17 February 2005: The new SCMA website is being launched tonight. New and updated information will be available at http://www.scm.org.nz/home/ from this time. Please direct any questions to webmaster@scm.org.nz.

The Newsletter of the Student Christian Movement of Aotearoa

June-July 1998

No. 35

1998 NATIONAL CONFERENCE: 29 June - 3 July. Firstly a great big thank you to Emmeline Taptiklis, Mary McLaughlin and Sonia Petrie for taking responsibility for the five day National Conference. In just one month, they managed to produce a conference which the whole movement could be proud of! Absolutely yummy food (especially the vegetable lasagne - recipes available for a donation)! The conference was held at Sixtus Lodge, at the foot of the Ruahine Range, which proved to be a pleasant and restful place, well away from our busy campus-based lives.

The programme was packed with stimulating and sometimes controversial issues, moving us outside some of our comfort zone into the land where God challenges us. Included were talking about our faith journeys, decolonisation, and the Code of Social and Family Responsibility.. Men's and women's caucuses were held on the Wednesday morning, and provided for good exploration as well as showing up the diversity of opinions and life choices of conference attendees. Thanks to all the SCMers who facilitated the workshops! We were lucky enough to have visitors to the conference: chaplains from Massey University and Taranaki Polytech, and an international visitor, as below.

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ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 1998 The AGM of SCMA, a part of the National Conference, went extremely well thanks to excellent facilitation by Keirsten Larsen and a feeling of shared direction towards sustaining the movement for the future. The meeting received annual reports describing the activities of the movement in the past year and made appointments for the next year. Full minutes will be available soon.

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STUDENT EMPOWERMENT FOR TRANSFORMATION (SET) This leadership training programme is run by the Asia-Pacific region of the World Student Christian Federation and is taking place from 16th to 30th August in Chaing Mai, Thailand. This year it is concentrating on the effect of globalisation on higher education. Marie McMillian (Carnel) is attending as the participant from Aotearoa. Martin was able to be up in Auckland and see her the night before she took off. She was very excited, and rather nervous! At the last minute, Keirsten Larsen from Otago was invited to attend some of the programme as a resource person, and representative of the standing committee of the Regional Committee of WSCF-AP, which was approved by the August NCG meeting (no cost to SCMA).

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"A LIVE-IN THEOLOGICAL EXPERIENCE" Will be taking place in Christchurch from the 11th to the 17th of December. It is sponsored by SCMA, the Conference of Churches in Aotearoa New Zealand, the Christchurch Methodist Mission Church and College House Institute of Theology. This has come out of the CWP consultation (which some people may remember) which showed a desire for the churches, ecumenical movement and SCM to work together to provide the best we have to young people. Concept document available at units now.

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A.G.M. APPOINTMENTS

National Coordinating Group

No-one from the other regions was available to be on the NCG, but if people are interested, and have the backing of their unit, the NCG may choose to co-opt additional members. The NCG also includes the National Administrator; Martin Dickson. That is not an AGM appointment.

National Coordinators

The following positions were left vacant, and may be filled by application to the NCG via the National Office if people are interested: Maori Coordinator, Tau Iwi Coordinator, Solidarity and Human Rights Coordinator, Publication of Akonga (Added to the Constitution.)

WSCF Regional Committee Member nominations this year will be made by SGM or NCG. Please give nominations or offers to the National Office by the 20th September.

Projects Appointed by the AGM

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NATIONAL POSITIONS AVAILABLE If you would like to get to know people throughout the country and work towards the aims of SCMA in a particular area, please offer yourself for the vacant positions. Please note that the SCMA constitution has a commitment to the Treaty and provision for a Maori Coordinator position which was left vacant at this AGM. We are very interested in discussions with groups or individuals who are interested in being a part of SCM.

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S.C.M.A. TRUST Possible Trustees will be followed up over the next couple of months. Thank you to everyone who has shown interest themselves or made recommendations. There is still time for more people to be included, please feel free to contact the National Office. A Special General Meeting will be held to appoint trustees, including the SCMA representative trustee for 1998-1999 when the preliminary work has been done.

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RECENT ARRIVALS AT THE OFFICE WSCF-Inter Regional Office: Annual Report 1995, Annual Report 1996, WSCF Directory 1995-1999, Programmes 1998. More copies of the Jan.-March 1998 Praxis. PQ Broadsheet. - Aug. 1998

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SCM UPDATE is compiled by the National Administrator of SCM Aotearoa. Your contributions, news and information are welcome! Submission date for the August issue is 6th September. If you move, please send a change of address card or email to the National Office.

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HIKOI OF HOPE Teresa Windle is involved in the planning of the hikoi in Otautahi/Christchurch. The idea of the hikoi - a march of protest and looking for new solutions - came out of the Anglican General Synod which met in May this year and now has wide-ranging community support. The hikoi leaves the Far North and Bluff on 1 September, arriving in Whanganui-a-Tara/Wellington on 1 October, to present to parliament the stories heard and gathered along the way; stories of poverty and hardship of many New Zealanders. The five points of focus are: Creation of real jobs; A public health system people can trust; Benefit and wage levels that move people out of poverty; Affordable housing; Affordable education. Major events will be happening near SCM units in: Tamaki-makau-rau/Auckland 12 Sept.; Otepoti/Dunedin 12 Sept.; Waikato/Hamilton 19 Sept.; Otautahi/Christchurch 19 Sept.; Manawatu/Palmerston North 26 Sept.; Whanganui-a-tara/Wellington, 1 Oct. SCMers can get involved by walking as much of the march as they can, going to a city event, volunteering as drivers/marshals, and going to parliament on 1st October. More information: ph 0800 Anglican check out www.hikoi.anglican.org.nz or phone Tess on 03-3379376.

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SOLIDARITY VISIT TO INDONESIA After the pro-democracy protests and the riots in Indonesia this year, the World Student Christian Federation and the Christian Conference of Asia sent representatives to Indonesia to express solidarity for Indonesians and obtain first-hand information about the crisis. Keirsten Larsen from SCM Aotearoa was one of these representatives. Her excellent report on the visit is available from the National Office. Issues identified are: the need for political and electoral reform, legal and judicial reform, economic reform, military and police reform, corruption, collusion and nepotism, riots, women, religious and racial diversity and human rights abuses. The youth and students call for total reform of the economic, political and social systems of Indonesia.

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SOLIDARITY VISIT FROM INDONESIA A member of GMKI, the Student Christian Movement of Indonesia visited SCMA over the National Conference. During the week afterwards he travelled to Otago and Canterbury to visit the SCM units and have discussions about human rights and electoral processes with NGOs and politicians. Canterbury SCMers managed to take a day out of his busy schedule to introduce him to snow at Mount Hutt.

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Photos of The Visit: (Our visitor's name has been omitted, and face blanked out in order to protect him on his return to Indonesia).

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