Category: Addresses and Articles (page 1 of 2)
From Archbishop David Moxon
The Tainui royal family are supporters of the Pai Mārire faith internally as a whānau. This draws in the Bible and a panentheist view of the elements and ecology. However, they don’t see this as contradictory with Christian faith. There is a cross on top of their cost of arms. And the first king said ‘ hold on love, lore and the faith ‘
So they have a policy of spreading their family around the Bible based faiths including Anglican , Catholic , Methodist , Presbyterian, Ringatu and Ratana. Having said this they usually send their children to Anglican schools because if their spirituality and standards . So they have this informal affinity with us. Archdeacon Ngira Simmons is the current kingitanga chief of staff .
They chose Din the other day because they thought he would be the most articulate in both languages for this historic occasion. The kawhau will be refered to for many years.
August 2024
By Justin Duckworth and Alan Jamieson, 2024
Comments by Richard Randerson
September 2024
The authors’ call to renew the Church in mission is timely. As a spur to such renewal they challenge the Church with the juxtaposition of Centre Church (CC) and Edge Church (EC), the former being the established congregationally-based churches, the latter being the emerging gatherings of disciples who are passionate (white hot) in their love of Christ and
their service of others. The dialogues can be mutually fruitful.
While they affirm CC in some places they more often describe it as “insipid, flabby, idolatrous and compromised”. Yet it is the CC which over centuries has maintained (and revised) the liturgies, music and theology that have inspired and sustained Jesus’ disciples from generation to generation and led major movements in spiritual growth and social change. Having served in different parishes over 60 years I do not agree with the assessment of CC as flabby and insipid. I have known too many members, the large majority
in fact, for whom faith is a living and enlivening centre of their lives 24/7. Is St Peter’s insipid and flabby? Or Central Baptist?
At the same time, having just read this week’s News for our Movement, I am greatly impressed by the extent and variety of what is happening in the Diocese of Wellington (and doubtless in other places as well), events which are out of kilter with the disparaging words about the Church in the book. These events inspire, the book discourages. There is a disjunction between the book and church life in reality.
Maybe back in the 50s, when society was much more homogeneous, there were more nominal members who fell away from about 1960. But I recall congregations from those days whose members were every bit as faithful and convinced Christians as those in today’s churches. Over the years I have also known church members who have left CC because the Gospel presented to them, in personal living and society, has been too challenging.
The white hot passion of EC is commendable but not necessarily broadly based in terms of theology and context. Alan Jamieson wrote an excellent book in 2000 entitled A Churchless Faith. As a Baptist minister and sociologist he had conducted research into why people were leaving EPC (evangelical, pentecostal and charismatic) churches, one of the reasons (as I
recall) being that they found the theology too narrow and simplistic. To be told, for example, it was God’s will that a child had died of cancer was totally unreal. Many are recruited into such churches while too young for broader thought.
We can be grateful that people like John Bluck who through his books and media work contextualises theology in an accessible manner, while in Wellington Scottie Reeve writes articles for The Post that weave theology into the context of daily life and society. The Postalso runs articles on theology in daily life and society by Lyndon Drake (tikanga Maori, on Matariki) and Otago theologians David Tombs and Andrew Shepherd.
In-tensional aims to renew the Church in mission, which is good, but in my view would have more chance of doing so if it included emphasis on the Church’s mission in blending Christian faith with society and remove the disparaging references to CC. They are in my experience untrue and would be a barrier to creative dialogue between CC and EC. Describing the Church as flabby and insipid is a turnoff for audiences who would regard
such a description as not merely inaccurate but also highly judgmental.
In 2010 I published a book Engagement 21. It was based on research I did with 100 representative clergy and laity across NZ on their experience of the Church in mission. It showed the need for much improvement in mission, but also contained 125 thumbnail sketches of projects parishes were engaged in across the whole spectrum of the Anglican five marks of mission.
Perhaps a second volume with positive and practical content might be in order?
Bishop Richard Randerson
Wellington
This brilliant annual report from the Salvation Army contains a comprehensive overview of social-economic data on issues such housing, income, penal policy, children and youth, Maori wellbeing, social hazards (eg drugs). Ideal for local justice group planning its agenda. To access click here.
The Governments Fast-track and fresh water Proposals
A paper by Marinie Prickett (University of Otago) and Dr Mike Joy (VUW) on these key issues with suggestions for response. Letter follows:
Briefing on the new Government’s environmental law proposals and the serious threat they pose to freshwater
Kia ora koutou,
We are writing to you with important information on the Government’s proposals to rewrite environmental law and remove protections for freshwater. We do so because there has been very little public discussion or media coverage of the proposals, and the Government is moving swiftly. Furthermore, information provided by the Government has not been shared with all those with working on or interested in freshwater.
The latest information provided by the Government (in a letter to an unclear list of stakeholders from Minister for Resource Management Act Reform Chris Bishop sent on Wednesday last week) suggests a very short timeframe for feedback on proposed changes – two weeks. So, along with providing a briefing on the proposals, we also make two suggestions for useful and effective actions you and/or your organisation can take right now.
- Write to the Minister Hon Chris Bishop, Minister for RMA Reform, Chris.Bishop@parliament.govt.nz
- Inform others
More details on these actions in the last section of this letter.
You are receiving this letter because at some time in the past decade either Mike and/or Marnie has had contact with you over your concern for freshwater.
The strength of many public voices on freshwater issues has successfully achieved change in the past and we believe it could have a positive effect again if we react to these proposals in a timely way.
The new Government’s proposals for freshwater and related policy
Overarching resource management law
The coalition Government outlined in its coalition agreement documents its intention to severely weaken environmental protections and their associated human health protections beginning with overarching resource management law.
At the end of last year, under urgency, the new Natural and Built Environment Act 2023 and Spatial Planning Act 2023 were repealed.
The new Government now intends to reform the Resource Management Act 1991, having committed in its coalition agreements to replace it “with new resource management laws premised on the enjoyment of property rights as a guiding principle” (National – ACT coalition agreement, p. 6).
Fast-track Minister-controlled consent process and irrigation projects
“I am proposing a new bill which draws on the previous fast-track regimes and that will reflect the following:
• The new fast-track process will be contained in a standalone Act with its own
purpose statement.
• Locally, regionally and nationally significant infrastructure and development projects will be prioritised.
• There will be a process for the responsible minister to refer projects for acceptance
into the fast-track process, and the bill will also contain a list of projects that will be
first to have their approvals granted.
• Referred projects will go to an Expert Panel, which will have limited ability to decline a project once referred and will apply any necessary conditions to ensure adverse effects of the project are managed.”
What this means in practice is that the Government will produce a list of projects that will by-pass normal democratic processes, with likely little to no formal avenue for tangata whenua and wider public input or opposition. A number of these projects are likely to be large-scale irrigation schemes, based on the coalition agreements’ commitments to increasing water storage.
A ‘standalone Act with its own purpose’ means the Government is intending that these fast-tracked projects would avoid having to be consistent with the purpose of the Resource Management Act, which is (among other things) “safeguarding the life-supporting capacity of air, water, soil, and ecosystems”. The ‘standalone Act” for fast-track projects is likely to have as its purpose “increasing productivity” or something related. If this is allowed to progress, projects are very likely to be given the go ahead with little or no environmental consideration.
National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management 2020
In the short term, the Government first intends to (though it is not entirely clear how) disapply Te Mana o te Wai from the fast-track consents. In the medium term, the Government has said it intends to replace it the NPS-FM 2020 (signalled in the coalition agreements) and has particularly emphasised that they will either remove or “rebalance” Te Mana o te Wai. They have said this process of replacing the NPS-FM is expected to take 18 to 24 months.
Rebalancing Te Mana o te Wai would have the same effect as removing it. Te Mana o te Wai is the central decision-making framework that, along with its principles, establishes a “hierarchy of obligations” requiring councils to prioritise the health of waterways and people’s drinking water over commercial interests.
It has been beginning to have effect in consenting, with a consent application for over 8 billion litres of water per year turned down in Hawke’s Bay last year on the basis of Te Mana o te Wai. The commissioners at the time noted in their decision that, in previous versions of the NPS-FM, “no strong weighting was given to the protection of freshwater values versus its use and development”.
We have further concerns for the National Objectives Framework, the part of the NPS-FM that establishes bottom lines for contaminants in waterbodies. Indications from Government suggest that they would like to remove or weaken these on the basis that “local communities get the opportunity to customise and to have nuanced processes in place that ensure that at a community level they can be making decisions that are appropriate for that community”. This emphasis on community and “catchment-level” decision-making would be unnecessary if you intended to keep the National Objectives Framework as it is because community involvement and catchment-scale management are already how the NPS-FM functions. What this narrative suggests is wanting to remove bottom lines to allow the most well-resourced in society to pressure councils for whatever level of pollution works for their commercial interests.
The risks to human and ecological health of these proposals
For most, the risks of these proposals will be clear. However, we provide a brief outline here that highlights issues at a high level and is not exhaustive. The associated threats to equity, biodiversity, resilience to and mitigation of climate impacts, democratic process, etc. should be inferred.
The elevation of the enjoyment of property rights in resource management is very concerning as the health and wellbeing of communities and the natural environment simply cannot be protected on this basis. Resource management is applied, by necessity, across properties and public land to ensure that people and the environment avoid acute and cumulative impacts from individuals, businesses, or other agencies.
Fast-track consenting that facilitates irrigation schemes, particularly when they are not subject to any resource management law, bottom lines, or public scrutiny, will undoubtedly mean further intensification of agricultural systems and land use. This will mean more pollution to waterbodies and less water in waterways. Irrigation schemes have had extreme impacts on water quality and people’s drinking water sources in parts of the country, particularly Canterbury. Dams themselves also impact the health of waterbodies.
Removing or “rebalancing” Te Mana o te Wai will mean a return to the prioritisation or dominance of commercial interests over the public needs for a healthy environment and safe drinking water. There is ample evidence in of the health of drinking water sources and even minimal ecological health considerations being overridden in favour of intensification of land use. Without the Te Mana o te Wai legal weight given to drinking water and ecological health, commercial interests can use their resources to stay in planning processes as long as they need to achieve the outcomes they want at regional level.
What to do right now
Write to the Minister
The Government has suggested they will only allow an extremely short time frame for feedback on the fast-track consenting. The letter from Chris Bishop states:
“Details of the fast-track consenting regime and NPS-FM changes will be worked through over the next month, and your input into this process would be appreciated.
My officials will be in touch to seek a meeting with you to discuss the proposals and understand your perspective.
All feedback provided by the 12 February 2024 will inform the new [fast-track consent] bill to be introduced to Parliament in early March.”
Given this pace of decision-making, the most important action you and/or your organisation could take now is to write to the Minister to state your opposition to the Fast-track consent Bill and to replacing the NPS-FM 2020, removing or “rebalancing” Te Mana o te Wai.
Hon Chris Bishop, Minister for RMA Reform, Chris.Bishop@parliament.govt.nz
Informing others
A second and ongoing important thing you can do is to inform others of these proposals and the threats they pose to waterways and communities. As we noted at the beginning of this letter, these proposals are not widely known.
- Feel free to forward to letter to any one you wish.
- Speak to your organisation and professional networks.
- Encourage others to write to the Minister too as soon as possible.
· Write an opinion piece or letter for a newspaper or industry publication to inform others.
Thank you
Thank you for reading this letter and for the time you take to stand up against the unravelling of environmental law and freshwater protection.
We have made progress in the past and we can again if there is enough strength shown from those outside parliament.
If you have any questions or thoughts, please contact us.
Ngā mihi nui,
Mike Joy and Marnie Prickett
Faith & Belief – Te Patapātai Whakapono (faithandbeliefstudynz.org)
This is the latest WF report on attitudes on faith and belief from a survey of 1009 New Zealanders. Few are church members so here are views of the community at large. Some are surprisingly hopeful and suggest areas for church outreach.
To access click on title above to open.
An extract of the 2023 CLS by Peter Lineham. 2400 Anglicans responded on issues relating to their local church such as faith, spiritual sustenance, outreach to community and leadership. A wealth of material for mission and ministry. See attachments and pick your topics.
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Bishop Richard reflects on choices that affect our lives
Slipping the Moorings (Richard’s memoir). STM… . gives chapter references below
Historical notes: Takapuna Grammar (53/7). Otago University. St John’s College, Union Seminary NYC (68/9).
Vocation 1 My years as curate at Papakura (’64/68) where I married Jackie were bleak years vocationally. I had offered for priesthood in the 50s when churches were full, but in the 60s people were leaving in droves. We went to New York for post-grad study in the midst of anti-Vietnam protests, Black Power and US capitalist exploitation in South America. There our understanding of missionwas blown wide open. Key learnings: First, the Church’s mission is to engage with society, and second, the experience of grace with finding this enlarged vocation. STM 1
Industrial Mission (Teesside and Auckland 71-78), Vicar St Peter’s (78-90)
Vocation 2 At St Peter’s I corresponded often with Bishop Edward Norman on key issues in Church and Society. Many kept silent. We developed a respect for one another. Key learning: “speaking truth to power” in a way that gets through is a skill to develop, but there can be a cost. As leaders to develop the skill to listen and consult is like gold – better outcomes, more commitment. STM3
Anglican social justice officer (90/94), Asst Bishop Canberra/Goulburn (94-99), Jackie was guidance counsellor at Canberra (Anglican Boys) Grammar.
Ethics 1 (and mission) As social justice officer, and with the impact of Rogernomics and Ruthanasia, I ran 150 local seminars to link the theology of mission with analysis of local community needs, and then to plan local support services and advocacy for socio-economic change. Key learning: to integrate an outward-looking theology of mission with effective social engagement and strategies for change. STM 4.
Ethics 2 – Neoliberalism As social justice officer I had frequent dialogue with the late Roger Kerr of the (then) NZ Business Roundtable. Roger described the churches as perpetrators of corrosive myths, undermining the neoliberal ideology. Some aspects of neoliberalism are positive, eg avoiding excessive regulation and freedom to use one’s gifts in a creative manner. But as practised it fails to recognise that St Paul’s teaching about individual gifts is that they are for the common good. Key learning: any economic or corporate policy must be measured by whether it is for the common good. STM 6
Ethics 3 –Royal Commission on Genetic Modification In 2000/1 I was the deputy chair of the four-member RCGM. In assessing the option for GM in NZ one of the considerations was ethics. I suggested we should create a statement of values as a measure of any recommendations. There was some doubt as to whether this was possible in a society but together we identified seven core values which we felt would be shared by most New Zealanders and were relevant to the consideration of genetic modification:
- The uniqueness of Aotearoa New Zealand
- The uniqueness of our cultural heritage
- Sustainability
- Being part of a global family
- The well-being of all
- Freedom of choice
- Participation (in decision-making) STM 8
Vocation 3 – Ambition Being part of an institution inevitably raises the question of ambition. But ambition for what? For God? For mission? For the Church? For one’s company or for oneself? Ambition can be positive if one feels called to exercise a leadership that serves God and mission. The only position I ever aspired to was Dean of Auckland. I turned it down twice because on each occasion I had just started another job. It was pure grace that it came back to me after my year on the RCGM. I relished the opportunity to lead good worship, preach and also be a voice in the public square (2000/07). Key learning: in vocational choices whom or what do we choose? STM 10
Spirituality 1 A Quaker woman, Catherine Benland, composed the S-Factor – spirituality for all New Zealanders
- freedom of conscience and belief
- a sense of the sacredness of one’s own self and body, and that of others
- a sense of relationship among human beings
- belonging to a family, community or whanau
- tenderness and compassion to the weak and needy
- love for the earth, its rivers, mountains and bush, and its various life forms
- a feeling of awe in the face of the mystery of existence.
Spirituality 2/Vocation 4: Richard Rohr, a Franciscan priest in New Mexico, in Falling Upward, writes about two journeys in life. In the first journey of life we tend to be busy creating our place in the world – education, work, family, success, affluence, influence. But as we mature we come to see that bigger things are at stake – compassion, justice, truth, loving God and others. In the second journey we build those things into our lives, so that the second journey is shaping the first. Discovering the second journey early in life gives us a strong vocational sense of life’s purpose.
Key learning: what shapes your vocational choices?