Speeches 

Greetings, acknowledgements.

In accepting the invitation to be with you today, the words of Edmund Burke rang loudly in my ears, and I approach this opportunity with the sense of care and humility mentioned by that great political philosopher. Burke observed 200 years ago that politics and the pulpit are terms that have little agreement: “No sound ought to be heard in the Church but the healing voice of Christian charity.”

Each Parliamentary sitting day our first words honour our commitment to a vision of almighty God.

Almighty God, humbly acknowledging our need for thy guidance, and laying aside all private and person interest, we beseech you to grant that we may conduct the affairs of this House and of our country, to the Honour of the Queen, maintenance of true religion and justice, the public welfare peace and tranquility of New Zealand through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

We trust that in the presence of greatness, pettiness disappears – we hope that in the sight of God we will make good use of our time to conduct the people’s business – it is a challenging commitment.

This morning I have the privilege of learning from and serving you – a group which gathers as the living witness and breathing being of God’s presence, plan and promise. I am here to present my vision about the role of the church in society, of how you can bring your vital work to the broader realm of Parliamentary procedures. In Parliament we define the letter of the law, but of more importance is the spirit of the law. You by your commitment can help us develop and deliver the values which add real value to our society, by recognising the most important task of the churches on entering the 21st century is to help the secular world to understand its Christian origins; and there are a number of ways you can do that – more about this later.

I am the MP for Manukau East – the home to some 165 ethnic communities. I am an Assistant Speaker with a special interest in the values which inform parliamentary practice. I also serve the Parliamentarians for Global Action as the Chairman of the International Council – in this role I am vitally concerned about the role and reputation of Parliaments throughout the world, and continue to promote good governance, accountability and transparency.

This Men’s Breakfast group is testament to the power of Faith to move –as the book of Matthew tells us – mountains; or as St Francis of Assisi tells us – faith can clothe, feed and fashion our future as a community – together we serve. Groups such as yours remind me of the work of Pastor Robert Schuler, who wrote the book ‘tough times never last, but tough people do’ – and Bishop Desmond Tutu whose faith helped him triumph over the bitter travails of apartheid, and the perils of prostate cancer. He wrote a book ‘There is No Future Without Forgiveness’. As a committed Christian I know that we Christians are not perfect, just forgiven!

Jesus promised “greater works than these shall you do, if you can believe (John 14:12)”. So continue in your faithful footsteps – lead by example, be confident and passionate in service, and benefit from being spiritual beings in our community. I recall a Unesco report, “Learning the Treasure Within”, which highlighted that ethics, values, and the spiritual dimension are not “a”, but “the” most fundamental things facing the survival of democracy into the 21st century – you have a role to play.

I look around this gathering and sense that there is an enthusiasm, a hunger for wanting to do more for all that is good in the world. Lead! For there are many avenues for you to make your views known loud and clear to those who pass the legislation, and if you are persisitent, determined and passionate about your cause, you can make a difference.

If you were to walk along Massachusetts Avenue in Washington DC, just opposite the statue of Winston Churchill you will see engraved at the monument to Kahlil Gibran “work is love made visible”. Your work is God’s work, informed by the Holy Bible – and you bring your work to my electorate.

Enthusiasm -that joyful sharing of the good news in the heart of your family with the wider community - is surely needed today. Social scientists tell us that the community is lacking social capital – and I lament the lack of this precious unifying force – the preparedness to serve. The Baptists, I was recently informed by Pastor David McBride, used to preach “Saved to serve”, probably drawing inspiration from Mark 10: 42-45. It is important to encourage volunteers to serve, rather in the spirit of the Pope who is called the Servus servorum, the server of all servers. So continue to do your best to serve – “Do all the good you can, by all means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can” (John Wesley (the father of Methodism).

People today are looking for “highs” and are led like moths to a flame, yet you know that faith can move mountains, give meaning to life, and bring peace and inner happiness. I put it to you that as your community grows there will be a lot more joy – a committed community of immense potential contribution, a community built upon thankfulness and faith rather than fear.

A visiting preacher to Papatoetoe Baptist Church, David Dishroom, talked to us recently about not worrying and not judging. He also mentioned that Christians should be thinking and talking in terms of “life” and “death”, not “right” and “wrong”. “Attitudes of life involve humility, patience, understanding, forgiveness and compassion. Attitudes of death involve anger, bitterness, resentment and unforgiveness.”

Our Lord Jesus always operated in the “life” vs “death” realm, and not the “right” vs “wrong”. The woman caught in adultery is an excellent example. Jesus followed his own mantra and chose not to cast the stone. He chose “life” for the woman and offered her forgiveness. All those who follow the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth want to be vessels of life. We have committed ourselves to being followers of Christ, and so forgiveness, humility, patience, understanding and compassion will be part of our lives.

The Labour Party was born in the UK – conceived by committed Christians who thought that the righteous path to progress for the masses of people was through the ballot box – and not through bloody Revolution, as was the case in France.

The first Labour leader and MP Keir Hardie (West Ham South 1892) said “The impetus which drove me first of all into the Labour Movement and the inspiration which carried me on in it, has been derived more from the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth than all other sources combined”.

Hardie was a non-conformist and maintained a keen distinction between institutional Christianity which he saw as organised hypocrisy for the benefit of the ruling classes, and ‘real religion’ which emanated from the hearts of the people. Chinese members of my community tell me that the symbol for the virtuous leader is the person who walks the path of the true heart, what the Maori call Aratika – the ‘good path’ – and from what I know of the work of this community, I believe that you are dedicated to assisting all people to walk the path of the true heart; truly thankful for all of your God given gifts to learn and serve. A grateful mind is a great mind which eventually attracts to itself great things.

This Christian tradition was continued in New Zealand where leaders like Walter Nash and Michael Joseph Savage sought to have the Holy Bible as the Labour Party manifesto. If you go to Savage’s Memorial at Bastion Point you will see the inscription “there is no fame to rise above, the crowning honour of a people’s love”. The public seems a little less likely to confirm such a high honour on their political servants today – we rate alongside psychics and used car salesmen - and indeed I have been working on ways to restore the relationship of parliamentarians with the people with a Code of Ethics. To date there have been two appearances before the Standing Orders Committee of Parliament, all to no avail. But in the next parliamentary term I shall try again.

Our society is much more complex and diverse than in the days of Savage and Nash but the Bible remains as a living testament to God’s promise of abundant life. Your duty is to bring this message of abundance by your example, an example that encourages and enthuses – an encouraged person is able to move freely, an enthusiastic person has a clear and uncomplicated sense of commitment.

To conclude, as an MP I saw a growing cancer in the 1990s expressed as growing gaps, poverty, disillusionment with politics and family breakdown. Your presence gives me hope for I sense that you are a community of commitment, united by a common faith that has produced significant and healing growth in our community over the past decade. I hope that you continue to flourish, planting seeds of hope in many hearts that will move the mountains, rivers, forests and fields that we are privileged to call home – New Zealand.

Tihei mauri ora, behold the spirit of love. Thank you for the opportunity to share this time with you. I am happy to answer any questions.

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