Justice

March: The Hikoi of Hope

By Ant / 28 March 2007

Brother Andrew

The poster was more than a little tongue-in-cheek, but the Hikoi of Hope was a serious event. As soon as we heard about it, we were excited. Here was the Church prepared to stand up and be counted on the really important stuff – being relevant! I’ve always been moved by the words of St John Chrysostom: “What is the use of loading Christ’s table with gold cups while he himself is starving?… Will you make a cup of gold and withhold a cup of water?”

The Hikoi was costly for the Brothers: it was the biggest single event we have been involved in, with Colin Wilfred, Graham and I walking for almost four weeks, and Damian keeping Vaughan Park going while we were away. I came down with pneumonia. We were all sore and sleep-deprived. But we had comfortable homes to go back to, good educations behind us, and the knowledge that food and shelter was never going to be a problem for us. Not like the people we were walking for.

Sure, Franciscans take a vow of poverty, but it’s one thing to choose to try and live simply, and quite another to be stuck in a life of destitution.
I’m glad we walked; there was a huge sense of cohesion, of unity of purpose amongst a disparate group of people who otherwise might never have met. I’m not sure we changed the country much, but we must keep speaking the Word of God against the voices of consumerism.

Brother Andrew Philip SSF

Turi Hollis

When I look back to the Hikoi of Hope – Te Hikoi o Te Tumanako mo te Rawakore I am still amazed it was possible to organize such a significant event. The amount of work done by members of our Church and other participating Churches in such a short time was phenomenal.

I decided to get involved with the hikoi from the time it was debated at General Synod/Te Hinota Whanui. Prof Whatarangi Winiata reminded the Synod of the powerful impact of the 1975 Land March, and challenged Synod to consider how Rogernomics and Richardsonomics were affecting our country especially the rawakore. Theologically I could not continue to support the “dog-eat-dog” policies that were oppressing the poor – many of whom were Maori. I wanted policies that treated people as people and not as statistics, and certainly not as objects to be used for social and economic experiments. The biggest joy for me was to be part of an event where Maori and Pakeha worked together for justice.

Another joy was the hospitality extended to us on the road. Not everybody in the participating churches agreed with the hikoi but they helped us because it was their Christian service. Two things I am sad about: the refusal of some evangelical Anglican parishes in the Nelson Diocese to provide hospitality to those who walked from the West Coast, and the poor media coverage at a national level. National newspapers and television ignored, rubbished or patronized the hikoi, and some tried to deny the truth of the issues.

The Venerable Turi Hollis