Ady Shannon spends 30 minutes with the General Secretary, discussing travel commitments, Conference planning and work priorities.

In June General Secretary Tara Tautari kicked off her global travel itinerary with a brief visit to Geneva to attend a two-day meeting of the business leadership committee for the World Council of Churches 11th Assembly. Tara has been invited to moderate the Assembly plenary session ‘Affirming the Wholeness of Life; Christ’s Love and Compassion for Life’. The session will provide a forum to discuss climate justice from the perspective of an interconnected ecumenical community, committed to amplifying the voices of the indigenous people likely to be most affected. To date all planning sessions for the Assembly have been via Zoom and the June gathering is the only face-to-face connection prior to the WCC Assembly held in Karlsruhe, Germany from late August.

The weeks in the lead-up to her return visit trip to Europe are exceptionally busy for the General Secretary. She will attend the Royal Commission into Abuse in Faith-based Care hearings in Auckland where she will join representatives from a variety of churches addressing the commission over 11 days from 15 to 26 August. Tara has been an integral part of the team working on the witness statement from MCNZ and a comprehensive report on safeguarding, currently under development.

Conference 2022

Along with preparing for the WCC Assembly and the Royal Commission hearings, planning for Conference 2022 has been a priority for the General Secretary. This year’s event will be especially time-critical given the scope of work to be covered alongside the Bicentennial celebrations. Tara wants to ensure that the visits to Kaeo, Waitangi and Māngungu capture the significance of each region and its Methodist legacy. “Karakia and liturgy for each location will be chosen to connect us to place. To show we are engaged. This is ours. We are not tourists.” A stone cairn in Kaeo created as a memorial from early Wesleyan foundations will be recreated with stones brought by Conference delegates. Tributes for Waitangi and Māngungu have yet to be decided.

Overarching plans for the Conference programme include determining a direction for the coming decade and setting milestones for the next few years. The Climate Justice Working Group has been working on the thematic scheme from their lens however, Tara points out that the work will impact all areas of the church. “MCPC will launch their green grants initiative at Conference. This is designed to incentivise all synods to look at sustainable ways of maintaining and running their churches.”

Revised land story guidelines will intentionally incorporate whenua for the first time. “Te Taha Maori Property Trust took the lead on this and Conference 2021 affirmed that mahi and approved its continuation. A draft document Korero Papatupu Whenua Land Story Guidelines has been prepared and shared with TTM, MCPC, synods and BOA for feedback and consultation. Responses will be incorporated into the final document and this will be presented at Conference 2022 for approval,” Tara says.

Korero Papatupu Whenua Land Story Guidelines were sent out for Connexional korero in June. When TTMPT meet in September they will discuss amendments proposed and prepare the final document for Conference. The revised guidelines recognise the importance of Maori and their land stories being brought to life so that relationships severed by historical events retain the integrity of the gospel and support three principles:

1. Land and its history are significant

2. Consultation is key

3. The process of researching and deciding on appropriate action takes time

Gauging the Temperature of the Church

The theme for the decade and revision of land story guidelines are just two of many significant pieces of work in progress for presentation at Conference. In addition there are reports, reviews and terms of reference to be decided for many areas including disciplinary procedures, the role of Council of Conference, Diaconal ministry, safeguarding for the church, PAC grants and a housing action plan that will explore how MCNZ can best use its financial, property and human resources to address the housing crisis and community wellbeing. Many committees are currently reviewing policies and strategies. Tara says, “This is the most content-rich Conference since 2018, and we have just two-and-a-half days to cover the business”.

Tara is drawing on the WCC Assembly programme for Conference 2022 with the inclusion of a series of four thematic plenary sessions that will provide a forum for presentation and discussion. “There are many important conversations to be had and decisions to be taken. It will be a tremendously exciting Conference as it will provide a space to gauge the temperature of the church. We have worked hard to get papers out for discussion at a parish level.”

Looking Back and Moving Forward

In addition to formalising a 10-year vision for MCNZ, Conference offers a unique opportunity for exploring and sharing the story of our origins. TTM kairaranga (researcher) Rowan Tautari recently visited the Connexional Office to research the Kaeo land story. She has discovered information and papers in the archives that shed light on associations, events and anecdotes have rarely been accessed by historians. Rowan says, “It has been good to talk with Jo Smith and to look at a range of sources that record the past 200 years of Methodism in New Zealand.”

Rowan is not second guessing how the information she is compiling will ultimately be captured and shared. “That is a decision for TTM. My job is to try to reposition and reframe the story of Kaeo in Aotearoa now. The narrative of Kaeo produced for the Centennial was dominated by men and linear. There was no mention of Maori tangata whenua, or women. I will present the draft to TTM for input and advice. The story will dictate the format. It may be this is just the beginning.”

Tara is excited by the information that Rowan has discovered and her vision to produce something different to what has been done in the past. “I imagined the land story of our origins as a linear narrative but Rowan has envisaged it is a totally different way. Not all of the stories are positive but the up side is that there has been progress and change and there is now a much closer relationship. We must acknowledge where we can from and in this knowledge, the composite picture, we have to honour the good, the bad and everything in between.”

The sharing of the Kaeo history will be one of four book launches at Conference. Sinoti Samoa, Trinity College and the Board of Administration are also preparing commemorative books that will capture their Methodist history.

An incoming call signals time to conclude our interview. As I close the door on the General Secretary’s office, I hear the audio of the live-streamed Royal Abuse hearings playing quietly on her laptop. She has listened to each of the several days’ hearings in between responding to emails, writing reports, attending Zoom meetings and generally ‘ taking care of business’. Given the scale of work ahead, it is a bonus that she is adept at multi-tasking.