Flax root focus for Charm

Charm Skinner sums up nicely the reason why she does what she does.

“I care about humans, and I saw the Salvation Army as a space that actually has impact for people on the ground and for a lot of our whānau Māori,” she says.

“I wanted be in a space that’s more mana-enhancing and aligned with my morals and values.”

Charm (Ngāti Wairere) is the Salvation Army’s te Ao Māori Policy Analyst and works between the Social Policy and Parliamentary Unit and Te Tai Hono.

But rather than be buried in official statistics and policy documents, Charm is very much a flax-roots practitioner and believes the lived experiences of our people – rather than bare statistics – are a more effective method of creating better outcomes for everyone.

“I look at those who come through our services and see the impact we’ve had in helping them find hope again in their lives,” she says.

“Even though I don’t work on the front line, it’s awesome to be able to share those stories to others in higher power positions, like the government, other agencies, politicians.”

Along with sharing the experiences of those who come to Te Ope Whakaora for support, it’s equally important to share the stories of our kaimahi, she says.

“A lot of the stories go unheard because it’s just another day for our kaimahi. It means that a job like mine is crucial to make sure those stories get told to the powers that be because hearing about the changes that our kaimahi make can really shift perspectives for those who hold power over resources. So, when we do submissions or talk to politicians, along with the research, we’re also able to share those stories of real-life people.”

“We can show people the realities. I hear stories from our frontline kaimahi where kaumatua or nannies are caring for six or more mokos who have no kai. The food bank does its best to help and they leave with a parcel. On paper, that looks good — a 65+ year-old nanny received a food parcel. But that doesn’t show the real picture or the mahi that social workers and others put in behind the scenes. Those people make a real difference and those stories need to be seen and heard.”

Growing up in Fairfield in Kirikiriroa, Charm says she saw many real-life stories of whānau struggling.

“A lot of the whānau that come through our doors at the Salvation Army are like my whānau that I grew up with, the sad stories. I care about justice and good outcomes so that’s why I went to uni, to be able to help our people”.

Charm was the Youth MP for Hon Nanaia Mahuta while still at school and went on to study a Bachelor of Arts and Law at the University of Auckland.

Doors began to open.

“There was an opportunity to support the United Nations Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, EMRIP, on their country engagements to New Zealand. I didn’t know what an EMRIP was and I didn’t even really know how the UN worked, but I ended up doing that,” she says.

She worked as a note taker for EMRIP, sitting in on discussions with the National Iwi Chairs Forum, the Human Rights Commission and the Government.

“The whole purpose of that engagement was to talk about New Zealand’s implementation of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People. So that’s how I got involved with that.”

Representatives from EMRIP told her about a fellowship programme, which she applied for and “within a month I was in Geneva”.

“It was eye-opening. I’m just a girl from Fairfield who wanted to make a change for our people. I didn’t see how international law could actually help to advance our rights as indigenous peoples, but that’s the whole purpose of the programme, to teach indigenous peoples human rights mechanisms that you can exhaust at your own national level first, and if that doesn’t work, then there are international human rights mechanisms that you can use to help advocate for issues relating to your community.”

“So, I did that and got an opportunity to speak at the UN in Geneva, and then another year I went to New York to the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and got an opportunity to speak there as well.”

Back in Aotearoa, she secured work at the Human Rights Commission, interned as a law clerk at the Office of Human Rights Proceedings, and was eventually appointed as a rangatahi advisor with Ahi Kaa, the Māori and Indigenous rights team working on Te Tiriti transformation within the organisation.

“I think with a lot of our work, especially the policy part or research, you have to actually connect with the people first so it’s mana-enhancing but also makes it clear to the higher aboves and others you report to that you need to be adhering to the articles of Te Tiriti.”

Throughout her career, Charm says the relationships she formed with people on the National Iwi Chairs Forum proved formative.

“Really living and breathing Matike Mai by Matua Moana (Jackson) and Whaea Margaret Mutu and getting to work with them, as well as the many rangatira along the way who have mentored me has been really special and everything that I do is based in their teachings.”

And those teachings are aimed at improving outcomes for our people, something Charm remains focussed on in whatever she does.

“Those are humans who are going through struggle and they’re not just a statistic. I’ve been in the struggle and I think that’s probably the point of difference in my work. I don’t do it for being ego-based or anything like that, it is to actually help people with the tools that I’ve gained.”