Quentin Jukes
Quentin George Jukes is a New Zealand activist.
Activist life
Quentin Jukes was active in student politics at Waikato Uni in the early ’80s. Jukes studied Social Sciences and was on the Waikato Students Union executive in 1982/83.
In 1985 he was Vice President of the New Zealand University Students Association, one of several Workers Communist League members active in that body.
By 1987, Jukes was running the Massey Uni Progressives Club and was a spokesman for AC/DC (Action Committee Against Dole Cuts)
After Palmerston North, Jukes moved to Wellington where he worked with the Wellington Unemployed Workers Union. By 1990, Jukes was president of WUWU, a joint WCL/Socialist Unity Party operation.
Jukes was heavily into demos. On May 7th he protested outside Parliament over benefit cuts and on July 10th was WUWU leader at a sit-in at the Business Roundtable HQ in Wellington.
Through the early ’90s, Jukes worked for the Wellington Poeoples Resource Centre. Like Sue Bradford’s Auckland Peoples Centre, the WPRC was dominated by former members of the Workers Communist League.
In 1993, he was a member, with Sue Bradford of the National Organising Group for the Peoples Assembly/ Building Our Own Futures Project. This organisation was run by an alliance of former WCL members and Marxist Catholics.
In March 1994, Jukes was arrested for trespass at the Reserve Bank, Wellington with Sue Bradford and 10 others. They were protesting that the Reserve Bank should be helping solve the unemployment problem. Jukes was a spokesman for the Aotearoa Network of Unemployed and Beneficiaries.
In 1995 Jukes was on the organising committee for the Activism in Aoteoroa Workshops to be held at Moores Valley, Wellington, in January 1996. These were run largely by ex WCL types and were basically a training camps for young radicals. Training covered everything from banner making to publishing propaganda, public speaking and revolutionary music.
By 1997, Jukes was Community Development Adviser-Youth, with the Wellington City Council.
By 1998, Quentin Jukes was a field worker for COMMACT in Auckland. This was the NZ branch of a Commonwealth wide NGO which “works for local action and economic development-communities empowered to help themselves“-in other words, socialism. Bill Bradford, husband of Sue Bradford, worked closely with Jukes in COMMACT.
Jukes was employed to co-ordinate a nationwide “social audit”. Funding came from the Tindall Foundation, the Department of Internal Affairs and the Department of Labour’s Community Employment Group-later famous for funding “Hip Hop” tours.
In 2003, Jukes was traveling under the auspices of the Wellsford based, Kotare Trust (of which Sue Bradford was vice-chairman) advising people on how to claim more benefits from the taxpayer.
According to the Gisborne Herald “More than 1000 Gisborne residents could be missing out on special benefits worth $5 to $50 a week, a workshop was told on Monday.
Advocate for special benefits, Quentin Jukes conducted the workshop to educate Tairawhiti community workers about the Winz payments.
Using October 2002 figures supplied by the Ministry of Social Development, Mr Jukes said the Gisborne and Kaiti Winz offices had 5174 residents registered and of those 1212 had apparent eligibility for special benefits. However, only 19 were receiving the extra payments.
“There are circumstances where people facing hardship are entitled to extra payments and Winz officers should advise people how to apply for the special benefits,” said Mr Jukes, who was brought to Tairawhiti by Kotare Trust and Oho Ake”
Student activism
1982/83 On Waikato Student's Union executive.
1985 General VP NZUSA. Age 22 Bach Soc Science. Pols. & Geography.
1987 - contact Massey University Progressives Club. [1]
WCL member
1988 - Quentin Jukes was a member of the Workers Communist League. [2]
1989 WCL member, Wellington.[3]
Unemployed activism
1987 - spokesman AC/DC (Action Committee Against Dole Cuts).[4]
1988 Access Trainee Committee spokesperson.
1989-90 Spokesman for Wellington Unemployed Workers Union. Protested outside Parliament on May 7 about benefit cuts.[5]
1990 - president WUWU.
1990 - July 10, WUWU leader at Round Table sit-in.
1993 - leading official, Wellington Peoples Resource Centre.
March 1994 - arrested for trespass at Reserve Bank, Wellington with 11 others. Protesting that Reserve Bank should be helping solve unemployment problem. Organised by Aoteoroa Network of Unemployed & Beneficiaries Age 31,community worker, Wellington. Several Aotearoa Youth Network members also arrested.[6]
1994 - spokesman Aoteoroa Network of Unemployed & Beneficiaries.[7]
BOOF/AYN
1993 - member National Organising Group (NOG) for Peoples Assembly for Building Our Own FuturesProject. [8]
1994 Contact for ANUB in Common Ground Vol 1 No 1, ANUB part of Building Our Own Futures. Contact address is Box 9491 Te Aro Wellington, phone 3858596 (Wellington Peoples Resource Centre).
1994 - article in Aotearoa Youth Network No 15 on Cuts to Disability allowance.
Activism in Aoteoroa
1995 - on organising committee for Activism in Aoteoroa workshops to be held at Moores Valley, Wellington. Jan. 20-24.
Wellington City Council
1997 - Community Development Adviser Youth - Wellington City Council.
COMMACT
1998 - COMMACT field worker, Auckland.
Australia
1999 - in Australia. [9]
Ritchie email
2002 - Quentin Jukes was sent Ian Ritchie's email to list ex WCL and neo Maoists opposing sanctions on Iraq "Oppose the sanctions!"
- It is time to send a letter to Helen Clarke to oppose the sanctions which are attached to the Working Towards Employment Plan for people on the DPB. If you missed the submission date then this is your opportunity to persuade the Government to remove the sanctions. Please find a moment in your day to send a letter to Helen Clarke. It would be perfectly fine to send a personal letter if you are not attached to an organisation.
Kotare Trust
Oct. 1995 - attended Kotare Trust AGM at Otimai Camp, West Auckland, confirmed as trustee. From Wellington.[10]
In 2003, more than 1000 Gisborne residents could be missing out on special benefits worth $5 to $50 a week, a workshop was told .
Advocate for special benefits, Quentin Jukes conducted the workshop to educate Tairawhiti community workers about the Winz payments.
Using October 2002 figures supplied by the Ministry of Social Development, Mr Jukes said the Gisborne and Kaiti Winz offices had 5174 residents registered and of those 1212 had apparent eligibility for special benefits. However, only 19 were receiving the extra payments.
In Ruatoria 768 were registered, but none of the 71 with apparent eligibility received the special benefits.
"There are circumstances where people facing hardship are entitled to extra payments and Winz officers should advise people how to apply for the special benefits," said Mr Jukes, who was brought to Tairawhiti by Kotare Trust and Oho Ake.[11]
Early Trustees
Kotare Trust early trustees: Tim Howard, Claire-Louise McCurdy, Katherine Peet, Karen Davis, Bill Bradford, John Benseman, Josie Lander, Cybele Locke, Noelene Landrigan, Sue Bradford, Quentin Jukes.
2005 - Kotare current Trustees are: Tim Howard (Whangarei) Chair, Sue Bradford (Wellsford) deputy Chair, Quentin Jukes, Noelene Landrigan (Wellsford), Kate Abel (Opotiki), Gordon Jackman (Gisborne) Kay Robin, Ngai Tamanuhiri (Manutuke), Tali Williams (Wellington) and Sue Berman (Waitakere).
Kotare Trustees, 2013:
- Ilai Amir, Tamaki Makaurau - Auckland
- Sue Berman, Tamaki Makaurau - Auckland
- Karen Davis, Tamaki Makaurau - Auckland
- Catherine Delahunty, Kauaeranga Valley (near Thames)
- Tim Howard, Whangarei
- Quentin Jukes, Hoteo North (Kotare Centre caretaker)
- Garrick Martin, Tamaki Makaurau - Auckland[12]
- Hannie Treadwell, Whangarei[13]
Kotare cookoff
Undated, but circa 2010 - Kotare Trust held a cooking fundraiser;
- Come and join a fun weekend of cooking with curry, cakes, salads, soups and more on the menu. This will be a hands on workshop based in the Kotare Trust kitchen, cooking a wide variety of vegetarian food – and then eating it.
- This is a fundraising workshop with all profits going to Kotare Trust.
Cooks/Facilitators: Quentin Jukes and Claire Dann. Kotare Trust contact was Tanya Newman.[14]
Homebuilders
2003 - Farmers’ markets offer potential for small producers having difficulty getting into supermarkets and other outlets to sell their goods locally, according to Social Entrepreneur Fund recipient Quentin Jukes...
He is using part of the grant he received to look at the potential of setting up such a market in Warkworth.
Quentin, who works for Homebuilders Family Services in Warkworth, has 17 years involvement in the community sector, both in a paid and voluntary capacity.
2004 - Homebuilders director Quentin Jukes talked about the group’s current work with individuals and families and about its plans for the future.
Homebuilders runs a family centre that provides counselling, budgeting advice, parenting education, and other courses on practical lifeskills. It also has a crèche to take care of children while there parents are busy with its programmes.