An observable process in reconciliation of Māori with the wider church 

For a context to this article – a reconciliation has been needed because the Pākehā/European church failed to stay united with the Māori church, and to support Māori appropriately when they were being colonised. This created deep hurt, and a deep rift that sits within the attitudes of many (not all) Māori across the nation to this day. This negative attitude is also being fed by the ‘partisan’ / one sided telling of history, which is common in some areas of education and public media. However, we can change this, and this article is about pointing out how this is already happening.

When Jesus spoke to the crowds, he was often aware that there were people in his audience who were interested, disinterested, sceptical, and hostile in their motives toward him. So, what did he do when aware that any direct statements made on anything remotely controversial could be recorded for later use against him? He told stories!

When tension or hostility comes into an environment, story-telling as a means of communication becomes more important.

Tension and hostility are coming into many areas of our society these days. This is being fed, and that makes the work of God’s people at the grass roots all-the-more important!

One of those areas is the bicultural dynamic of our nation.

Te Tiriti o Waitangi brought two peoples together as one legal entity, with an overarching guarantee of equality and certain protections. However, that didn’t dissolve the differences – which are cultural. Relationally speaking, this is concurrently just like a marriage. The two become one – while still being two very distinct people!

What I am seeing with time is that this cultural division is being resolved for the Church by our valuing of the history. This is triggering a process – and the rest then takes place by itself.

(1) STORY – A BRIDGE FOR TRUST AND UNDERSTANDING

I have met with kaumatua on numerous occasions where there was no prior relationship. The fact that I’m of European descent has been obvious. How do you build bridges where there is cultural mistrust?

I’ve found that nothing builds bridges quicker here in New Zealand than connecting through the stories of our history. The conversation we then engage around the stories reflects the things we understand, value or have empathy around. Common understandings are thus discovered, and trust develops – bypassing cultural and skin-colour differences.

However, because I am a Christian, I’ve increasingly noticed that the bridge that is being built isn’t only a racial one; it is a religious one.

(2) STORY – A BRIDGE FOR RECONCILIATION

I was recently again humbled as a kaumatua released a story to us for telling. It occurred to me that this was actually profound on numbers of levels.

Firstly it was profound because I am a NZer of European descent, with a skin colour the same as that of those who oppressed his ancestors. The release requires no racial judgement on their part in an environment that is sadly becoming increasingly racially charged.

Secondly, it occurred to me that his release of the story evidenced a wider sense of reconciliation with the wider Church also. I was there as a Christian – to understand and then hopefully be released to tell a faith story related to one of their ancestors. His releasing of the story to our hands therefore represented not only trust in me as a person, but also a growing sense of trust in the wider non-Māori Church!

But there is more.

Thirdly, it was profound also because of those who would see his endorsement of our use of the story. Consider that this would be observed by his hapu and Iwi. They would see people who are unrelated to themselves (namely us – the Christians who are valuing the story), telling the story of their ancestor – which is a taonga to them. If they take time to check if we really did have permissions to tell the story, they would find their kaumatua’s name referenced alongside the story. (This process and practice of getting permissions is true of every story we tell). What does that say to them?

• It’s a public statement that he trust us.
• Put differently, it’s an endorsement of the trustworthiness of our group. And who are we? We are the wider Christian community!
  • It is plausibly therefore a recognition that this is our story too – because their biological ancestor is one of our faith ancestors.
  • So, in a way, this is the release of a story for ‘shared ownership’ – knowing that the Christian community would value, protect and preserve (tell) this story to their own children in the generations to come.

The truth of this reflection is maybe most clearly highlighted by the fact that there are stories we have not been able to tell, where mistrust and other unresolved local matters have meant that we are not yet able to more widely tell a particular story of one of our spiritual tipuna in this nation.

> I.e. The fact that we get permission is the fruit of a reconciliation.

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