News from Convention — Bahá'í Aotearoa

Apr 27

Apr 27 News from Convention

In its Ridván message this year the Universal House of Justice said that the global Bahá’í community has now entered a new chapter in its evolution, and in Aotearoa our National Convention honoured the moment by manifesting a keen awareness of representing “a community which has advanced in capacity and in learning”.

The occasion was enhanced by the presence of Counsellor Tessa Scrine and all of New Zealand’s Auxiliary Board members, alongside the delegates and National Assembly members. A representative of the Office of Public Affairs and the National Statistics Officer were also present. The magnificent team of caterers and helpers, ably and joyfully guided by the hard-working task force were on hand throughout to ensure the smooth-running of the Convention, and despite a plumbing hiccup that led to the abandonment of one session, the Convention was a beautifully uplifting occasion. The National Assembly extends deepest gratitude to the Auckland Spiritual Assembly for allowing the Convention to take place in their centre in Glen Innes, and the beautifully befitting care and attention that was given to ensuring a most dignified venue for Convention.

The members of the National Assembly elected at the Convention are: Shiva Kolodner, Suzanne Mahon, Alison Milston, Vahid Qualls, Marc Rivers, Kim Te’o, Sione Tu’itahi, Huti Watson and Alan Wilcox. This result saw the departure of James Lau after an extraordinary record of 22 years of devoted service on the institution, most of that time as the National Treasurer, for which he received warm tribute from the Convention participants.

The newly elected National Spiritual Assembly met during the Convention period and was able to elect its officers, who remain as before, namely: Mr Vahid Qualls (Chair), Mrs Huti Watson (Vice-Chair), Mrs Suzanne Mahon (Secretary) and Mr Marc Rivers (Treasurer). It was also possible for the National Assembly to make the selection, in accordance with House of Justice guidance, of Aotearoa’s representatives to attend a special gathering in the Holy Land for the Centenary Commemoration of the Ascension of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. The selected representatives are Onna Tangifolau, Diane (Disee) Anorpong Niupalavu, Huti Watson and Vahid Qualls.

The message of the Convention to the Universal House of Justice reads as follows. (A spoken version of the message was recorded for transmission to the Supreme Body along with the text, and this may be heard in the attached audio file.)

Message

Ka tangi te pīpīwharauroa
Ko ngā karere a Mahuru
Pīpīwharauroa! Pīpīwharauroa!
Te manu i whiti mai.
I tara wāhi
Me te ō anō
Ki te wae, mau ai
Nau mai
Tihei wa Mauri Ora
The call of the Far Shed Chick
An envoy bringing the message of Divine Springtime
Far Shed Chick! Far Shed Chick!*
The bird which crossed hither
from the far side of the ocean
with the much-needed pebble
fast held to the foot.
Welcome.
The Breath of Life

(This whakatauki tells the story of the migratory bird bringing a pebble from a far land, which sustained it through its flight. Once reaching its destination, it then drops the pebble into the Hokianga Harbour. The bird breeds its young and then takes flight to return whence it came, leaving its young to survive and prosper. The message of Bahá’u’lláh has in the same way been carried to this land.)

Tēnā Koutou e Te Whare Mana Tika ō te Ao,
Dearly loved Universal House of Justice,

As the page turns on a 25-year effort, we have gathered in Tāmaki Makaurau for the 64th National Bahá’í Convention for Aotearoa. As we gather here in person, we are acutely aware of our brothers and sisters around the world who are prevented from gathering similarly, be it by the current global health crisis or by the hand of tyranny which tries in vain to stop the spread of the Faith of God. We feel blessed by the presence of dear Counsellor Tessa Scrine who has been enabled to travel to our shores for the first time in over a year.

In awe and wonder at the worldwide community’s progress recounted in the Riḍván message, which we see clearly in our own land, we come together representing a community which has advanced in capacity and in learning. With humble admiration we call to mind the striving of the souls who sacrificially cleared the path we now tread.

Our community’s advance is evidenced in the participation at this Convention: one in six delegates are serving for the first time. Our backgrounds represent the diverse peoples of our nation, including those of us whose whakapapa link us to the first inhabitants of this land; to the islands of the midmost heart of the ocean; and to the land of Bahá’u’lláh’s birth. Noteworthy too is that many of us had yet to pass through childhood when this 25-year effort began.

Out of a shared experience in the Divine Plan, the spirit of whanaungatanga has animated our gathering: a spirit of unity, fellowship, oneness, family, and a sense of belonging.

So intense must be the spirit of love and loving kindness, that the stranger may find himself a friend, the enemy a true brother, no difference whatsoever existing between them. For universality is of God and all limitations earthly.

Learning through action and an earnest desire to see the betterment of our society have underpinned our consultations. Tears have been shared. Across subjects of expansion and consolidation, social action, and participation in the discourses of society, themes of coherence, working with whole families, and especially the wholehearted participation of Tangata Whenua in these lines of action have come to the fore. United in serried lines, we move forward into the next epoch of the Divine Plan.

E te Atua
Arahina i ahau
Tiakina ahau
Whakamāramatia te rama o tōku manawa
kia meinga ahau hei whetū
Tīahoaho
Ko Koe te Kaha Rawa
me te Mana
O God, Guide me, protect me, illumine the lamp of my heart and make me a brilliant star. Thou Art the Mighty and the Powerful.

Glossary

Pīpīwharauroa — The shining cuckoo (far shed chick, a bird which migrates across the Pacific). The prefixed "pīpī" of the longer name is a word meaning the young of birds.

Tāmaki Makaurau — Auckland

Tangata Whenua — The people of the land i.e. the Māori people

Whakapapa — Lineage, descent, genealogy

Footnote

* One explanation of “far-shed chick” is this: “Far-shed-chick! A name in which is storied the fact that over the vasty ocean it flies to this far distant country to ‘shed’ its eggs, and to have its chicks raised.” Source, The New Zealand Electronic Text Collection.