Crosslink column
By Richard Davis
Executive Officer
The Public Questions Committee
What message would you like to communicate to the government that would help the poorest New Zealanders? This question was very real for the 15 church leaders who met with the Prime Minster and other senior cabinet ministers on Monday 6 November. The meeting was organised by the Anglican church, following on from the Hikoi of Hope which concluded in the grounds of Parliament 1 October 1998. The churches represented at the meeting were Methodist, Presbyterian, Catholic, Anglican and Baptist. Both the churches and government hope that these discussions will be regular events, taking place about every six months. The intention is that the church and the government can have frank discussions about public policy and how to improve the state of the nation.
The recent discussion focussed primarily on the progress the Labour-led coalition had made on the five "planks" of the Hikoi: jobs, poverty, health, housing and education. While the churches were in agreement that much progress has been made, especially in housing, there remains much to do. Maori church leaders expressed their gratitude and support for the closing the gaps and capacity-building policies. But there was concern that the Treaty, which underpins much of this work, has been left to fend for itself, without any resources for public education about what the Treaty says or means.
Future discussions will not be limited to the issues raised by the Hikoi. The government is keen for the churches to raise issues and feed ideas and suggestions to the government on a much wider range of topics. Such a relationship provides good opportunities for the church, but not without cost and risks. The credibility of the church to comment on social issues and public policy must be maintained and perhaps even strengthened. The church needs to have first hand knowledge about the social climate and be able to bring concerns and suggestions that come from our values, without being assimilated into the government's programme or agenda.
The church ought not to limit itself to comment on the implementation of current policy, which would make the church unpaid policy and communications advisors. The biblical and christian tradition is not necessarily practical in the short term. We need to provide a vision for society and be prophetic. Nor must the church accept the fiscal and economic framework that governments impose on themselves. The church must challenge unjust systems of economic organisation, not accept them as necessary parameters for policy development. There is also the danger that the church becomes too aligned with the present coalition jeopardising relationships with future governments. Lastly, it is important that the church remains faithful to the gospel and to itself. Our hope does not lie in the government but in God (Psalm 146).
The opinions expressed here do not necessarily represent those of The Public Questions Committee