(02:08):
the co director of Social Impact and Creative agency Activate,
and am also the founder of Fabo Mahalja Altaura, New Zealand,
a network providing support and advocacy for people living with
chronic pain conditions.
Speaker 1 (02:20):
And because of her heritage, she learned early on what
it meant to be connected with the environment and how
important it was to respect the land. In an article
written for Colorado dot Edu. They say Shirid o'reagan was young,
her parents gathered the pito umbilical cord that had nurtured
her in the womb, and per tradition, buried it on
sacred coastal grounds in te Waponamu, the South Island of
(02:42):
New Zealand, alongside the remains of her ancestors. Growing up
in the Kaitau tribe, she learned early on to treat Airaqi,
the chiefly mountain of her people, and Wa Taki, their river,
with reverence. When she went fishing with her dad, he
would always throw the first catch back to Taco Roa,
the god of the oceans, to ensure the sustainability of
(03:03):
the fish stocks for future generations.
Speaker 2 (03:06):
And the article continues. As climate change increasingly threatens the
environment and the people who depend upon it, Sherwood o'reagan
has taken that responsibility seriously, serving as a vocal advocate
not only for her fellow Maori, the indigenous people of
New Zealand, but also for the people with disabilities. Having
been diagnosed with a fobromologia in her twenties, she seeks
to assure that indigenous people, people with disabilities, and people
(03:28):
like her at the difficult intersection of the two have
a voice at the table. That's critical, she said, because
they are at once uniquely affected and uniquely well suited
to provide solutions.
Speaker 1 (03:38):
She explains within the article quote, Indigenous and disabled people
have been organizing and innovating and creating novel solutions to
problems for generations because there has been no other option
for us. But only very recently have our views and
experiences been accepted as part of the mainstream climate conversation.
Speaker 2 (03:57):
And that's something she's highlighted throughout her career, the im
hoardance of the intersectionalities of these movements. In an interview
she did with culturalsurvival dot org, she goes into detail
about the subjects, saying, when we're talking about direct effects
of climate change on health, we're often thinking about things
like a climate disaster. If their floods, fires are coastal erosions,
and people are injured. Disabled people are left behind in
(04:19):
those sorts of disaster responses, whether they're not being rescued,
whether the government plans and responses are accessible for disabled
people and for Indigenous people, or whether those communities are
even getting essential information. If that's not occurring in a
language that you're comfortable with, or over communications that you're
comfortable with. If you're deaf and you can't hear sirens
or warnings, or if you're blind and have low vision
(04:41):
and you're not getting all of that same input that's
prioritized towards people who are visual receivers of information. That
can leave a lot of people behind.
Speaker 1 (04:48):
And she continues as the temperature rises. Obviously, that has
some direct effects in terms of people's health. Heat stroke
is a really big thing, particularly for a lot of
our elders, and it can also contribute to other health
conditions like my fibromyalgia, migraines. We also have direct effects
that come from pathogens like viruses and bacteria that cause
disease and sometimes longer term disabilities, as well as the
(05:11):
vectors that carry them. Those vectors might be things like
ticks or mosquitoes. As the climate is changing, the patterns
of those pathogens and vectors are moving. A big thing
for indigenous communities is also thinking about a lot of
the indirect effects of climate change, like eco anxiety. It
affects a lot of people, but particularly indigenous communities. We
(05:32):
are losing our homes but we are also losing sites
that are spiritually or culturally significant, like on Arupa or cemeteries.
That is a huge amount of trauma that our people
have to experience. Many island communities are also threatened with
rising sea levels and having to go to different countries
and leave your cultural, historical and traditional home is a
(05:53):
hugely traumatic process.
Speaker 2 (05:55):
And with that, she has called out different organizations, including
those at the COP twenty five, for their usage of
tokenism during their ceremonies. Here's a bit from her Wikipedia
page which she has one She said on behalf of
the International Indigenous People's Forum on Climate Change that quote,
we are experts on climate We are the kate Tiaki,
the stewards of nature. The Indigenous people have no official
(06:17):
representation as only nations have official delegates. At twenty five,
she was promised that she could speak, and she addressed
the conference long after it was meant to finish. The
stall agreements had left many sleeping under tables and missing flights.
She got the media's attention when she told the delegates
that the International Indigenous People's Forum on Climate Change wanted
them to quote stop taking up space with your false
(06:38):
solutions and get out of our way, and there's actually
eclips of this, and she's not the only one who
speaks up, but she's one of the main ones. And
it is pretty fierce, like you could tell the anger
and the rightful anger that was happening, especially that they
were being left behind. They wanted them to be paraded
as being inclusive, but they were not really including them
(06:58):
or allowed them to be presented at the actual form.
So if you have a chance, go look it up.
Speaker 1 (07:04):
Yeah, And she continues to be vocal about the needs
for disabled Indigenous leadership. She has seen some success and
hope for the future in that regard. From a Cultural
Survival dot Org interview quote, one of the things that's
been really important is the solidarity between indigenous and disabled
groups at the United Nations climate negotiations. I've been involved
(07:26):
in an organization that my partner founded called Sustained Ability,
which is a network of disabled people advocating for disability
rights in the context of climate change. One of our
core asks at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change is to establish a constituency for disabled people, because
that's currently not in existence. The Indigenous People's Caucus and
(07:49):
International Indigenous People's Forum on Climate Change have been hugely
supportive of the calls to action for disabled people to
have some space in those negotiations as well. They have
also got a lot of our calls for language that
respects disability rights as well as Indigenous rights, and have
supported our disabled Indigenous members to have a voice in
these spaces. That shows the strength of our community and
(08:13):
the strength of the Indigenous and the disabled rights movements.
How were actually the voices who most need to be
in the room and were the ones giving space and
ensuring everyone who needs to be in the room is
right there alongside us.
Speaker 2 (08:27):
Right And you know, we've talked about this so much
about the fact that it is those that are the
most marginalized that should be the ones that are at
the head and at the helm of what is going
on because they understand the needs better than most and
as in fact, they understand how exclusionary movements can be
when they've become just singular in its ideals. We've seen
(08:49):
them of the you know, the feminist movement in itself.
So to end on to on this note, she has
become one of BBC's one hundred Women of twenty twenty
three for her work work and climate change and indigenous
rights and disability rights, and I'm sure we're gonna hear
much more about her in the future.
Speaker 1 (09:07):
Yes, absolutely, and listeners. As always, if you have any
suggestions for this segment, please let us know. You can
email us at Stephanie mom Stuff at iHeartMedia dot com.
You can find us on Twitter at mom Stuff Podcasts,
or on Instagram and TikTok at stuff I Never Told
You for us on YouTube. We have a teap public
store and we have a book you can get wherever
you get your books. Thanks to so's to you, our
(09:29):
super producer Christina, our executive producer Maya, and our contributor Joey.
Speaker 2 (09:32):
Thank you and thanks to you for.
Speaker 1 (09:33):
Listening Stuff I Never Told You. Use production of iHeartRadio
For more podcasts or my heart Radio. You can check
out the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast wherever you listen to
your favorite shows.
Hey, this is Anny and Samantha and welcome to Stefan
Never Told You production of iHeart Radio.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
And y'all go ahead and put this again. I feel
like we do this so much with this second, but
specifically pronunciations, we're trying our best. We are speaking about
an indigenous Maori activist, so when it comes to the
Maori language, we don't know it.
Speaker 1 (00:35):
Point point.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
I definitely, definitely, definitely don't know it. So I did
try and find the pronunciations. It's a little difficult. Some
things were a lot easier to find than others. So
if you hear us struggling or trying, yes, yes, And
with that today we are talking about an Indigenous New
Zealander activist. Kira Shearwood Oregan. Shearwood Oregan is a disability,
(00:59):
climate and Indigenous rights activist. She has been vocal about
different issues and needs when it comes to climate change
and indigenous and disability issues. Again, she's one of those
that is intersectional to the core and understands the depth
about how they overlap and why the needs need to
be handled intersectionally. As a Maori woman from New Zealand,
(01:21):
she has always been conscious of the need to protect
the environment and the implications of the way the world
has been destroying it. Here's a bit from her blog,
found at Kira o'reagan dot WordPress dot com. I hail
from the beautiful Tewa Ponamu, the south island of Altaora,
New Zealand. In these days and based in the sunny
Tamaki makura Auckland on Nati Vatua and Natipawa Land. I
(01:45):
am an interdisciplinary storyteller and change maker working at the
intersections of Indigenous and disability rights, hu aa or health
and climate change. Having lived experience of disability and a
diagnosis of fibromyologia, and growing up surrounded by empowering Maori
change makers, I am passionate about making social change movements
accessible and equitable for all. Alongside my partner, I am
(02:08):
the co director of Social Impact and Creative agency Activate,
and am also the founder of Fabo Mahalja Altaura, New Zealand,
a network providing support and advocacy for people living with
chronic pain conditions.
Speaker 1 (02:20):
And because of her heritage, she learned early on what
it meant to be connected with the environment and how
important it was to respect the land. In an article
written for Colorado dot Edu. They say Shirid o'reagan was young,
her parents gathered the pito umbilical cord that had nurtured
her in the womb, and per tradition, buried it on
sacred coastal grounds in te Waponamu, the South Island of
(02:42):
New Zealand, alongside the remains of her ancestors. Growing up
in the Kaitau tribe, she learned early on to treat Airaqi,
the chiefly mountain of her people, and Wa Taki, their river,
with reverence. When she went fishing with her dad, he
would always throw the first catch back to Taco Roa,
the god of the oceans, to ensure the sustainability of
(03:03):
the fish stocks for future generations.
Speaker 2 (03:06):
And the article continues. As climate change increasingly threatens the
environment and the people who depend upon it, Sherwood o'reagan
has taken that responsibility seriously, serving as a vocal advocate
not only for her fellow Maori, the indigenous people of
New Zealand, but also for the people with disabilities. Having
been diagnosed with a fobromologia in her twenties, she seeks
to assure that indigenous people, people with disabilities, and people
(03:28):
like her at the difficult intersection of the two have
a voice at the table. That's critical, she said, because
they are at once uniquely affected and uniquely well suited
to provide solutions.
Speaker 1 (03:38):
She explains within the article quote, Indigenous and disabled people
have been organizing and innovating and creating novel solutions to
problems for generations because there has been no other option
for us. But only very recently have our views and
experiences been accepted as part of the mainstream climate conversation.
Speaker 2 (03:57):
And that's something she's highlighted throughout her career, the im
hoardance of the intersectionalities of these movements. In an interview
she did with culturalsurvival dot org, she goes into detail
about the subjects, saying, when we're talking about direct effects
of climate change on health, we're often thinking about things
like a climate disaster. If their floods, fires are coastal erosions,
and people are injured. Disabled people are left behind in
(04:19):
those sorts of disaster responses, whether they're not being rescued,
whether the government plans and responses are accessible for disabled
people and for Indigenous people, or whether those communities are
even getting essential information. If that's not occurring in a
language that you're comfortable with, or over communications that you're
comfortable with. If you're deaf and you can't hear sirens
or warnings, or if you're blind and have low vision
(04:41):
and you're not getting all of that same input that's
prioritized towards people who are visual receivers of information. That
can leave a lot of people behind.
Speaker 1 (04:48):
And she continues as the temperature rises. Obviously, that has
some direct effects in terms of people's health. Heat stroke
is a really big thing, particularly for a lot of
our elders, and it can also contribute to other health
conditions like my fibromyalgia, migraines. We also have direct effects
that come from pathogens like viruses and bacteria that cause
disease and sometimes longer term disabilities, as well as the
(05:11):
vectors that carry them. Those vectors might be things like
ticks or mosquitoes. As the climate is changing, the patterns
of those pathogens and vectors are moving. A big thing
for indigenous communities is also thinking about a lot of
the indirect effects of climate change, like eco anxiety. It
affects a lot of people, but particularly indigenous communities. We
(05:32):
are losing our homes but we are also losing sites
that are spiritually or culturally significant, like on Arupa or cemeteries.
That is a huge amount of trauma that our people
have to experience. Many island communities are also threatened with
rising sea levels and having to go to different countries
and leave your cultural, historical and traditional home is a
(05:53):
hugely traumatic process.
Speaker 2 (05:55):
And with that, she has called out different organizations, including
those at the COP twenty five, for their usage of
tokenism during their ceremonies. Here's a bit from her Wikipedia
page which she has one She said on behalf of
the International Indigenous People's Forum on Climate Change that quote,
we are experts on climate We are the kate Tiaki,
the stewards of nature. The Indigenous people have no official
(06:17):
representation as only nations have official delegates. At twenty five,
she was promised that she could speak, and she addressed
the conference long after it was meant to finish. The
stall agreements had left many sleeping under tables and missing flights.
She got the media's attention when she told the delegates
that the International Indigenous People's Forum on Climate Change wanted
them to quote stop taking up space with your false
(06:38):
solutions and get out of our way, and there's actually
eclips of this, and she's not the only one who
speaks up, but she's one of the main ones. And
it is pretty fierce, like you could tell the anger
and the rightful anger that was happening, especially that they
were being left behind. They wanted them to be paraded
as being inclusive, but they were not really including them
(06:58):
or allowed them to be presented at the actual form.
So if you have a chance, go look it up.
Speaker 1 (07:04):
Yeah, And she continues to be vocal about the needs
for disabled Indigenous leadership. She has seen some success and
hope for the future in that regard. From a Cultural
Survival dot Org interview quote, one of the things that's
been really important is the solidarity between indigenous and disabled
groups at the United Nations climate negotiations. I've been involved
(07:26):
in an organization that my partner founded called Sustained Ability,
which is a network of disabled people advocating for disability
rights in the context of climate change. One of our
core asks at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change is to establish a constituency for disabled people, because
that's currently not in existence. The Indigenous People's Caucus and
(07:49):
International Indigenous People's Forum on Climate Change have been hugely
supportive of the calls to action for disabled people to
have some space in those negotiations as well. They have
also got a lot of our calls for language that
respects disability rights as well as Indigenous rights, and have
supported our disabled Indigenous members to have a voice in
these spaces. That shows the strength of our community and
(08:13):
the strength of the Indigenous and the disabled rights movements.
How were actually the voices who most need to be
in the room and were the ones giving space and
ensuring everyone who needs to be in the room is
right there alongside us.
Speaker 2 (08:27):
Right And you know, we've talked about this so much
about the fact that it is those that are the
most marginalized that should be the ones that are at
the head and at the helm of what is going
on because they understand the needs better than most and
as in fact, they understand how exclusionary movements can be
when they've become just singular in its ideals. We've seen
(08:49):
them of the you know, the feminist movement in itself.
So to end on to on this note, she has
become one of BBC's one hundred Women of twenty twenty
three for her work work and climate change and indigenous
rights and disability rights, and I'm sure we're gonna hear
much more about her in the future.
Speaker 1 (09:07):
Yes, absolutely, and listeners. As always, if you have any
suggestions for this segment, please let us know. You can
email us at Stephanie mom Stuff at iHeartMedia dot com.
You can find us on Twitter at mom Stuff Podcasts,
or on Instagram and TikTok at stuff I Never Told
You for us on YouTube. We have a teap public
store and we have a book you can get wherever
you get your books. Thanks to so's to you, our
(09:29):
super producer Christina, our executive producer Maya, and our contributor Joey.
Speaker 2 (09:32):
Thank you and thanks to you for.
Speaker 1 (09:33):
Listening Stuff I Never Told You. Use production of iHeartRadio
For more podcasts or my heart Radio. You can check
out the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast wherever you listen to
your favorite shows.
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