He Kōrero: nā ngā Manu Pūmanawa mō te Ao.
Preface and Prayer Rev Keita Hotere
Our final Enabling Ministry Training Wānanga for Te Taha Māori took place at the end of September at Whakatuora centre in Tamaki Rohe. In keeping with the Churchs’ decade theme ‘Rekindle the Vā o Papatūānuku’ our whānau delved into Trinity College’s publication Kōrero Mai: Earth our Parish.
Tākina ai ngā kupu
o ēnei manu pūmanawa
Ki mua i tō aroaro
I te papa nuku nuku
Hei koha whānui mō te ao
Tēnei kainga e noho nei tātou
Reflections
The reflections for this month come from two of our Waikato Rohe members, Sharon Waaka and Tarati Tia. These reflections are extracts from their essays reviewing the book and Te Aroha Rountree’s chapter Taiao, Tangata, and Tiriti: A Call to Planetary Solidarity, Ecology, Humanity and Treaty. Although not the first time these writers have submitted work in Touchstone, I celebrate these wahine for their generosity in sharing their gift of wisdom words again.
Sharon says of the book, “Issued in 2023, it is a collection of reflections by faculty members of Trinity College that seek to raise awareness and engage conversations on climate change and its disastrous effects, on the earth as a whole, but particularly indigenous communities that often bear the brunt of environmental disasters. The book lends its support to the Methodist Church’s commitment to create a more equitable and sustainable world for existing and future generations, encouraging congregations to think about or re-imagine our roles as caretakers of God’s creation.
Te Aroha Rountree’s offering looks through a Māori lens. With the statement “Ko tatou te taiao, ko te taiao ko tatou” (we are the environment, and the environment is us) she highlights how Māori have always been physically and spiritually intertwined with the environment. With a deep sense of respect and reciprocity with nature, this philosophy has guided Māori cultural practices of sustainability. Central to this belief is the spiritual connectedness to God the creator of all things, and as such we are kaitiaki or guardians of those creations. To destroy our environment not only threatens our existence, but the existence of our whakapapa or future generations. Sustaining future generations she says, is our covenant, or treaty, with God to maintain this community of creation”.
Tarati describes a climate justice response raising the issues of expectations and actions stating, “I am angry that the powers on earth have brought us to this time of environmental disaster. But to expect those same powers to enforce and enact positive change; and it to be timely, is wishful thinking. Expectation is an act placed on somebody else. I cannot expect others’ actions to be actioned as per my expectations. Just the same as others’ cannot expect my actions to be actioned as per their expectations. So, I can only live up to my own. To do what I can, when I can, where I can. If it aligns with someone else's expectations then that is the bonus. Expectation is like change. It is a personal process and choice. For change to happen in anything and anywhere, it must start within oneself.
How we shape our behaviour can be found in our pūrākau and whakataukī and speak of the relationships that bind us to the natural world, and our role as kaitiaki. The narratives we share with each other, the values and meanings they carry, shape who we are, what we value, and the choices we make. This awareness ripples and influences those near us, and further afield. Our kaitiakitanga responsibilities require us to ‘keep well’ the mutual relationships between people, nature and our planet. While remembering what worked in the past, we are committed to protecting and regenerating the mauri of our treasured taonga – te whānau, te awa, te whenua, te hāpori for present and future generations.