Kiwis in Godzone

From Wellington Cathedral of St Paul

Kiwis in Godzone 6 November 2011 The Revd Jenny Wilkens

• Ps 82
• Judges 7:2-22
• Ephesians 2:11-22

http://wellingtoncathedral.org.nz/index.php/Sermons

This sermon is adapted from the Resources for the General Election prepared for churches by the Centre for Theology & Public Issues, Otago University. http://www.otago.ac.nz/ctpi/resources/otago023959.html

When did I first realise that I was a Kiwi, a New Zealander, from this land, and not another? Was it when I first left these shores a week after I'd left school to visit my sister in Sydney, and for the first time grasped the immensity of flying over nothing but ocean for three hours?

Was it when I first arrived in London on my OE as a 21 year old, and enjoyed the discovery of all the places on the Monopoly board, and the sense of history, and yet felt a wave of homesickness as I visited the tropical house in Kew Gardens to get warm, and saw and smelt the ferns? Was it when I arrived to live and work in France, and found most French struggled to place NZ on the world map, and often vaguely attached it to England or Canada? This was 3 years prior to the bombing of the Rainbow Warrior, which finally put NZ on the map for the French, even if somewhat reluctantly from their point of view!

Now I'm living back over here, I've realised afresh what it is to be living in God's own country, when I've twice now driven English friends around the South Island, and heard them exclaim over and over again how beautiful this country is, as I see it anew through their eyes - and stop for the umpteenth time to take photos of sheep!

I'm a 4th generation Kiwi - my German forebears Cordt and Anna Bensemann and Diedrich Wilkens came out here from North Germany in 1843 and 1857 respectively. On my mother's side, I have forebears from Scotland and England, who came via the goldfields of Australia to the West Coast of the South Island, and my grandfather came here in the 1920's from Latvia. So I have an eclectic European heritage, and yet I call myself first of all a Kiwi, a New Zealander, and am proud of that.

What does it mean to be a New Zealander? Is a New Zealand identity determined by your place of birth, your ethnicity, or your history of residence in this country? Or, does being a New Zealander depend more upon a set of shared values and a certain way of looking at the world?

As we approach an election, political parties know that to raise questions about race and identity will make headlines, generate controversy, and often win votes. Politicians in recent years have voiced their concern at the "Asian invasion" and declared the need to control immigration or asset sales, or they announce slogans such as "one law for all", or conversely, proclaim strongly their "tino rangatiratanga" – the right to self-determination for Maori. Who is a New Zealander and therefore whose rights should be protected? Whose values should be upheld? Whose dreams and ambitions should be advanced? What sort of society do we aspire to be here together?

Is there a shared set of values that is held by all Kiwis? Some suggest that it is our close connection to the land: the remoteness of New Zealand, our unique flora and fauna, our comparatively sparse human population, our pristine landscapes. A spiritual connection to the land is very real for Maori, who still practise the tradition of returning their newborn's placenta (whenua) back into the land (whenua). Likewise, for many Kiwis who have grown up enjoying the outdoors, or engaged in farming, there is clearly a strong sense of connectedness to the land. But what of the large majority of urban-based New Zealanders? Do those living in box-sized apartments in inner-city Wellington see their identity as Kiwis stems from their relationship with the land? Perhaps here it's more a relationship with the beach or the weather?!

Some suggest that it is our love of sport which is one of the defining features of a common Kiwi identity. Again, the passion of many of us for sporting achievements can't be denied, especially of late, but what of those who find watching rugby as much fun as watching paint dry on a wet day?

Others give special mention to our egalitarianism, our pioneering/can-do pragmatic spirit, our 'no worries'/'she'll be right' laid back approach to life, and our no.8 wire resourcefulness. And yet perhaps our egalitarianism is now just a myth. Certainly the statistics show that New Zealand has become steadily less egalitarian during the last quarter of a century. Of the 34 OECD member countries, we now rank 9th worst for income inequality between rich and poor. We are now one of the most unequal nations in the OECD.

Our personal identity is a product of our previous life experience: likewise, any attempt to define our country’s identity requires an understanding of our corporate life experience – our history as a nation.

Fundamental to that is the Treaty signed between Maori and the Crown at Waitangi on 6 February 1840, when Lt. Col. William Hobson famously declared "He iwi tahi tatou – we are all one people". The story of our country since then has been shaped by the attempt to determine whether this is in fact true, and how such a reality works itself out. What does it mean to be 'one people'? Does 'one people' mean only one way of doing things – does the way of the majority always rule?

The Treaty of Waitangi comes to the forefront at each general election as politicians make statements about deadlines for Treaty settlements. Many such comments tend to perpetuate the notion that the Treaty is fundamentally about Maori grievances, the need for the Crown to provide compensation and redress, and the belief that once settlements are finalised, we can put this troublesome Treaty behind us and forget about it.

But from the discussions of Maori with the Christian missionaries who assisted in the translating of the Treaty, it is clear that Maori understood the Treaty as a sacred covenant. Hone Heke – often remembered as the activist chief who four times cut down the British flagpole at Russell – was the first to sign Te Tiriti o Waitangi. On the day before the signing Heke argued in support of Te Tiriti telling the assembled chiefs, 'This, my friends...is a good thing. It is even as the word of God'. Likewise, Ngapuhi chiefs drew a comparison to the New Testament – Te Kawenata Hou, the New Covenant – which had recently been printed at Paihia, and so regarded the Treaty as a sacred compact, a covenant.

As Christians, we should be particularly conscious of the significance of covenant relationships in the Bible, where partners in a covenant work together to determine how they will live in a way that is mutually enriching, while recognising and acknowledging their differences.

However, we know the reality here has been that the relationship between the Crown and Maori, for a good part of our history, has been unhealthy and destructive. As Christians, we understand that dealing with what has gone wrong in the past in any relationship is necessary if we are to move forward. We also need to build and grow a more healthy partnership in this land, that will treat all within it with care and dignity.

How do we build a relationship that gives validity to different cultural ways of knowing and doing things? Is it possible to construct the institutions of society (government, our justice and education systems) so that the strengths of distinctive cultures are recognised and drawn upon? Should structural partnership involve the establishment of different cultural institutions, as for example our Church has done, the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia with our three tikanga or cultural streams? And how do those streams relate to each other? That is the challenge currently facing our Church.

A Maori proverb states: ‘Na to rourou, na taku rourou ka ora ai te iwi – With your basket of knowledge and my basket of knowledge, all the people will thrive’. What are the fruits from our respective baskets (Maori and Pakeha) which will lead to the thriving and sustaining of all? And how can we better share and value those fruits?

And despite our awareness of our many failures and problems, many indigenous people from around the world look on with envy at the levels of mutual respect and partnership that already exist within Aotearoa/New Zealand. The official recognition and encouragement of te reo, the Maori language, Maori representation within local, regional and national political structures, and the embracing of Maori values in conservation and environmental policy, are aspects of partnership that we often take for granted and which indigenous people from other countries still long for.

Another important element of our New Zealand identity today is that our nation has been, and continues to be, shaped by immigration. Currently, the government sets an annual quota of 45,000 immigrants each year. On top of this there is an annual quota to receive 750 refugees referred through the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), while another 300 refugees can apply to come to New Zealand and join existing family members, plus some gain refugee status as asylum seekers.

Bearing in mind how population growth stimulates economic growth, do we want to actively encourage higher levels of immigration? Can population growth be maintained while still safeguarding our environment from further damage? Are there particular backgrounds, skills and levels of equity that we want immigrants to have, or are all welcome? What about asylum seekers and refugees? Should we lift our annual refugee quota?

The Bible is full of ethical instructions to believers to offer hospitality and welcome to strangers from other cultures (Lev. 19:33-34; Deut. 10:19; Heb. 13:2; Rom. 12:13). Nor is this action of hospitality a one-way relationship of charity. Biblical stories (Joseph in Egypt (Gen. 37-50); Ruth the Moabite (Ruth) and the Good Samaritan Lk 10) remind us that it is the stranger, the one of different ethnicity and culture who often plays an integral part in God's purposes, being used to bring blessing to the people of the new land to which they migrate. Genuine hospitality, involves a relationship of mutual reciprocity in which both parties give and receive from one another.

How may we as Christians, who have a commitment to love our neighbours, express partnership and hospitality within our land, and so contribute to a more peaceful, stable and just society? This is what we must consider as we vote.