Rev Gary A.M. Clover

02/10/2025

02/10/2025

Keep Maori Wards campaigner's vigil news report

Since early September, through bleak, early morning cold, stinging showers, and bitter winds, “Maori Wards Work Whakatū” campaigner, retired clergy man, Gary Clover, has kept vigil besides his little corflute sandwich board outside ZNK or Woolworths at Richmond’s northern entrance. He intends to keep this up until the day before 10 October’s local body election.
Gary is keeping his lonely vigil because he’s angry that our anti-Māori government has imposed on electors and ratepayers a completely discriminatory, unnecessary, costly, referendum which is designed to fail. There has been a complete lack of any nation-wide promotion, let alone of a clear state-backed debate of the pros and cons of Māori wards, to allow the public to make an informed decision.
Good on the Greens for doing telephone canvassing. But where is the Labour Party who in 2001 legislated to allow local councils to establish Māori wards? Where are individual council candidates who voted to establish our local Nelson and Tasman Māori wards? They’re not barred by the Local Government Electoral Act from individually promoting retaining our local Māori wards. Why are so few standing up to promote what they voted for?
44 councils, out of 77, currently have Māori Wards. Nelson’s Council last October 2024 unanimously re-affirmed theirs implementation; and TDC voted by 9-3 to implement theirs. Hence Kahu P**i P**i and Paul Morgan, respectively, two highly skilled, experienced entrepreneurial operators, are our current Māori councillors, both elected unopposed.
Gary emphasised the referendum was unfair because rural and suburban wards did not require such community-wide referenda endorsement, and it adds an unnecessary electoral cost on to councils. Yet Maori wards are not an added cost to existing councillors’ budgets, nor an added vote. They are treaty-based, not race-based. If one wants what is race-based – view the stale, male, pale, largely elderly Pākehā who for years have dominated councils. Hardly ever a brown face among them!
The Māori councillors save councils money by streamlining engagement with all local Māori communities They are valued for the longer term, more environmentally savvy point-of-view, they bring to the council table.
The wards support the treaty partnership inherent in Governor Hobson’s verbal promises of on-going tribal involvement in governing their people and resources, best seen today in the parliamentary Māori seats. So the Pākehā majority’s power to outvote Māori on this issue means that we need to give serious ethical reflection about our democracy’s emphasis on fairness and inclusion when we vote. Remember: “No taxation without representation”. In 150 years, since 1877, there have been only 3 recognisably Māori councillors elected to Nelson councils.

So my message, says Gary, is “Get out and vote. And vote KEEP!”

Friends, if you support retaining Maori wards, please forward.

15/10/2024

Alex, Kate & Melody
Common Grace Aotearoa

Kia ora Rev Gary,
We can now share details of our upcoming webinar, plus a special invitation to support Tangata Whenua organising an historic hikoi (march) to parliament in November.
Webinar: Tools for communicating about the Treaty among faith communities.
We know it's important to talk about the Treaty, but how we do so really matters.
Much of the potential harm that the Treaty Principles Bill may do is in polarising and driving people against long term Treaty reconciliation, and so it is critical that we can communicate in ways that interrupt the spread of misinformation as the Treaty Principles Bill is debated and talked about nationally.
So we warmly invite you to attend a webinar focused on values-based communication about the Treaty of Waitangi among Christians.
We will hear from Dr Emily Beausoleil, a lecturer of political science at Victoria University of Wellington Te Herenga Waka and co-designer of the nationwide anti-racism programme Tauiwi Tautoko. Tauiwi Tautoko is an educational intervention, community, and set of techniques to support effective anti-racist conversations. Tauiwi Tautoko trains tauiwi (non-Māori) to tautoko (support) Te Tiriti transformation by challenging anti-Māori racism within tauiwi communities.
Emily will explain how to communicate about the Treaty in a way that engages peoples' hearts and values, and allows them to engage in factual and evidence-based information. She will also talk about how we can respond to some common unhelpful narratives about the Treaty.
Common Grace Co-Directors will then explain how you can be involved in gathering submissions on the Treaty Principles Bill.
What: Tools for communicating about the Treaty of Waitangi among faith communities
When: Friday 25th October, 12:00-1:30pm
Where: online via Microsoft Teams
RSVP for the webinar
Support Tangata Whenua mobilising an historic hikoi to Parliament.
Major hikoi (marches) led by Tangata Whenua have forged defining moments in Aotearoa’s history - like the 1975 land march, and 2003 Foreshore and Seabed hikoi. An equally era-defining hikoi to Parliament is being organised in response to the Treaty Principles Bill starting from Te Tai Tokerau on the 28th October.
The organisers of the hikoi, a group of respected Māori leaders, have reached out to Common Grace Aotearoa with a request for funds for this historic mobilisation. It will be Tiriti-centered, non-partisan, and a non-violent kaupapa.
It is a huge privilege for us to be invited to support this, and we have organised this Givealittle page to gather funds towards this action from willing Christians.
Common Grace Aotearoa will donate all funds received via this page to the hikoi organisers' bank account. These critical funds will support things like marae koha, petrol and van hire, sound system rental, and other logistical needs.
Could you or your faith community take up an offering to support this historic hikoi in the next few weeks?
View the details and make a tax-deductible donation at the button below:
Donate to the hikoi organising fund.
A reminder about in-person events in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.
A reminder that you are invited to attend in-person events in Auckland, Wellington or Christchurch to consider next steps for 'loving our neighbours' in the context of the Treaty Principles Bill.
Our Wellington event is TOMORROW (Tuesday!)
These events are an opportunity to gather with like-minded people of faith, to hear reflections from local Christian leaders and hear Common Grace team members share how you can be involved in plans to gather submissions about the bill.
Wellington: Tuesday 15 October, 6pm at Ramsey House, 8 Kelburn Parade
Auckland: Wednesday 23 October, 6pm at Community Hall, 65 Great North Road.
Christchurch (in collaboration with Te Raranga): Wednesday 30 October, 7:30pm at Northcity Church, 95a Sawyers Arms Road, Papanui.
Online: Webinar details above.
Please RSVP below and spread the word by sharing these event flyers.
Register for Wellington
Register for Auckland
Register for Christchurch
We'd love to see you at one of these events. We know that when we all take action together we can make a huge impact.
Rangimārie,
Alex, Kate & Melody
Common Grace Aotearoa

P.S. If you or your faith community want to engage with other Christians across the motu about Te Tiriti justice and transforming unjust structures, check out the Common Grace National Gathering happening in mid-November.

29/06/2021

Hamas and Hezbolluh + Islamic Jihad & the armed wings of the PLO, PFLP, & other members of the PA, are all UN designated terror organizations, & recognised as such by the USA, UK, EU, & Australia & Canada. Open support by Palestinians or Palestinian sympathisers in NZ for Hamas or Hezbulluh, etc, our Government must condemn in the strongest fashion, or be shown up as a hypocrite. I have been to Israel 2x, the first 50 years ago as a kibbutz volunteer. Even in my time there through 1975 the Jews were under seige from Arafat's terrorist. Yet the Holy Land was legally designated under International Law to the Jews, and confirmed by the 1920 Treaty of San Remo, the League of Nations, & UN Founding Charter 80, as sovereignly the Jewish National Home. It has never been Palestinian. The Jews are the Holy Land's indigenous people who have 3,500 years of association with The Land and in all their centuries of exile never fully left or were deported by the Romans, the Byzantines, and other various Moslem invaders, amongst who are the Arabs who first invaded 1,400 years ago in 637. They, the Fatimids, and the Ottomons, etc, have ever since treated the indigernous Jews to forced conversions on pain of death, and to the humiliating status of being dhimmis, that is, second class citizens, forces to pay the jizya tax as protection money, forced to wear the Nazi-like yellow striped clothing bearing the star of David, and required to cross the street when confronted by a Moslem.
Please sign the petition below and confront this long-standing Arab/Palestinian anti-semitism against Israel's Jewish population.