Different Outlooks Lead to Different Outcomes.

Me īnoi tātou,

I waenganui te ora, ko te mate. Mai i te pouri, ka puta ki te wheiao, ki te ao marama, mai i te āwangawanga, kei reira tētahi huarahi tika, kia puta mai te huarahi pai. Nā te aroha o te Atua, me ngā akoranga o ngā tupuna, ka kitea ai ngā ara tika, ngā ara pono, ngā ara kia haumaru ai te tangata, ki te oranga tonu. Āmine

In life there is death. From the darkness emerges the light of life and from out of despair arises a path that is right and good. Through the love of God, and the teachings of our ancestors can be found the right path, the true and safe path to life in abundance. Amen.

We are in a global environmental crisis - that is evident in day-to-day events both at home and abroad. The Methodist Church of NZ, as a part of its quest for social justice, is focusing on climate change for the next decade, and more particularly Climate Justice. The Church recognises that this challenge is not a problem to be solved by science alone but that people of faith communities and indigenous cultural backgrounds can also contribute through their stories and their unique outlook on the world. Marginalised groups suffer disproportionately during climate crises and though it is part of church mission to be a voice for the powerless, creating a shared platform for voices is also another way that these voices may be heard. Rekindling the Vā of Papatuānuku is one such platform that opens a door to many perspectives.

In his chapter “Tāngata Whaikaha” Jonathan Tautari shares his unique experience of being both Māori and disabled. Born with cerebral palsy during the 70s, Jonathan’s parents declined the advice of doctors to place him in institutional care and chose instead to take their child home. Here he was nurtured under an umbrella of Christian values and beliefs and Mātauranga Māori (cultural knowledge) and aroha (care). Despite conventional views of the day, that Tautari should grow into adulthood to lead a productive, educated and meaningful life, is an example of how a different outlook might lead to very different outcomes. These are the types of personal stories that remind us to think outside of the conventional wisdom and remember that within our cultural stories and referencing our theological wisdom, solutions may be found. Tautari himself pays homage to both his Christian and Māori beliefs, opening this piece with the pepehā (proverb) of the strong and steadfast mountain – a metaphor for strong tribal identity and connectedness to the environment. He also quotes Hebrews 13:8 to remind us of God’s constant presence in our lives - that very same steadfast mountain.

Jonathan reminds us that whaikaha experiences can inform amid adversity and solutions. Who knew that disabled people were left in their homes after the Christchurch earthquakes because they could not leave their buildings? Or that those with intellectual impairments would suffer even more because of their dislocation from their “home” after Cyclone Gabrielle. But armed with this information, rescuers might be better educated when dealing with vulnerable communities in future environmental catastrophes, although Tautari sadly reminds us that such traumatic events often uncover already existing and longstanding inequities for disabled people.