This article was originally published in Touchstone in February 2018.
We have a new government and the hope that this year will bring changes to make Aotearoa a more just and inclusive society where all people flourish.
Our government has expressed concern about the inequities in society, poverty and an underclass of people who have become increasingly alienated and marginalised from mainstream society. And now there is an energy and commitment to address these concerns.
The coalition government has committed to addressing policy failures in housing and health funding. The need for safe, secure, affordable housing continues to be the most common trend seen by Methodist missions and parishes throughout Aotearoa. Our government has stopped the mass sell-off of state housing, committed to building more housing, leading the development of big urban development projects, changing legislation relating to foreign ownership, and bringing in legislation making it illegal for landlords to rent out cold, damp homes. They have even taken the “vulnerable” out of the title for the new ministry – which is now the Ministry for Children - Oranga Tamariki. These things make me hopeful and optimistic for the future of Aotearoa.
It is clear that to function well, the coalition government has to negotiate a complex and delicate set of compromises as each party respects the ideological integrity of the others. The success of the coalition will demand a high degree of mature consultation, cooperation and conciliation between the three parties. This is something rarely seen in government. And while it undoubtedly takes more time and energy, I am hopeful that it will bring about better legislation and result in a fairer society.
Philip Burdon describes Jacinda Ardern as a refreshingly inspirational leader, Winston Peters as a deeply experienced and sophisticated politician, and James Shaw as the most pragmatic and reasonable leader the Greens have ever had. 2018 brings a sense of goodwill and anticipation that there will be significant change supported by a country ready to address the rich – poor divide, reduce societal inequalities and child poverty, and ensure that everyone has a safe affordable home to live in.
I can see many similarities with the coalition government and the Methodist Alliance. The Methodist Alliance involves building relationships between members which have their own ideological identity, culture and governing body. The Methodist Alliance provides the structure for our members to cooperate and work more intentionally on common issues like poverty and inequality, providing safe affordable healthy homes for those without one, developing new ways of working with children and families, building strong communities, supporting each other to use new tools to measure change and progress, providing care with dignity to our increasing aging population, and ensuring that the voice of those without power is heard. It provides the opportunity for members to share their knowledge, skills and experience with other members. And this is already happening.
After the successful pilot of a new way of working with children in care and their families, undertaken by Lifewise in Auckland, the missions in Wellington and Christchurch are working towards providing this service. There is a great opportunity to share and learn from what worked well and what did not work so well. It builds relationships between the amazing professional staff that undertake this work.
Some members of the Methodist Alliance Steering Group had a successful meeting with Marama Davidson MP. We discussed the trends that we see in housing, and some of our key innovative housing projects. We provided some information about what the Methodist Alliance is, including the fact that Methodist Alliance members have government contracts totalling over $18.4M.
I continue to be impressed by the quality of the people delivering social services under the Methodist Alliance banner. They are professional problem solvers, agents of change, critical thinkers, skilled facilitators, wise advocators, caring counsellors, capable community builders, experienced clinicians, and they are non-judgemental and hopeful. They change lives of individuals and change society as a whole because of the change they help to bring about. In their everyday work, they are living the inspirational words from John Wesley.
Carol Barron, Methodist Alliance National Coordinator, Carol@MethodistAlliance.org.nz
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