Conger

The Anglican Archbishops of New Zealand have denied charges that the church’s “call to action” for increased government spending on the poor is an election year ploy to bolster the sagging fortunes of the Labour Party.

On April 4, Archbishops David Moxon and Brown Turei said the New Zealand Herald’s claims of political favoritism were unfair. Their aims had been to “challenge all policy being shaped in an election year,” urging both the National and Labour parties to provide “real jobs; a health system that people can trust; affordable housing; affordable and accessible education, and, the addressing of poverty.”

Archbishop Moxon and the leaders of the Baptist, Roman Catholic, Methodist and Presbyterian Churches and the Salvation Army released a statement on March 31 saying voters in this year’s general elections must know “the commitment of individual politicians to just and compassionate policies” to make an informed choice at the ballot.

In a statement entitled “Towards a More Just and Compassionate Society” the church leaders said that “many members of our society are still suffering from the effects of economic policies that were put in place by successive Governments in previous decades and that lacked a sufficiently strong social conscience.”

“Any neglect of our responsibilities to our families and communities puts both our personal and societal wellbeing at risk,” they said, urging an increase in welfare assistance payments for New Zealand’s poor.

The timing and motives behind the announcement were suspect, the New Zealand Herald editorialized, noting the Church leaders had been silent on poverty “since the last National Government was in office.” In 1991 the National party government cut welfare rates over sharp church protests over its effect on the poor. Successive governments, National and Labour, have not increased the payment rates, save for adjustments for inflation.

“The church leaders surely have not been waiting nine years for the Labour-led Governments to heed” their advice, the Herald said. “Their return to the fray at this stage can be taken only as an attempt to keep Labour in power and, should that fail, to prepare for a renewed campaign against a National government.”

The Archbishops responded it was the duty of the church to issues of social inequality. “Outside the state, the churches are the biggest providers of social services in this country. This field is our daily reality.”

“Challenging political policy and wanting to influence the shaping of policy with Christian values in these areas is crucial. It always has been and always will be,” they said.