I have been one of the many waiting for news that my family was safe after Cyclone Gabrielle. Mum and Dad were in the eastern Bay of Plenty pocket that seemed to miss the brunt of Gabrielle. However, my aunt, her daughter, her granddaughter, respective partners, and great-grandchildren were all in Gisborne with no phone or internet service. Communications were restored to them on Sunday, 19 February, and it was a relief to hear they were all safe.

We rely very much on our communication channels. I liked the speedy response to the Auckland floods and the information flow that started immediately and continued with Cyclone Gabrielle. The flow may not have been perfect, but it looked pretty good from Christchurch. Then Stuff.co.nz reported on the sceptics and conspiracy theorists saying things like “It’s just the fake news doing their usual stuff”, “Fearmongering [and] controlling the people.” and Newstalk ZB hosts putting both feet in their mouths and seeing how far they would go.

Why are the conspiracists still peddling their unwanted wares? Instead of listening and thinking, “It can’t possibly be true”, what would it cost them to listen and think, “What if it was true”?

It is a question I have been reflecting on for a while now. How can we prepare ourselves as individuals and household bubbles when experts say that trouble is coming? Especially as we will always be our own first responders in times of crisis, well before the experts or the government come to our aid.

Expanding on that question, how can we respond during these events as a Connexion? Who are the people at the coalface, and how can we best support them? While I don’t have the answers to these questions, some things give me hope we are moving in the right direction. Reflecting on Conference 2022, where climate change was acknowledged and the Church committed to taking action is a good example of this hope. The Green Grant funding is another great example. There is hope.

My prediction for 2023 is that the conversations are going to be very much focused on this question; If the warnings are true, what shall we do?

Perhaps it is that I live in Christchurch, but I can’t help but reflect on the quakes and the destruction left in Gabrielle’s wake. In my reflection, I keep coming back to these words Greg Wright said after the earthquakes:

“Keep reminding people that it happened. It can’t get lost in the memory of time. People get bored and forget, but it has happened and will happen again. We can’t let information boredom fade this away.”

E rere haere ana ngā mihi aroha ki a koutou katoa i tēnei wā pōuri.