I collect my boxes from where I’ve stored them over the summer and pile them in my empty room in our new flat. Opening them I find forgotten clothing and books greeting me like old friends. We flatmates stand in the empty living room and make a list of the things we need to sort out: internet, electricity, furniture, enough plates to have friends round and food to fill the pantry. I feel exhausted from all I need to do — the monotony and the decisions to be made. Yet I have family and friends supporting me as I settle into this new flat and in time it will be all set up. Most importantly, I’m excited about the opportunity for community.

Building community is a huge goal of mine. In this new suburb with a different demographic — fewer students and more families — I’m thinking about how I will connect with my neighbours and engage with the challenges and joys of daily life in this place.

Housing is a hot topic in Aotearoa. We have a choked rental market and high bars for entry into property ownership. It is denying too many the human right of shelter. Having a comfortable, affordable place should be accessible to everyone, but it is not. Housing represents stability and community. I’m aware of my privilege and support in being able to access rental housing in the area where I want to live.

Where we live gives us the opportunity for a basic form of community — of engaging with people in our neighbourhood. This is not a new concept for a Christian. Paul’s letters describe the early Church based in local areas and operating out of one another’s houses, responding to community needs as the opportunity arose. Jesus, too, ministered in a relatively small area of Galilee. He stayed with people and met groups in their houses; where they were at and with what they needed.

In this new neighbourhood, I’m challenged to make community with the people around me. My Church is discussing “Neighbours Day”, a day to meet with our neighbours and celebrate with them. Our flat proposes taking baking to our neighbours as a way of introducing ourselves.

I’m thinking about the privilege of having this rental house to live in and looking forward to participating in the community of my new place. I want to engage with the community around me as Jesus did when he lived in Galilee. I’m reflecting on how to challenge the system which produces an inequality of housing in Aotearoa and which locks some people out of the stability and community that housing can bring. And, of course, I’m looking at the boxes sitting in the corner that still need unpacking.

Tui Motu Magazine. Issue 268 March: 26