Issue 67 July 2015 St Luke's Rotorua all dressed up for Pentecost Damming Creation Also in this issue From Bushman to Prison Chaplain an you dam creation and still care for it? This is the question that Christine Scott explores in a Ryan Cameron and MAF thought-provoking article later in this edition (see page 4). Gisborne's Latest Dame CInevitably there will be two sides to this topic and readers are encouraged to wrestle with the questions which touch the lives of the people in Hawke's Bay. When hope is all that is left - Refugee Sunday From Bishop Andrew reetings and peace in this season of Ordinary Time. The ‘ordinary’ season helps us to normalise God’s The ‘ordinary’ season in the life of the church year presence and our faith in God in the day-to-day Gsees us through most of the coming months leading reality of life, but it also has the power to open us into Advent and ultimately Christmas. As we are so often up to a movement of God in the world that is far reminded, this time between Easter and Christmas can be from conventional. It should be no surprise that it characterised by mock countdowns to Christmas, to mark out is often during this time in the liturgical calendar how many shopping days are left. Even this far out from the that we celebrate the lives of many saints, end of the year I’ve received the odd reminder of how many and pay particular attention to special days of days of retail opportunity remain, although thankfully most acknowledgement of examples of ministry that are tongue-in-cheek. take place in the day-to-day parts of our lives. From (left to right) are Bishop Andrew Hedge; Member of the It does make me wonder though how we measure time as a We remember seafarers, refugees, those who Venerable Order of St John, Marlene Rankin; Officer of St community. work to promote the Bible and those who work John Regional Youth Manager, Roger Sinclair; Commander of in Social Services, and many more. How fitting Our liturgical calendar is a helpful way for us to mark the big the Order of St John Priory Trust Board Member; Order of seasons and festivals, but it is equally helpful to celebrate that the things of ordinary, everyday life can St John Area Chair Gisborne Area, Pat Naden the normality of God’s presence in the ‘ordinary’, everyday be celebrated and considered to be places parts of our lives. I like this season because at one level it where we find God and places in which we can provides a change of pace from the passion of the deliberate minister in the world as disciples of Christ. Slipping the Moorings not only canvasses intentions of Lent, the ensuing excitement of Easter and the Exploring the presence of God as a normal part of daily life Richard’s life but also covers much of the ecclesiological, invigoration of Pentecost. It’s a time of the year when we can doesn’t mean we can expect to be docile in our habitual social and political landscape of the past 50 years with keen think about ‘What comes next?’ Which is a question we can routines. This path takes us beyond our natural places of insight into how the Gospel demands something of us that is imagine being on the minds of the disciples as they explored comfort, even within our normal lives. The call to follow God far from conventional. I was encouraged by in the way that he the world learning to be apostles of Christ. often means that which has seemed otherwise normal, can tells a very personal story that is inescapably a story based in As we venture out into the world after Pentecost we can now seem sacred, or perhaps seen afresh demands a different community seeking to praise God and work for justice. also use this time to explore and seek an answer to the same response to what has been normal for us in the past. May we each have the courage of the saints to walk the question or something similar. Perhaps the question we are Bishop Richard Randerson recently launched his memoir, unconventional path of Christ in the midst of our ‘ordinary’ seeking an answer to is ‘where is God?’, or ‘how can I know 1 Slipping the Moorings , in Wellington, Napier, Auckland and lives. God?’, or maybe it’s more along the lines of ‘where do I sense in Australia. Bishop Richard’s story is ‘ordinary’ in the sense 1 God moving in the world?’ This ‘ordinary’ time allows us to of this season of the year. A life that can be described as Randerson, R (2015) Slipping the Moorings: A Memoir Weaving ponder these questions as we move through the regular normal and yet in many other ways Richard leaves behind the Faith with Justice, Ethics and Community. Wellington: Matai parts of our lives. We find that God is a normal part of life, conventional response to life. He instead faithfully seeks to House. present all around us and within all we do and all that we are identify, nurture and respond to the radical presence of God part of in this world. in the community. 2 Issue 67 Waiapu News Around the Diocese Opotiki Parish hands the Reverend Arthur Bruce over to Otumoetai at his installation as Vicar Eastland prayers for Nepal in the aftermath of the earthquake The Southern Hawke's Bay consultation meeting, - part of the process of appointing a vicar Deb Sutherland's recentWaiapu ordination Cathedral to the priesthood at Pentecost at Rotorua Parish with Abbagail and Daniel Keogan and 93 year old Maggie Issue 67 Waiapu News 3 Issue 67 Waiapu News 3 Christine Scott, Napier Regional Councillor and member of the Cathedral Parish looks at a matter close to her heart in Central Hawke’s Bay irst some facts and figures; the Ruataniwha Water Storage Scheme (RWSS) comprises an 83 metre Fhigh, 415 metre wide, central core rock fill dam on the Makaroro River inland from Waipawa. It will hold 93 million cubic metres of water in a 7 km long lake, those lost. producing 6.5 megawatts of electricity and irrigating The greatest positive selling point 28,000 hectares of farmland via 16 kilometres of canals comes from the enhanced river flows. and 200 kilometres of pipe networks delivering water The Makaroro River will continue flow to the farm gate at 3.5 bar pressure – enough to run a through the bottom of the dam at a rate pivot irrigator. no less than the mean annual low flow, The dam superimposed The fixed time and price contract is being negotiated (MALF) which means the Waipawa and with OHL, a Spanish company with extensive global lower Tukituki rivers will not experience experience in dam construction in high earthquake risk areas, drought lows as at present. Downward currents will keep the partnering with New Zealand firm Hawkins. The scheme Local hapu have been very supportive of the RWSS, as they water well oxygenated, keeping the water quality is high. is expected to cost $275 million; up to $80 million funded worry about the loss of their young people to seek jobs in Coupled with the shift of existing irrigators to stored water by the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council from its investments, Australia or Auckland. The opportunity to encourage them rather than direct take will eventually return the Tukituki to with loan funding from Crown Irrigation Ltd, plus major back home is provided not only by job opportunities but in an normal flows with a drought low flow enhancement. Part of institutional and farmer investors. educational training package to upskill at all levels. The RWSS the environmental package is four summer flushing flows to Currently the dam is consented, but delays in the final details will create jobs in a range of disciplines covering everything create enough disturbance in the stream bed to flush away of the Tukituki Plan Change following High Court appeals are from graduate jobs to farm labour. algae growth. delaying finalising the scheme. The decision of the Board of But can you dam creation and still care for it – a fundamental The scheme has teeth that bite – all farmers have to meet Inquiry is expected in June, and following that, as soon as the part of our church’s mission? There are certainly losses, such conditions of fencing, riparian planting, and limits on ‘conditions precedent’ are met, it could be all go. Realistically as the flooding of farmland, forestry, and some Department nitrogen leaching. The bite is the water is turned off but still that is most likely next year. of Conservation (DoC) land in vicinity of Yeoman’s Mill. The has to be paid for. loss of habitat for threatened species such as the short tail What does this mean for Hawke’s Bay? The expected economic In reflecting on this project, I am reminded of our lovely bat, and with the dam being too high for fish ladders, the benefits are an eight percent increase in regional income, Waiapu hymn, whose verses begin ‘Jesus of the Eastern Sky, prevention of fish passage to the upper Makaroro, is of and a seven percent increase in employment. In particular, Jesus of the roads and hills, Jesus of marae and hall, Jesus concern. Probably the biggest fear is the impact of large- the projected social and economic impact on Central of the trees and lakes, Jesus of our towns and streets.’ The scale farm intensification on the rivers and waterways.