Grow up New Zealand!

Immature insecurity.
Often immediately after I have led a service the very first thing I say to my wife is, "Was that alright?" She knows what I mean. I am asking, "Did I make a fool of myself?" Sometimes even after she has answered in the affirmative I will keep on asking her well into the afternoon.  "Was what I did this morning OK?" She will get impatient. "What have I already told you? - Didn't you hear the people's feedback?" You see, it is just that I am insecure. I wonder if I truly communicated? I wonder if I said anything too way-out?  Did I sound dumb?  I fish for approval and acceptance like an insecure teenager.
We New Zealanders are insecure like that about our country. A celebrity such as a movie star, or singer arrives in Auckland and a reporter meets them later that day. "What's your impression of New Zealand?" Celebrities often visit Queenstown and central Otago, tourist areas nearby, and pass through Dunedin. The newspaper reporter searches for affirming comments about our locality. Then writes it up, "Famous celebrity loves our city". It is like we have to search for approval and acceptance.  There is a Rugby League nines competition happening in Auckland. There are lots of Australian teams participating, along with their fans. Like insecure teenagers reporters are asking these Aussies how they like Auckland, or New Zealand. Searching for approval.  Grow up! We do not have to be better than anywhere else. We need not compare ourselves. We are simply New Zealand. Some things are beautiful. Somethings are disadvantages. But simply - this is who we are. Learn what the celebrity does. Learn how they think. Learn about what made them who they are. But we should not have to need to search for them to say nice things about us. Often the nice things they say come across as patronising dribble anyway! Grow up.
Its OK to be criticised.
Eleanor Catton is an award winning New Zealand writer. Media have reported that when she has been visiting places overseas she has expressed criticism of New Zealand politics and aspects of New Zealand culture.  She said of the government that it was "neo-liberal, profit-obsessed" and with culture-averse politicians. She criticised our appetite for "tall poppy syndrome" and the lack of respect for Kiwi writers.  A radio host was outraged. . he questioned how the author could criticise New Zealand when she had a taxpayer-funded job as a lecturer.  She was dismissed as a traitor.  The prime minister John Key, when told about it, dismissed her saying "she should stick to writing."   He tends to do that when people express disagreement. He resorts to depreciating the person, not dealing with the issues.  The trouble is the superficial public buy into this sort of quick, shallow gibe.  These reactions tend to indicate that she is right with her criticisms. It is right and good that we as a culture should be criticised. We are not and never will be perfect and we should value our critics rather than dismiss them.  Again we are exposed as immature and insecure. It is OK to be criticised! We can learn from the dialogue and insights. Grow up New Zealand! Grow up Mr John Key!
I love New Zealand
Having criticised New Zealand I need to say that I love New Zealand. I choose to live here. I was born here and have chosen to stay here, serve in the New Zealand community and raise my family in New Zealand. I did my ministerial training in Melbourne, Australia. We lived for four years in Melbourne, enjoying the city there. There were people around the college at the time who tried to encourage me to stay in Australia. For example, one of the lecturers at the college was keen for me to continue with my studies and serve in Australia as an academic. I have had Australian Churches expressing tentative interest in me being their minister. But during college and since I have been committed to serving in New Zealand. I chose to return to New Zealand and to stay in New Zealand, and I am pleased I did. Though, like Catton, I am not happy with some of the directions taken by New Zealand politics and culture, I am still proud to be a New Zealander. (perhaps not as proud as I once was - we have in my view gone backwards - whereas once we were leaders in cultural thought, we are dragging the chain these days.)  I once knew a man who was president of the local National Party.  I have always voted for the Labour party, so I would enjoy rubbishing the actions of National Party politicians of the time. He once answered me by saying, "I am active in the National Party not because I agree with everything they do and say. I don't.  I am active because if I am involved I can work for change and improvement. I love the party so I am prepared to be involved, work for change and criticise when I have to."   I am a New Zealander. I love New Zealand ... but that is why sometimes I will challenge, stir and criticise New Zealand ways. And that is OK. 

My week's journey

Christchurch bedroom. 

Southern Alps North Canterbury

Near Otaki,,, a freedom camping site. Breakfast.

Mt Tongariro & Ruapehu in the North Island.

Auckland CBD from the ferry wharf.

Waiting to drive onto the Waiheke Ferry

At our destination- our bedroom this morning. 

The beach around the corner.

Sunday Morning
One of the firefighters had organised a morning tea gathering at the fire station for retired fire fighters. He invited me to attend as chaplain because, "well you are their age and you'll know them all." I enjoyed catching up on these guys who had served many years as fire fighters. I appreciated their warm acceptance of me as part of their group. I am fortunate indeed to have these friendships.
Monday..A "Cleansing" Ceremony
At the brewery where I am chaplain there had been a fatal accident a few weeks ago. One of the contractors had an accident and subsequently died from the injuries. I had done a lot of work talking with the brewery workers about it, in an informal way debriefing them.  The manager asked if we could have a sort of closure/cleansing ceremony particularly in the spot where the accident happened. Well as it worked out they involved a Maori Elder to go through every area of the brewery praying, finishing in the lift shaft area where it happened. I then had a brief ceremony of memorial and claiming back the brewery as a place of life, laughter and love. (Monday was the annual International Workers Memorial day when those who had died at work are remembered.) The Maori Elder had suggested we ought to sing a hymn or song. While we were following him around the brewery there were whispered conversations about what we could sing. Most would not know a hymn. At the end of my little ceremony I asked, "Has anyone come up with a song?" The had decided and stepped forward with copies of the words of a local song that the brewery had used in an advertisement... I think they had sponsored the song. It is called "I'm a Southern Man" 

Southern Man

Some of the boys,
Have got it into their heads,
About moving up North,
To follow the bread,
But that ain't for me,
That kind of thing just don't rate,
This is one Southern boy,
Who ain't crossin' the Strait.

Now we might not be rich,
But when you come from down here,
You know we got the best girls,
And the best damn beer,
So you can keep your Queen City,
With your cocktails and cool,
Give me a beer in a seven,
With the boys shooting pool.

I'm a Southern Man
Well I'm Southern bred
I got the South in my blood
And I'll be here till I'm damn well dead

'Cos down here we know
What makes a Southern boy tick
And it ain't margueritas
With some fruit on a stick
Well it might not be fancy
But when you come from down here
You know you got the best girl
And you got the best beer.

I'm a Southern Man
Well I'm Southern bred
I got the South in my blood
And I'll be here till I'm damn well dead.

The gathered "congregation" of brewery workers, managers and executives joined in a not so tuneful rendition of this song. We ended with smiles on our faces, we had claimed the area back as a place of love, life and laughter! It maybe wasn't a hymn, but somehow it was this firm's hymn, and brought that sense of togetherness and life necessary. 
Hospital clearance..
In the afternoon on Monday I had a follow-up-from-my-prostate-operation appointment at the hospital. It was the quickest appointment I have had. I was taken right away. We did an appropriate test, she asked questions, she checked the pathology report (there was no cancer found) and she declared that I was now off their books, all clear with my GP left to keep an eye on me. As I walked out I realised I ought to be celebrating. I have had at least two years of uncertainty, discomfort and problems and now I am back to normal.... most would say I am never normal. But I did not have time to celebrate, we were leaving next day for four months away from home.
Our journey..
We have travelled from Dunedin, which is in the most southern quarter of the South Island of NZ to Waiheke Island, which is part of Auckland City in the northern quarter of the North Island of NZ. It is a distance of 1,461 kilometres which does not sound very long, but New Zealand roads are pretty twisty compared to the same distance in many countries.  It involved two ferry crossings, one three and a half hours long crosses Cook Strait between the North and South Islands, and the second a one hour trip from Auckland waterfront to Waiheke Island.  We left Dunedin about 11 a.m. on Tuesday and arrived at my son's house on Waiheke Island at about 8:45 p.m. on Friday. 

• On Tuesday we travelled to Christchurch where we had dinner with our son Simon, his wife Stephanie and their son Theo.  They are currently living at Stephanie's parents home so we were grateful for Judy and Grant's warm hospitality.  We had been diverted on the journey, because of flood waters, and had driven through floods. We slept in the back of our van in a camping ground just around the road from my son's in-laws house.
• Wednesday we drove to Picton to catch a ferry across to the North Island and drive for about an hour further. The ferry left over an hour later than its scheduled time, and arrived in Wellington an hour and a half later than the time the ticket said. It was after midnight when we drove off the boat to travel to a very basic campground an hour or so further up the road. 
• On Thursday a further hour up the road we visited a long standing friend in Palmerston North for four hours. Palmerston North was where we had our first ministry in New Zealand. Sometime after 2 p.m. we drove over 300kms. to Tokoroa, where we shouted ourselves the luxury of a basic motel.
• Friday saw us complete the journey to Auckland, pick up some purchases our Waiheke son had made on line, and catch the ferry to Waiheke Island which left at 7:30 p.m.  Here we stay, using our van as a bedroom, awaiting the birth of a grandchild and resting up for a few weeks.

Two aspects.
There are two aspects of the trip that have forced their way into my mind.
1. The First is that we live in a very beautiful country! Photographs do not communicate that beauty, no matter how good they are. We drove up with the Canterbury plains, with occasional glimpses of snow capped mountains. (Our first day on the road was a rainy cloudy day.) Driving out of Christchurch on Tuesday, we had a sunny day with the beautiful Southern Alps, snow covered and glistening. The Kaikoura Mountains as a backdrop to acres of vineyards were magnificent. The coastline was simply dramatic in places. In the North Island you drive surrounded by hills and mountains nearly all the way. It simply is a very beautiful country and we are fortunate indeed to live here.
2.  Throughout our trip we were prompted by the places we passed to remember earlier trips we had done as a couple or as a family. There were countless times when we said, "Remember when...."  Some of the trips were characteristic of "us"... an old vehicle and various adventures. We once had a traveling ministry in a 25 foot caravan towed by an old ambulance, so that produced memories. Our first car as a married couple was a Hillman Husky, and we had several adventures, carrying a tent and freedom camping in that.  The "Remember whens..." went back to 1969 and reflected the journey of life we had been on since that date. I began to appreciate again the common history you develop together in a marriage and the shared adventures and memories involved.

I love my country...

I have been traveling up to the north of the South Island of New Zealand and then driving down the centre of the island back home. 

We stopped at Hamner, with lovely bush clad mountains all around. Soaking in the thermal pools with the rain falling was just a fantastic feel. We drove through to Nelson then Kaiteriteri. There were lovely golden sand bays with warm water and beach forests. Driving south through the Lewis Pass, you are surrounded by impressive bush, mountains and hills. After spending a further night at Hamner (we love those pools) we stopped at the township of Oxford where we had memories of our teenage courting days. Ashley Gorge with its river and picnic grounds is a great place... the sand flies think so too! Another special place for us was Jones' Gully, but we had forgotten how to get to it. We asked several locals who did not know of it's existence. Finally while I was looking at a map on the information centre board an older man approached me and asked what I was looking for. I told him and he said, "Oh yes, I know that, I have been shooting there years ago... its all overgrown now though!" He was right. It was definitely not like the memories we had of it, and there were unwelcoming "keep out" type signs all around it.  We continued our travels down the scenic route through the Canterbury Plains. There are the foot hills and mountains of the Southern Alps on your right, beautiful rivers that you cross and the expansive fertile Canterbury plains on your left.  We stopped at Tekapo, that picturesque blue lake with mountains every where you look. There we sat in the hot pools watching the sun go down and the stars come out. Lightening flashes in the distance gave an extra dimension, lighting up the sky for an instant colouring the clouds. The next day as we drove past the end of Lake Pukaki, there was a breath taking view of Mount Cook glistening in the sun. Through the Lindis Pass we saw dry paddocks coming alive through irrigation and the large expanses of the growing number of vineyards. The rugged Central Otago hills, the lakes and finally the Dunedin hills and harbour made us feel very proud of the scenery of good old New Zealand. I love my country! ... but...

As we drove the roads around Northern Canterbury we heard the news that three teenagers had lost their lives unnecessarily through road accidents in the area. Our road toll is appalling. We read too of racist attacks on the streets of Christchurch. When we sat in the pools of Tekapo a local resident was ranting to tourists from the UK in the most racist way and implying that that was the way all Kiwis thought about Maori. I had to move on before I said something nasty to him. Unfortunately, though most of us try our best not to be racist, there are sad expressions of racism still alive and well in NZ. There's a big list of other sad things.

• A big gap between rich and poor that is widening with its attendant law and order problems.
• Over crowded prisons, recidivist criminals common and a big proportion of our population in prison.
• We have, one of the highest youth suicide rates in the world.
• Our health system, once a shining example for the rest of the world, is struggling to cope with real needs people have.
• We have a major binge drinking culture and mindset impacting on many people's lives. A man who works in our court system told me of the number of young teens regularly being taken to our hospital emergency departments, and then said, "That's just the tip of the iceberg of the problem!" 
• Abuse of children seems to happen regularly and sexual violence is always in the news.

I could go on... New Zealand is a very beautiful country. I love it. It still offers a great lifestyle, freedom and relative security. But there are lots of people hurting, cracks in our systems and people left behind or spat out the back.  I saw a film the other night. There was a beautiful lady as one of the characters. But under that beauty there were all sorts of problems that emerged. New Zealand is a bit like that.  At first glance she looks idyllic, but there are troubles under the surface. My holiday reading was Michael King's "History of New Zealand" so I have been thinking of my country as I drove through it. As I holidayed, and was moved by the richness of the beauty all around me, I once again felt the restlessness and "call" to keep on trying to make a difference for good in "God's own". I try to be a citizen of the world, but I do love my country.

Photos:

1. Out at sea off the Tasman National Park at sunset
2. Lake Tekapo as it was when I went for a jog along the shore.
3. Looking down into Ashley Gorge.
4. The beach where I conducted my son's wedding.