Annual Report: ‘Bound for a new horizon’
The National Spiritual Assembly’s Annual Report (Pūrongo Ā-Tau) for 179 B.E., presented to delegates at this year’s National Convention, reviews the ‘major undertaking’ now underway under the guidance of the Supreme Body — and our response in Aotearoa.
View or download: Annual Report 179 B.E.
If you wish to receive a hard copy in booklet form, you are most welcome to contact the National Office nationaloffice@bahai.org.nz with your request. Copies are supplied free of charge.
The report opens with a summary of “Key themes of the year’s endeavour / Ngā kaupapa matua o ngā whāinga tau”, which is reproduced below (scroll down). The contents include:
Mihi from the National Spiritual Assembly
Overview / Tirohanga whānui
Key themes of the year’s endeavour / Ngā kaupapa matua o ngā whāinga tau
Key achievements and hopes / Ngā whakatutukitanga matua me ngā hiahia
Review of major activities and achievements / Ngā arotakenga o ngā ngohe matua me ngā whakatutukitanga nui
Financial report / He pūrongo pūte
Reports of institutions and agencies / Ngā pūrongo o ngā huihuinga akoranga me ngā huihuinga whakahaere
National administration / Te Ohu Whakahaere a-motu
Community statistics / Nga Tatauranga Hapori
In Memoriam / He whakamaharatanga ki te hunga kua wheturangitia atu
Introductory: Key themes of the year’s endeavour
A year ago the Bahá’í world embarked on the Nine Year Plan, “a major undertaking focused on the release of the society-building power of the Faith in ever-greater measures”. This focus was described by the Universal House of Justice in its 2022 Ridván message as the “overarching objective” of the Nine Year Plan and the current series of Plans which will span a total of 25 years. The House of Justice wrote: “The efforts of the friends to build communities, to engage in social action, and to contribute to the prevalent discourses of society have cohered into one global enterprise, bound together by a common framework for action, focused on helping humanity to establish its affairs on a foundation of spiritual principles.”
Long past are the days when the global Bahá’í community was made up mostly of small bands of believers who were severely limited in their ability to influence the society around them, but laboured heroically to diffuse the teachings and establish administrative institutions, laying down the foundations for the systematic expansion of the Cause by generations after them. Following that foundational period, the work of the last 25 year series of plans, which focused on “a significant advance in the process of entry by troops”, brought about an epochal shift that has positioned the community to launch itself on making a visible impact on the wider society. The Faith has expanded its potential sphere of influence immeasurably. But, given that the new epoch has only just begun, we are in the early days of discovering its full implications for how we need to think and act in order to reap today’s vast potential to the fullest.
Launched with a strong impetus from 44 World Conferences throughout Aotearoa early in the year, New Zealand’s Nine Year Plan endeavours started vigorously, imbued with the outward-looking spirit that made the conferences so successful. These vibrant events strengthened mutual support and assistance between individuals, institutions and communities. They cultivated the capacity to invite participation from the wider public, initiate meaningful conversations and nurture outward-looking communities. From this promising start, the year went on to witness advances such as youth playing a vital role in the progress of clusters, two clusters advancing to their next milestone of growth, and many other gains over the whole range of Bahá’í activity. Some key themes for advancing the Cause and helping to release more of its society-building power in the immediate future have been identified by the National Spiritual Assembly:
The training institute will have more impact on our society as the flow into the institute increases — with more people engaging with and taking ownership of it - and as the quality of the educational processes increases.
More friends learning to act in groups of families and households to build community.
Enhancing institutional capacity at local, cluster, regional and national levels.
Increased experience with the natural coherence between the three areas of endeavour: expansion and consolidation, social action and participation in the discourses of society.
In addition to the above, the National Assembly has identified apathy as a prevailing social force that needs to be overcome.
Our beloved country is feeling the impact of world-shaking forces and now is the hour when the need for fresh solutions is being made apparent to the eyes of our compatriots. As the Supreme Body wrote last Ridván: “The dysfunctional state of present-day society makes the need for the release of the society-building power of the Faith abundantly clear and pressing.” On 4 January 2022 they had written: “The global challenges now facing humanity are a severe test of its willingness to put aside short-term self-interest and come to terms with this stark spiritual and moral reality: there is but one, interconnected human family and it shares one precious homeland. At this same moment, the followers of Bahá’u’lláh are examining anew the possibilities before them to release the society-building power of the Faith. This Plan will test their stamina, their willpower, and the strength of their love for those who dwell alongside them.”
The broad areas of endeavour for the Nine Year Plan were stated as subheadings in the Supreme Body’s letter to the Conference of the Counsellors on 30 December 2021. Our learning and accomplishments in these areas in Aotearoa over the past year are surveyed in the section of this annual report headed “Review of major activities and achievements”, beginning on page 10. The areas described are:
The movement of clusters
Learning from the most advanced clusters
Contributing to social transformation
Educational endeavours and the training institute
Raising capacity for administration at all levels
We can surely approach the year ahead with great confidence. The Universal House of Justice in its 2022 Ridván message acclaimed “the company of the faithful”, which as a “united body of believers stands ready to seize the possibilities wide open before it.” We salute the efforts of the New Zealand friends to fulfil such high expectations, and joyfully envisage further victories to come.
