During the course I remember two spiritual experiences that stand out. On one occasion there was a spirit that entered the classroom through the door, and which walked around the classroom looking at the students work. It eventually stopped beside a Wicca lady that was also on the course. She later asked me if I had someone in the family pass on recently as she had noticed the apparition standing beside her and she thought that it looked like me. Just the devil being clever?
The second occasion was at a Wānanga at Tangatarua in the Ihenga Whare Nui where the lecturer was walking around during a group activity with a Hawk sitting on his shoulder. This, it turned out was not pet bird but was a spirit guide. The lecturer noted that some of the students had noticed his spirit guide sitting on his shoulder. When I noticed the spirit, I felt an oppressive force that made it hard for me to think straight and unable to marshal my thoughts to pray against it for a short time. I did pray against it and my mind became clear but that did not seem to cause the spirit to leave in any rush.
So, you could say that the spiritual side of Māori culture was evident in the teacher training course from the beginning. However, I got to know Māori and to appreciate their proclivity toward spiritual things. I came to understand that as a people if they accepted the gospel that they could very well have gotten their country back. Sadly, they have failed to repent and accept the gospel and instead are now seeking through co-governance to integrate their spirituality into New Zealand society. In a fortunate happenstance most Kiwi’s are happy to accept that situation.
In 2023, karakia to Rangi and Papa are now common place in educational settings and at sports events while performing haka to acknowledge the passing of individuals and to incite spiritual forces to assist competitors at all types of culturally significant occasion are now quite normal. Such is the popularity of Maori Spirituality that it seems likely that it will ultimately displace Christianity as the major religious contributor in New Zealand in the near future.
So, does this matter. As a Christian I would say that it does indeed matter. New Zealand has known times of refreshing which have come from the presence of the Lord (Acts 3:19). After both of the World Wars and the Great Depression of the 1930’s New Zealand bounced back refreshed into era’s of blessing and prosperity which lasted for many years. Life was not perfect especially for Māori and that has to be acknowledged and accounted for but it was certainly much better for all concerned than the gradual decline into poverty under Rogernomics and Neo-liberal policies of the 1980’s. Which have transferred the wealth of a nation into the hands of a few and seen a substantial portion of our population impoverished without any means of improvement. All the while the politicians have pretended to be doing their best for everyone while actually only feathering the nests of the elite.
Finally, I would like to make my point. If we allow ourselves to pay homage to other Gods rather then giving our worship to Jehovah, then we will receive the same consequences that ancient Israel did. We need to understand clearly the intent of 1 Chronicles 7 verses 13-14 “If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people, and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” So to clarify, if we stop playing the harlot with pagan deities and repent then God will hear our voice, forgive our sin and heal Aotearoa New Zealand.
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