He was welcomed at a late afternoon powhiri in the sweltering forecourt of Parnell’s Holy Trinity Cathedral — and what took place then only seemed to underline the fact that we live on a knife-edge, in a world where crisis always lurks.

The first act of the powhiri was the wero, which was high drama in itself: Te Hira Paenga, who is a deacon at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and a haka expert, leapt across the cathedral forecourt, his taiaha slashing; leaping, prancing, flashing a pukana (a warrior grimace) as he advanced on the Archbishop’s party, which was waiting 50 metres away on St Stephen’s Ave.  Te Hira laid down his sprig of leaves and was all coiled vigilance as he waited to see whether the stranger had come for war or in peace. Dr Sentamu picked up the dart, and walked with the manuhiri to the visitor’s seats.  But no sooner had the tangata whenua began their whaikorero than a cathedral fire alarm began shrieking, and drowning out the speakers — and a few minutes later, a fire engine, siren sounding, red light flashing, thundered up to the entrance to the cathedral. It was a false alarm, but for those who knew the purpose of the Archbishop’s visit the symbolism seemed appropriate enough.

On Saturday Dr Sentamu was the guest of honour at the consecration of St Mary’s Cathedral in New Plymouth.  It is the first Anglican cathedral to be consecrated anywhere in the world for more than 80 years, and that’s cause for celebration. But the wider hopes for Dr Sentamu’s visit carry no such guarantees of success.

He has also come, again at the invitation of the Bishop of Taranaki, to contribute what he can to reconciling Maori and Pakeha in Taranaki and, in particular, to reconciling iwi in Taranaki and the Anglican Church. And as contemporary historians will tell you, shifting the problems between Maori and Pakeha in Taranaki, even a millimetre or two, is a mighty big undertaking.  Maori in Taranaki still remember the land thefts of colonial times, still remember that the imperial armies waged war on their tupuna, and still recall the wrongs that, till now, have not been put right.   Dr Sentamu picked up the theme of crisis during his Evensong message.  He preached an evangelical sermon on the cost of discipleship, and he quoted Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German theologian martyred by the Nazis: “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.”

In his final remarks to the 300-strong congregation, Dr Sentamu challenged them to be “disciples of Christ – and not merely consumers of religion.”  n

March 8, 2010  Vol 68 Issue 8