Reprinted from The Common Good, no 10, Advent 1998
A week with the Hikoi
by Teresa Windle
Going on the Hikoi reminded me of when I was staying in large Catholic Worker houses overseas. The Hikoi was about living intensely with a group of very diverse people; it was a bit crazy and chaotic at times; and it had many moments of grace and magic. It was also effectively a live-in community, albeit for a month at the most. It operated on a strong spiritual basis and it came together to work for social justice. As not many people got to experience staying overnight with the Hikoi, most people joining in events in the cities and townships, below is an account of what happened in the last week.
I arrived in Blenheim on Friday 25 September and joined forty-five or so core walkers on their way out to stay three nights at the marae in Blenheim. That night there was talk till late about ways of communicating within the group, especially around issues of tikanga (customs). No particular outcomes were reached but opinions and feelings were aired as the conversation moved around the meeting house, each person taking a turn to have their say. The southern Hikoi was led by Canon Turi Hollis and Here Wilson, and for Pakeha I think the experience of tikanga Maori was an underlying gift of the Hikoi - realistically not without its challenges and misunderstandings at times.
The next morning, as was the way of the Hikoi, we were woken at 6am by the Ringatu prayers of Tawa. I came to appreciate this as a beautiful way to wake up and often others added their prayers for the day at the end. In the early afternoon there was a public event in Blenheim with the local bishop, mayor and three MPs speaking (Rod Donald, Marion Hobbs, and Doug Kidd) on the issues of the Hikoi. I felt a bit unsettled on the walk into the event as a counter protest walked with us. They were protesting about local residential leases that were on Anglican church property, which had recently gone to markets rates, causing hardship. I am not sure of the details of the issue but I hope that a good outcome for them has been worked out.
On the following day we walked to Picton. Lunch was at a lovely little church half way through and parishioners from Picton turned up with sandwiches and thermosÕ. I was touched by the elderly women who had paid for the port-a-loo to be hired for the day at this 127 year old toilet-less church. Her gift definitely did not go unnoticed.
Reaching Picton was an emotional experience, accompanied by singing and AlanÕs penny whistle at the end. After a powhiri, church service and afternoon tea hosted by very supportive local people, there was a procession through town, spontaneously right to the waterÕs edge. Touching water at the top of the island, for people who had been with the Hikoi since Stewart Island or Bluff was a big moment. After some moving words we went on to have a great night at the marae in Picton.
The next day we sailed over to Wellington on the ferry. We went over in two groups. Turi taught the mainly Pakeha group the actions to a waiata that had been written for the Hikoi. From there we went to Pendennis House where we were hosted and received a powhiri and afternoon tea from them and the local bishop.
We had a free day the next day and some went to see the new museum, while others went to visit the northern Hikoi walking into Johnsonville. That night there were unfortunately some frayed nerves and angry words were said at dinner time. Later though there was a service that reminded us what we were there for and that repentance and forgiveness were part of the journey. Living together closely, with not a lot of sleep or space, does have its highs and lows.
Thursday, the final day, started off looking grey but by mid-morning had turned into a brilliant blue windless day. We went down to the ferry terminal to meet up with other South Islanders who had sailed and flown in to be there for the day. About 11.30 am we met the Northern contingent streaming down the main motorway. High spirits in the air, we joined them and marched to Parliament, where the police estimate of the full crowd was 12,000 people.
At Parliament we shared a service with the large group of politicians gathered on Parliament steps. Paul Reeves and others spoke for the Hikoi and kete (baskets) of stories were presented to representatives from all of the parties. The stories, which had been gathered along the way, were about the effects of past and present government policies on individuals, and their hopes for the future. Roger Sowry spoke on behalf of the government, and Helen Clark for the opposition. While Jenny Shipley offered to meet with the bishops she chose not to address the Hikoi crowd, a decision which didnÕt do her PR any good. Nonetheless, the Hikoi had not been aimed at specific individuals and parties; the stories had been presented and the message that Ôenough is enoughÕ regarding poverty had been strongly conveyed.
Afterwards, there was lunch offered at four churches and some folk from our group went to a local pub to say farewells to those leaving to go home that night. Getting back to Pendennis House in time for the news it was great to finally see some good media coverage on the Hikoi, which has been described as being victim to a Ômedia black-outÕ. Certainly the main papers and television often did not do their job properly in reporting this walk that over 40,000 New Zealanders were part of at some point.
That night and the next day people said goodbye as they left to go home. There had been lots of personal journeying and growing done, friendships made and a very strong group bond experienced. In terms of what the Hikoi has achieved I think that its effects are somewhat unseen and may be hard to measure. It has definitely made the issue of poverty more visible and has had many ripples. The organisers have stressed that the Hikoi is a beginning and early next year there are to be public meetings around the country regarding the five planks of the Hikoi. Please look out for them and attend if you can.