The Hikoi of Hope
As it is the ten year anniversary of the Hikoi of Hope next September, we at the Social Justice Commission have prepared some articles and a general history of the Hikoi…
Introduction
In September 1998, thousands walked the length of New Zealand in a hikoi dubbed the “Hikoi of Hope”. Organised by the Anglican Church of New Zealand, the hikoi was a protest against current Government policies on health, education, and social issues, which, the organisers said, were creating “intolerable levels of poverty and social breakdown”.
About 40,000 New Zealanders took part in the Hikoi, which was first proposed in May 1998 at the General Synod of the Anglican Church. The Hikoi was sparked by accounts of community distress and growing poverty throughout New Zealand, and was actively supported by other churches and groups. The organisers wanted the Hikoi to be “something much larger than an Anglican presentation of concerns” and with these thousands involved, it certainly was.(1)
The long march began in the North at Spirits Bay, and in the South at Stewart Island. The walkers travelled through many rural settlements and most provincial towns and cities in the country. They then converged in Wellington on 1 October to confront Parliament with demands for the creation of “real jobs, a public health system people can trust, benefits and wages that will move people out of poverty, affordable housing, and accessible education.” Their aims were to encourage a change in political priorities, a step away from the free market policies of politicians and economists that had led this country down a path where poverty was increasing and social services were being undermined.(2)
In 1998, New Zealand had the fastest growing gap between the rich and the poor out of all OECD countries. Four out of five households had a smaller share of the country’s total income than they did before Rogernomics brought in free market policies.(3) In the years before the Hikoi, health services in rural areas had diminished, benefits had been cut and invalid sickness benefits frozen. State housing rent prices went up, and market rents soon followed, while land and businesses were sold to overseas buyers. Job opportunities in small towns and rural areas were lost to international companies, and government subsidies for education providers were lowered.
But the underlying aim of the Hikoi was to show that the plight of those in poverty had been recognised and was being addressed – to give hope to those with little hope left. During the walk, stories of hardship were collected, to be presented to Parliament, along with solutions to the issues highlighted by the Hikoi.
More on the key issues addressed by the Hikoi
And details of the Encounter at Parliament
1. Rt Rev John Paterson as reported in “Poverty March Ready For the Road”, The Press, 28th Aug 1998
2. Gulf News, 27th Aug 1998, “Anger Over Poverty, Declining Social Services”
3. Socialist Worker, “Support the Hikoi of Hope!” 31 August 1998
Facebook comments: