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Thursday, November 01, 2007

"Urewera 17" More Names

Several more of the 17 people arrested in police "anti- terror" raids have been named.

They are Moana Winitana age 53, student from Palmerston North.

Valerie Morse, 36 of Wellington.

Emily Bailey, 24, , the sister of Rongomai Peropero Bailey and colleague of Marama Mayrick.

Ira Mangaimimi Timothy (Tim Bailey)Bailey, 28, the twin brother of Rongomai Bailey.

From a bio of Ira/Tim Bailey by Wellington journalist, Julie Webb-Pullman;

Ira Mangaimimi Timothy (a.k.a. Tim) Bailey grew up in a family environment in which activism was not just accepted, but positively encouraged. A descendant of the peaceful resistance movement of Parihaka, which resisted the land-grabs from the 19th century until recent times, he belonged to the Environmental and Conservation Organisations of New Zealand (ECO)...and he also facilitated workshops at the Parihaka Peace Festival.

His social conscience has long been evident in his numerous fundraising activities - for Save the Children Fund and Amnesty International, for Palestinian education and medical relief such as the work of New Zealand surgeon Alan Kerr, for the victims of the tsunami, and for communities in Southern Mexico.

His family background suggests his commitment to social justice issues is in no small part a product of his environment – his father Rongomai-Ira was a respected high-achiever, and well on his way to becoming the first Maori Trade Commissioner until his sudden untimely death. His mother, a graduate whose professional life has encompassed roles as a teacher, child welfare officer, and interpreter/translator, has always been very much involved in human rights and political and social justice issues.

Ira’s interest in the environmental movement stems also from family experience, his older sister having died of leukaemia following exposure to 245T and his aunt Vera Bezems being largely responsible for instigating the government enquiry into petro-chemical pollution at the Motonui outfall in Taranaki.

These influences paved the way for his involvement in helping to organise the making of the biggest GE-free sandwich in the world in opposition to the introduction of GE food into New Zealand, and to his participation in the Save Happy Valley campaign...

He has designed websites for the Workers Educational Association (WEA) and the Arlington Community Gardens, facilitated a workshop on media at a recent young peoples’ hui in Raglan, and been making canvasses for local artists. Amongst all of this he has still managed to find time to complete paid contract work for Dev-Zone, the Development Resource Centre.

Ira was instrumental in the reconstruction of the house known as 128, which had been abandoned, then rescued from destruction by the local community. Not only did he help rebuild the house, but he also set up a library there, and a bike workshop

This work, and visits to Nicki Hager’s self-built house, inspired Ira’s interest in building construction, and he had recently been working as a builder with the goal of eventually constructing his own house and becoming self-sufficient.

New Zeal

Ira/Tim Bailey was arrested in 2005 while protesting against the new Wellington bypass. He has also been a spokesman for the Save Happy Valley Campaign.

Ira Bailey and Emily Bailey also have links to Kiritapu Allan, Teanau Tuiono and Helen Te Hira through Concious Collaborations, an organisation run by Allan and Tuiono to bring together activist, indigenous people and radical musicians.

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