Dreaming the Land: Practical Theologies of Resistance and Hope in New Zealand: What are the Issues?

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1 Australian ejournal of Theology 5 (August 2005) Dreaming the Land: Practical Theologies of Resistance and Hope in New Zealand: What are the Issues? Mary Eastham Abstract: The theme of land and place has engaged the energies of some of the most creative people in New Zealand practical theology. This article discusses the engagement of prominent New Zealand theologians in three movements of resistance and hope aimed at restoring right relationships between the people and the land: the Maori struggle, the ecological movement, and the protest against neo-liberalism. Common to all is a vision of interdependence between land and people. It is argued that by attuning ourselves to the voices of the indigenous people and the life-giving energies of the land, New Zealanders may move beyond the constraints of neo-liberal economics to a way of life based on justice and interdependence. Key Words: eco-spirituality; New Zealand Aotearoa; Maori self-determination; ecological movement; neo-liberalism; social justice; practical theology ena koutou, tena koutou, tena koutou, katoa... Greetings from Aotearoa New Zealand. I would like to begin by acknowledging the indigenous people of this land. They knew God long before they heard the Christian gospel, and lived in harmony with the land. In the twelve years that I have lived in Aotearoa-New Zealand, I have tried to discern the movement of the Spirit in my adopted country. Without a doubt, the theme of land and place has engaged the energies of some of the most creative people in the culture and the Church. New Zealanders from all cultures are reflecting today on how we all inhabit this unique country. New Zealanders from all walks of life are reflecting today on how we all inhabit this unique country. When the Maori people sailed from their ancestral land in Hawai iki, it is believed that a long white cloud drew them to these lush islands in the South Pacific. After months of struggling to stay alive on the open sea, imagine how the sight of land must have gripped their psyches. And what a land! Brimming with vegetation, abundant wildlife and majestic landscapes, the land would have looked like paradise. But they soon would have felt its violence too, for earthquakes and volcanic eruptions underpin the geological history of the place. For over 1,000 years before the arrival of the Pakeha (white people), the Maori thrived and established a complex cultural, religious and social life. Land and place are central to Maori identity and spirituality. The Maori understanding of land is whenua, which means placenta; the Maori are the Tangata whenua, literally the people birthed from the land. This intimate relationship implies that 1

2 Earth is mother. Indeed, Maori call the Earth Papatuanuku, who in various myths is the female created being called Earth Mother. 1 In a powhiri which introduces every important event, the host will acknowledge his ancestral place his turangawaewae which provides his unique place to stand. His ancestors are buried in that place and he will be buried there as well. That land, that place has a spiritual meaning, therefore, which embodies the history of his iwi, his tribe. To be Maori is to intimately belong to that land, that place. Another way of saying this is: Maori believe that people belong to the land, whereas Pakeha think that land belongs to people. The people along the Whanganui River express the interdependence between the river and the people in this way: Ko au te awa Hapu; Ko te awa Ko ay, which means, I am the river, and the river is me. Colonisation did not change the intimate spiritual relationship between Maori and the land. It only changed land ownership. For the Crown, land was property to be bought and sold in order to establish a colonial outpost. Resistance and hope have been a way of life for Maori once it became clear that the English had no intention of honouring the 1840 Treaty of Waitangi, the foundation document of Aotearoa/New Zealand, which gave Maori the sacred right to govern their own land rangatiratanga. Indeed there are significant differences between the English and Maori versions of the Treaty of Waitangi. For example, Article 1 of the English version gives all the rights and powers of Sovereignty to the Crown whereas all that is given in the Maori text is complete government. 2 The British inflicted many legal and other discriminations against Maori to ensure their rule. Just consider the impact of the New Zealand Settlements Act of 1863 which enabled the Crown to confiscate land and property from any Maori believed to be in rebellion, whether the land belonged to the rebels or not. The Settlements Act was underpinned by the Suppression of Rebellion Act of 1863 (imposed first on the Irish), which suspended basic rights for those believed to be in rebellion against the Crown, and carried a penalty of confiscation and death. 3 Moreover, the bitter legacy of the New Zealand land wars still scars the nation today. Why? Because for all nations founded on violence against its indigenous people, something of this violence continues to scar the psyches of all subsequent generations until people embrace policies and rituals of healing and reconciliation. My presentation will focus on three movements of resistance and hope aimed at restoring right relationships between the people and the land: the Maori struggle, the ecological movement and the protest against neo-liberalism. 1. The Maori Struggle The Maori struggle for self-determination is a great sign of resistance and hope. In my 12 years in New Zealand, I am only beginning to understand how Maori are bringing about cultural transformation by telling their story, reclaiming their language and culture and, in 1 Tui Cadogan, A Three-Way Relationship: God, Land and People: A Maori Woman Reflects, in Helen Bergin and Susan Smith (eds.), Land and Place: He Whenua, He Wahi: Spiritualities from Aotearoa New Zealand (Auckland: Accent Publication, 2004), Paul Dalziel and Jane Higgins, Globalization, Colonization and the Land, in Bergin and Smith (eds.), Land and Place, Robert and Joanna Consedine, Healing our History: The Challenge of the Treaty of Waitangi (Auckland: Penguin, 2005), 94. 2

3 the process, stimulating a cross-fertilization of ideas in the broader society and the Church. In a workshop on Culture and Social Action, Makareta Tawaroa, a member of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Nazareth, tells us that: Just surviving and keeping our culture alive is a constant daily struggle. Since European colonization, our lives have been dominated by the systems and values of the white colonizers... Our marginal position is clear on every social measurement poverty, failure in education, poor health, high unemployment and imprisonment. Yet there is a vigorous resurgence of Maori vitality and culture, and a growing resistance to the dominant white culture, as we struggle to retain our identity and language, our mana and culture, and demand a more just share in the land and resources of this country. Our people are speaking out with increasing clarity and great forcefulness. For us to move forward we must have confidence in our own cultural heritage. To reduce dependency means a return to our sources and values. Te tino rangatiratanga which means (to recognize our sacred right to rule) is a constant cry at hui (meetings) all over the country. 4 In the last 20 years, Maori have achieved significant gains in education, health and politics. Te Kohanga Reo (Language Nests) enable Maori to learn their own language and honour their cultural heritage. The largest provider of tertiary education in New Zealand is Te Wananga, which provides programmes that are Maori centred and Maori focussed. Whenever possible, Maori Health authorities charge less for medical treatment than other service providers. The Maori party was formed last year in protest against the Government s proposed legislation to assert Crown ownership of the Foreshore and Seabed along the West Coast of the North Island even though the 1963 Court of Appeal decision affirmed that Maori held customary property rights to land at the time of Pakehasettlement. The key issue for iwi, hapu and whanau groups 5 is that the obligation to protect customary land rights is not one they feel they are free to negotiate or give away. If the Foreshore and Seabed remains in Maori hands, it is open to everyone. In theory, Crown ownership keeps the beaches open too. But the Crown has also already approved a deal to allow Korean interests to dredge up much of the sand along the entire west coast of the North Island. Last year, 20,000 Maori representing almost every tribe in New Zealand participated in an historic hikoi or pilgrimage to Parliament to protest this legislation. Today, the strong, confident Maori voice is slowly bringing about a shift in consciousness in Christian spirituality and cross-cultural anthropology. Many Pakeha have come to realise that Maori spirituality contains philosophical resources sorely needed in modern thinking today. We see this in course offerings in Maori spirituality at the Catholic Institute of Theology in Auckland, the Catholic Education Center in Wellington, Diocesan Centres and Retreat and conference centres. Mt. St. Joseph s Conference Centre (Hato Hohepa) recently introduced the work of Maori philosopher, Charles Royal, who believes it important to move the concept of indigeneity beyond the ethnic paradigm to a unique way of being related to the natural world. He writes: What distinguishes, I think, a formal indigenous culture is the conscious articulation of this relationship with the natural world... Here is a small example taken from my own Maori background. When one finds the need to identify oneself (it is bad etiquette for 4 Makareta Tawaroa, Culture and Social Action, in Chris Orsman (ed.), In the Tradition of John Curnow: Justice in New Zealand (Wellington: Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand, 1997), In Maori, iwi means tribe; hapu means sub-tribe; whanau means extended family. 3

4 one to speak about oneself), there are many ways to do this, including the use of a tribal pepeha (expression) which in mentioning a mountain, a river and an ancestor contiguously identifies the individual. 6 Church architecture is beginning to reflect a bi-cultural consciousness. For example, the Diocesan Centre in Palmerston North is also named Te Rau Arohawhich means the Leaf of Love. The Centre is shaped like a Wharenui, a large meeting house and the entrance includes a carving of Tane, the common male ancestor of the Maori people and Hineahuone, the common female ancestor. Danny Karatea-Goddard comments on the link between Maori culture and the Old Testament: Our wharenui is called Te Rau Aroha, the Leaf of Love... The rau aroha is the leaf of peace laid down before visitors (manuhiri) by the warrior who performs the challenge (wero) with a long club (taiaha) on the marae. In the old testament the fig leaf was carried by the white dove on Noah s Ark to announce that land had been found, a new beginning, a new start, a new world. 7 The cross-fertilization of ideas can also be seen in collaboration between Maori and Pakeha to achieve understanding, reconciliation, and a common commitment to justice. In Healing our History, Robert and Joanna Consedine explain the wisdom behind the method of parallel workshops through which Maori and Pakeha are realising perhaps for the first time that there were two very different versions of the Treaty of Waitangi. 8 At issue are significant cross-cultural differences about the meaning of sovereignty, the right of Maori to rule Maori, and Crown recognition of Maori possession of their Lands, Forests and Fisheries in short, their treasures. History records that the Crown continually failed to honour its obligations toward Maori. Healing our History is but one example of the critical and prophetic task of practical theology to restore right relationships between the two cultures who now occupy the same place but share a very different history. 2. The Ecological Movement New Zealand is a country of incomparable beauty and yet the deforestation policies of the European settlers and the continued development of the country s natural resources jeopardise the ecological balance of this country, and by extension the planet. Ecologically sensitive New Zealanders know that we share the fate of every other developed country because we experience the greed of a consuming world that uses the great deposits of mineral wealth and fossil fuels as if there were no future generations for which to provide. 9 Perhaps even more critical for New Zealanders is the way our unique fauna and flora evolved in conditions of great isolation. This means that such a tiny country contains some of the rarest and most threatened plants and animals on this planet. Indeed, we know that: Two thirds of Aotearoa/New Zealand s rain forest has been wiped out, 32% of indigenous land and fresh water birds are extinct, 18% of indigenous sea birds are extinct, 3 of the seven species of frogs are extinct, 6 Charles Royal, Exploring Indigenous Te Ahukaramu, in Muru Walters (ed.), Caring for Land and Sea (Wellington: Tamihana Foundation, 2004). 7 Danny Karatea-Goddard (reflection on the carvings at the entrance of Te Rau Aroha, 2004). 8 Robert and Joanna Consedine, Respecting Identities: A Parallel Approach in Healing our History, Mary Horn, The Dark Night of Creation in Helen Bergin and Susan Smith (eds.), Land and Place: He Whenua, He Wahi: Spiritualities from Aotearoa New Zealand (Auckland: Accent, 2004),

5 12 of the invertebrates (snails and insects) are extinct, 1 indigenous fish species is extinct, 1 indigenous bat species is extinct, 11 indigenous plants are extinct,...and the struggle for the life of the Whanganui River and other great waterways continues. Last year the Catholic Institute of Theology published Land and Place (He Whenua, He Wahi): Spiritualities from Aoteaora New Zealand in which the contributors express how the unique New Zealand landscape has informed their spirituality and ecological sensitivity. One contributor, Ann Gilroy, presents the Pakeha passion for gardening as an expression of how precious land was to the early settlers, many of whom were victims of exploitative land practices in their own countries of origin. A carefully cultivated plot of land would provide for their families, sustain them in old age and launch their children after they die. These cultural resonances can be heard in Ann s understanding of land as a provident host offering life-sustaining hospitality. 10 How different this is from the commercial understanding of land as real estate. Neil Vaney, who lectures at Good Shepherd College, the National Seminary of New Zealand, has articulated a practical theology with a public and pastoral focus. His recent book, Christ in a Grain of Sand (Notre Dame: Ave Maria, 2004) has been hailed as an innovative breakthrough in re-visioning the famous Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius in an ecological register. Unlike Thomas Berry, who builds an eco-theology on the new cosmology, Neil prefers the sources of Christian faith to affirm the goodness of the natural world and the beauty of Creation. 11 In a talk on ethical investment, he put forward five critical stances gleaned from the biblical tradition that can serve as a basis for dialogue with men and women of all creeds as well as contemporary science. Among them is an affirmation of the value of technology which is a human creation. Neil also affirms the human right to shape nature to human advantage but within certain limits, the infringement of which may ultimately bring about human ruin. Finally, he raises the spectre of the properly human and moral distortion of sin which can corrupt not just men and women s self-vision and concept of the other but can also permeate human acts to produce a contaminated and impoverished planet. 12 Obviously Neil believes in the power of dialogue and rational arguments to inspire changes in attitudes and behaviour. But at this eleventh hour, reason alone will not bring about the radical changes needed to stave off ecological disaster. He admits that: issues of pollution and conservation are not just political or economic realities they are also issues of sin and grace. 13 Knowing, therefore, may not be enough; conversion will also be necessary. In Discovering my Holy Places Neil reflects on the importance of place in moments of conversion. He appropriates Lonergan s insights into the process of conversion to 10 Ann Gilroy, Green Fingers in Bergin and Smith (eds.), Land and Place, Neil Vaney, Hope in Cosmic Perspective, in Mary Eastham (ed.), Proceedings of the Theological Symposium on Hope (Wellington: Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand, 1999), Neil Vaney, Roman Catholic Attitudes to the Environment and Nature, (CSRI address, Conference on Ethical Investment, Auckland, 2004). The talk was an attempt to present a background paper on which to build a praxis of ethical use of money and technology. 13 Vaney, Roman Catholic Attitudes to the Environment and Nature. 5

6 explain how graced experiences enable people to break through intellectual, emotional and/or psychological blocks. These graced experiences often occur in special places mountains or rivers where people have experienced the breakthrough of the divine into their lives. At that place, a veil was lifted that separated this reality from the next, and people gained a greater awareness of the beauty of life. Evidence of the power of the experience is that they often recall with absolute detail the place where it happened, and return there when they feel the need for spiritual renewal. Neil calls us to conversion. Dominican artist and poet Mary Horn suggests that we enter the dark night of the soul in order to live for a while as if God were not. This process will invite us deep within to discover a new face of God... as energy, elegance and an intimacy coming from within rather than from outside... In this way, creatures will be invited to dance with, and become co-creators in, an evolutionary process that takes us we know not where The Protest against Neo-Liberalism As an ethical imperative the preferential option for the poor challenges us to respond to the cry of all marginalised groups in our midst. To address yet another sign of resistance and hope in New Zealand, I might have shared some insights from the truly superb feminist literary, theological and political reflection, especially since New Zealand women were the first to secure the right to vote in 1893 through the leadership of Kate Sheppard. But then I could not have shared the distinctive New Zealand protest against neoliberalism which is a powerful statement about the spirit of the people. When my family and I came to New Zealand in 1993, the country was engaged in serious reflection about how a round of neo-liberal economic reforms was affecting the soul of the country. The debate was not just about transforming a nation of hard-working, practical people into prosperous entrepreneurs; it was also about eroding the welfare state which reflected the egalitarian values of many New Zealanders. The reforms decreased government spending in the crucial areas of health, education and welfare, and thus marginalised even further the most vulnerable segments of society, such as Maori and Pacific Islanders, women and children, and the elderly. In 1996, 150 prominent New Zealand Christians issued an open letter on poverty which stated that one in every five New Zealanders and three in every ten children lived in poverty. In 1998, the bishops of the Anglican Church led a Hikoi of Hope, a pilgrimage in which Christians and all people of good will prayed, sang songs and shared stories to remember the vision of Isaiah to build a just and fair society free from poverty. 15 Some of the most vocal critics of this ideology were prominent New Zealand Catholics working in the fields of education, Maori self-determination, treaty work, prison reform, social work and social policy and politics. Many had in common a teacher who inspired them in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s when they were members of the Catholic Youth Movement. His name was John Curnow, a Christchurch diocesan priest who was the director of Corso, New Zealand s leading non-governmental international aid and development agency Horn, The Dark Night of Creation, Ruth Smithies, Hikoi of Hope: There has to be a better way, Wel-com 144 (1998): Prominent New Zealand educationalist, Ivan Snook, a member of the Catholic Youth Movement in Christchurch, acknowledged the value of similar movements in Auckland and in Wellington under Reginald Delargey. Moreover, Curnow was introduced to the YCM by Dunedin priests at Mosgiel, the National Seminary at that time. Patrick Lyons, Bishop of Christchurch from brought the movement to Christchurch 6

7 The CYM, who later claimed the same name as their European counterparts, Young Christian Workers, were taught to See or experience what was happening around them; to Judge or evaluate it in the light of Scripture and Catholic Social Teaching; and to Act according to Gospel principles. They were to form prayerful Christian communities to sustain their commitment, so that they could continually examine the world around them with a view to transforming it. In later years when Curnow was working with religious communities in the renewal of religious life, he also trained young people in structural analysis. Participants came to understand that poverty and injustice were human constructs which protected the interests of the rich at the expense of the poor. If poverty was a human creation, human beings could end it through systems and structures of justice and equity. Many Young Christian Workers became professionals with a self-consciousness Catholic identity, able to mediate Catholic social teaching in the world. They embodied a praxis of study, action and prayer which led to further reflection, more appropriate action, etc. Why this vital movement in lay leadership lost momentum after the Second Vatican Council is the subject of another paper. Stuart Sellar, who lectures in the psychology of consciousness at Good Shepherd College, has suggested that Catholic Action movements of leadership formation like the Christian Family movement and (by association, the Young Christian Workers) were no longer nurtured after the Council, not because they were ineffective, but because priests and people concentrated so much on the Strategic aspects of renewal that they failed to see the bold vision of the council for renewal in a Transformative sense. 17 He fears that even today, this is the case, because for many clergy, a profound transformative experience might lead to excessive subjectivity, and subjectivity is often seen as inseparable from relativism. Today, Justice, Peace and Development Commissions provide education for justice at the Diocesan level on a range of social issues including problems affecting the mentally ill, and immigrants and refugees, among others. At the national level, the Catholic Agency for Justice, Peace and Development (Caritas) addresses the causes of poverty, advocates against injustice and responds to disasters around the world. 18 It is also noteworthy to mention the five Catholic Worker communities in New Zealand which embody a theology of action. In varying degrees, members try to live the ethos of personalism, voluntary poverty and non-violence, and the Gospel message of hospitality to the poor. Catholic Worker houses are centres of prayer, education for justice and political protest to bring about justice and peace. New Zealand is at a turning point. By becoming part of the Global Economy, it has embraced a way of life which inevitably widens the gap between rich and poor both within its own borders and in the outside world. But what are the alternatives? This question hit home during a class I facilitated at Massey in which the topic of discussion was alternatives to development. Half the class were young Chinese students eager to get degrees in New Zealand that would translate into good jobs in the new China. They looked at me blankly when I suggested that there might be alternatives to capitalist development because to them, capitalism was the liberating alternative to a system which had impoverished and tormented their parent s generation. Context is everything! and put the young Curnow (ordained 1945) in charge. Cf. Ivan Snook, The Legacy Must Live On, in Orsman (ed.), In the Tradition of John Curnow. 17 Stuart Sellar, Knowledge Reaching Beyond Reason, The Journal of Religious Education 52.2 (2004): th Caritas Annual Report (2004), 3. 7

8 Right now we may not know what that liberating alternative might be, but perhaps the New Zealand Church might help discover it if we are attentive to the voices of our indigenous people, attune ourselves to the life-giving energies of the land, and open our eyes to sources of wisdom wherever it may be found. Without conversion, none of this is possible! Addendum: Degree Programmes in New Zealand In New Zealand as in other countries in the developed world, vocations to the priesthood and religious life may be in decline, but there are large numbers of Catholics active in lay ministries. This is a sign of hope. A full range of degree programmes are available in Faith Formation, Religious Education, Pastoral Ministry and Leadership Formation throughout the country. The National Centre for Religious Studies (NCRS) own two courses that are run through diocesan Religious Education Offices: Christian Family Life Education and Walk By Faith. The Centre also offers a number of shorter courses by distance mode, in First and New Testament, Church History, Our Foremothers in Scripture and the Church, and Maori Spirituality from a Catholic perspective (He Rau Toroa). The Catholic Institute of Theology offers papers in the following University of Auckland School of Theology programmes: Bachelor of Theology, Graduate Diploma in Theology, Master of Theology. Staff also teach on behalf of the Australian Catholic University (NZ campus) for the Master of Religious Education. Good Shepherd College offers degree courses in theology through its association with the Catholic Institute of Sydney, a member college of the Sydney College of Divinity. The degrees are awards of the Sydney College of Divinity. The BTheol programme is recognised by the NZQA. Other adult education courses are also offered. Besides the NCRS programmes already offered, the Palmerston North Diocese offers a Certificate in Catechetical Studies, a Diploma in Religious Studies, Training for Ministry and Hands On, an adult formation programme. Programmes in youth ministry and tertiary chaplaincy exist at all diocesan levels. However, most programmes tend to emphasize faith formation and leadership formation within the Church in contrast with the praxis orientation of the Young Christian Workers which stressed the imperative of constructive engagement with society as a key religious task. Among course offerings of the Wellington Catholic Education Centre are: the Advanced Certificate in Leadership, a diploma in Pastoral Leadership, and a diploma in Religious Studies stream Pastoral Ministry. Other qualifications are: Certificate in Pastoral Ministry, Diploma in Scripture Studies and the Master of Educational Leadership through Australian Catholic University. The University of Otago, the Department of Theology includes many papers from 100 to 300 levels in Scripture, Ethics and Pastoral Care across cultures. 19 Author: Dr Mary Eastham's doctoral degree from the Catholic University of America focussed on the public role of religion with particular reference to the writings of Gustav Gutierrez and John Courtney Murray. Since arriving in New Zealand in 1993, Mary has held various pastoral and academic for the Diocese of Palmerston North and Massey University. 19 From , Massey University offered a Graduate diploma in Subject Studies for Teachers (Christian Education) for teachers of Religious Education in Catholic, Anglican, Presybeterian schools. 8

9 She has recently been elected President of the Association of Practical Theology in Oceania (APTO). 9