Hikoi of Hope - Enough is Enough! A glimpse of an amazing event in New Zealand Ian Ritchie, Judy Redfearn, Peter Horsley, Palmerston North, New Zealand When we first heard that the national Anglican Synod had decided to organise a ceremonial walk (Hikoi) from the far ends of the country to Wellington, our seat of government, in September we were amazed, disbelieving, thrilled. The Anglican Church is considered to be the conservative party at prayer, staid, mainstream, reticent. Yet when the Synod passed the resolution, all those present gave themselves a standing ovation. This was something different, special! The move came after endless stories of poverty from throughout the country, such as how food banks in one city are feeding about 10% of the population, how social service agencies are struggling to deal with almost double their planned work load. These problems have resulted from a series of economic reforms that first began in 1984 when the Labour Government started the process of individualisation and commercialisation of New Zealand society by selling public assets, running down public services and adopting commercial, competitive models. Successive conservative governments have continued the New Right agenda, and for many of us, there is now little left of what once made New Zealand the envy of the world for its universal health, welfare and education, the ideal place to raise children. Fifteen years later, the Synod decided officially that submissions and petitions to government had become a waste of time, and decided unanimously to "Walk for a Change", with the Bishops from the three sections of the Church - European, Maori, and Polynesian, leading the Hikoi. The Synod learnt that poverty is structured into our society more deeply and despairingly than ever before. The gap between rich and poor is wider, and the Maori and Polynesian communities carry the heaviest load of unemployment, ill health and despair. The decision was made that it would start from Stewart Island in the south and Cape Reinga in the north on 1 September and end at Parliament on 1 October (1300 & 1800 km away respectively). The walkers would gather poverty stories from each community along the way. As it turned out, every main road in the country had its group of walkers, some walking all the way, others a short distance, some in large groups, some small. Church bells rang in towns and cities throughout the country as the walkers passed through on their way to Wellington. While the national media gave it scant attention that tended to be derogatory, the local media gave the Hikoi good coverage as the walkers passed through and public meetings were held. The distances travelled each day were such that each night, communities all round the country were actively involved in greeting, supporting, feeding and talking. While tens of thousands joined the walk during the month, many times that number were actively involved in debating the issues in their own communities. It was a massive, quiet, and orderly revealing of hidden wounds and issues of deep social concern. The demands were for: real jobs; a public health system that could be trusted, benefit and wage levels that move people out of poverty, affordable housing, and high quality, publicly funded education. While some couldn't cope with the fact that the Anglicans had initiated the walk, it was supported by almost all churches and religions, trade unions, peace and other community groups, and a vast array of people from the young to the very old. The four streams of the Hikoi - north, south, east and west - merged in Wellington on 1 October. The day was beautifully fine and the atmosphere was both celebratory and determined. Banners and flags were flying as groups of walkers from the length and breadth of the land came together. As each stream joined the growing march, clapping, singing, and chanting broke out, and everyone was smiling. Citizens from all walks of life, greeted each other as they walked and talked together. An extraordinary spirit of inclusivity and warmth, collective care and concern, and hope for change, pervaded the huge gathering. Looking back, it was a truly amazing experience. Something really exciting was happening. All our senses were heightened by the emotion of the occasion. Although we only knew a few others in that crowd, we knew that we were among friends. Between 15 and 20,000 gathered on Parliament grounds where the Bishops, including Sir Paul Reeves, ex-Governor General, took a service, after which leaders of the various political parties in Parliament were invited down to accept a compilation of the poverty stories collected, "Voices of the People", and statistics of deprivation electorate by electorate. The Prime Minister chose not to be present, partly because she wanted, but had not received, a private audience earlier in the day with the Hikoi leaders. The Bishops informed her that her responsibility was to meet the people at their level, not in a high remote office. Her substitute, the Minster of Social Welfare got howled down. There are a few remembered highlights that touched me - a young Indian woman in a sari with two children in jeans, t/shirts and sneakers, holding hands together and singing; three conservatively dressed elderly ladies in a group calling out spontaneous reactions to speakers; an eccentric old man in a wonderful coloured suit; endlessly proclaiming a new world order, and marking each point with a shrill blow on his penny whistle; a young mother, obviously tired and stressed, with three young children searching for a friend in the crowd; a young man in a wheelchair, helped by an older woman, likely his mother, with tears on his face. Standing immediately below a bank of amplifiers the words and the music hit against my chest. All these people, all our different nationalities, the wonderful mix of New Zealanders singing together in English, Maori, and Samoan, truly aware of each others needs, moved me to tears. We were not separate individuals, we were as one person, the poor, the dispossessed, people who cared, calling out to be heard. The responses, unrehearsed, greeted the individual speakers in one voice and the anthem "enough is enough" rang around the city, again and again - it was as if we didn't know when to, didn't want to, stop. Then as the celebration ended and I turned to go home I knew in my heart that something had happened that day, something important and wonderful. It was the beginning, the seed sowing, the embryo of an idea - a whisper that creeps out across the country - we are each others keeper, and poverty in a land of plenty is morally wrong. Each of us, in our own way, in our own place, has to keep repeating that message, over and over, and in any way we can, in growing strength until the whole country beats with it as a pulse to change the hearts of the rich and powerful, the comfortable, the unconcerned; to hear the message, to believe in it, to demand its fulfilment and to take responsibility for our own part in its happening - to sing, to shout, to cry and to believe that truly, at times when injustice prevails, ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. For more information on the Hikoi of Hope, check the web sites http://www.hikoi.anglican.org.nz http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Academy/3142/Hikoi/
