> download the February 2014 edition of the Public Sphere newsletter (PDF, 215KB)
EDITORIAL
This editorial reflects on recent events as people around New Zealand came to hear what The Salvation Army considered to be the current ‘State of the Nation’ with the release of our latest report, ‘Striking a Better Balance’.
A journalist at an event in Auckland was heard to say, with a sense of wonderment, ‘What a multicultural gathering this is!’ And it was: some Maori, some from Pacific Island nations, some from Asian nations, some with European origins, and perhaps some from other continents and cultures.
At the time I did not think to ask what caused his sense of surprise, but I later began to do my own wondering. It would seem he was expecting something less than multicultural, perhaps even monochrome. Did he think,
as I do, that The Salvation Army is a Pakeha-dominated organisation, and that he would therefore be seeing a Pakeha audience?