Boyd Broughton is a name we have seen regularly over the past few years in tobacco control. Boyd is a Programme Manager for ASH New Zealand and is an active family man. Boyd has been a long time tobacco control advocate and we thought it would be great to get know Boyd just that little bit more. We asked him a few questions and here is what Boyd had to say...
Pepeha:
Ko au tētahi o ngā uri ō Te Ramaroa, Taupiri Maunga, Hikurangi Maunga hoki.
Engari, i tipu ake au i raro i te maunga o Te Ramaroa, ki te taha o tō mātou nei awa ko Whirinaki i te Hokianga. Ko te Hikutū te hapū, ko Ngāpuhi te iwi.
Ko Boyd ahau.
1. Three sentences that describe me are:
- A father of five reo Māori speaking tamariki aged from four to 15 years old
- A long-suffering Auckland Blues and Vodafone Warriors Support, this is our year! 2018! Warriors! #DayOne
- Staunch believer in Māori potential and success, there is enough success in the universe for every single one of us, whatever that might look like to you.
2. My story is... not that interesting. I grew up in the beautiful Hokianga, moved to Auckland in 1994 to escape hard work and have wanted to move back ever since. I’m a father of five beautiful humans. I have worked in the health sector since 2003 in a number of roles and each role has taught me something new about myself and the current and historical state of Māori health and its potential.
3. Something in my life that I am proud of is... my whānau, starting from my grand parents for bravely shifting away from Hokianga to Otara, my parents for fighting for reo Māori to be recognised in education and media, my siblings for putting up with and supporting me and all our beautiful tamariki with all their achievements but most importantly their kindness. Something I am proud of personally is my continued ability to learn and my newfound ability to put myself in uncomfortable situations in order to learn more.
4. One of the most defining moments in my life has been...becoming a father. I realise this is starting to be very boring and all I am speaking about is my tamariki, but it really was. Until I had tamariki I was very limited in my understanding of what matters to me.
5. A book that has most influenced me is...Ka Whawhai Tonu Mātou, by the late Professor Ranginui Walker. I would strongly suggest everyone read it to get a great insight into te Ao Māori and to understand the diverse individuals, whānau, hapū and iwi that exist in te Ao Māori. It is a fantastic read that my whānau has all read and that I will recommend to my tamariki as they all turn into young adults.
6. In my last lot of holidays I... took two weeks Annual Leave. I did not respond to emails. I did not respond to voice mails. I did not respond to texts. Terribly unprofessional and I paid a hefty price for my neglect on the Monday after school holidays had ended and I invested myself in my tamariki and tried my best to be in every moment with them. Whether we were being amazed by the information available at Kelly Tarltons Underwater World or we were the only people at Tūī Glen during the dark, raining, cold nights of Auckland and still enjoyed it because we had the playground to ourselves.
7. Someone I would love to see in concert would be... Bob Marley if he were alive or Lauryn Hill now.
8. What motivates me to get out of bed every morning is... please don’t ‘boo’ at my answer, but my kids. Although only my oldest is currently living with me, they remain my huge motivation to get out of bed and the excitement of working towards Māori development in some form.
9. Recent work highlights include... navigating the political landscape in the hope that we can play a part in some positive change for te iwi Māori, te iwi whānui hoki. Another would be sitting with members of Hāpai te Hauora, Cancer Society, Aspire 2025, Kōkiri Marae Services, Te Reo Mārama and others when we had a chat about living a smokefree life with the Māori Affairs Select Committee and the Health Select Committee simultaneously in Parliament earlier this year. The first time two select committees have sat together at the same time. Also, my sister sat opposite me as the deputy chair of the Māori Affairs Select Committee which was pretty cool because when my father was a young fulla, he and his friends protested for te reo Maori on Parliament grounds and weren’t allowed in the building
You can hear and see some of Boyds recent media interviews here ....
https://thespinoff.co.nz/author/boyd-broughton/
