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I, um I work within predominantly Maori communities. Um, I come from a settler settler family, um, on the east coast of the North Island, a place called to bay. Um, and that's the community I'm based in these days. And but I'm working mostly with, um, Maori, um, communities, some of whom, um are closely connected with with their and i others who, um, live in remote [00:00:30] rural areas. Um, and on farms. Well, over an hour off the main road. Um, I work, um, in a very much community facing ministry and a place where everybody knows everybody. Um, and they know know everybody's business. They know that I'm gay. Um, this is, um, not been an issue. Um, you know, race, gender, sexual orientation. Um, age [00:01:00] are irrelevant if you get on and do what is required, um, to make things happen, and, um, to be an effective priest within those sort of communities and spirituality here is not your only focus. Certainly not. Um, I'm a member of the board of, um, to, um the token. Um, token park hour. Um and I, [00:01:30] um, have a particular interest in two areas. One of them is in disability and particularly intellectual disability, Um, and in sexual health. And, um, those are that has some definite overlaps for here, Um, and that within the health board area, East Coast, nobody is doing effective work with men who have sex with men. And so we're investigating some ways into that within those communities, because the [00:02:00] there is, there is no visibility to, um to gay or lesbian sexually diverse communities within what is a provincial and rural area. And so we're having to find we're going to have to be clever about how we do that. Um, we're looking at integrating, um, some of the work into what we already do with sexual health promotion in the schools. And also, um, probably the most effective place is [00:02:30] to have a sexual health component within the men's health programmes that we're that we're running. I was interested, particularly today. We had a, um I went to Vaughan, um, session on making do with making a little go a long way. Um, and I was interested in the way he was talking about forming alliances and my experience both within the health area and in the church and our community facilitation is just [00:03:00] what he was talking about. Where you you form alliances. You other people fund things if you're out there and prepared to do it, um, and almost queue up to help you, Um, if you've got the right approach and the right community networks already in place and the conference itself Have you learned anything from it? I have. I've Well, I've met lots of people. Um, I've, you know, formed some good networks, [00:03:30] I would say already, Um, I've seen the dimensions of, um, of what I'm involved in on a local and regional level, Um, has a more national international global focus as well. Um, the whole, um, notion that I've always understood that if you support those who are the most disadvantaged, that everybody, um, in society wins, and that is the case for on a local level and a national and international [00:04:00] level. And so I've been really interested in what happens within the Asia Pacific region. I have connections with with the Pacific already. Um, I've lived in Tonga and, um, actually a fluent Tongan speaker. Um, and I've spent a lot of time in Fiji, and, um, I already have connections with with the group in Fiji, who some of who the guys are. Some of them are here. Um, and I've been able to meet up with others from Samoa and other places while I'm here. And to get a different [00:04:30] dimension on that has been really useful. Um, I'm interested in the the, uh, the, um debate. Um, which I have might have a different view from what's been promoted. Um, but, um, interesting angles, Um, and that also that the other angle I've been particularly interested in is how the church is perceived. Um, by many, um, people of sexual sex, diverse [00:05:00] sexualities. Um, I've never, um, had outright prejudice or or blocking of of of anything of my own, Probably because I've been prepared to do things that no one else would do. Quite often go places and work places where no one else would be. Um, but, um, the experience of other people is not that. And, um, I you know, I. I cut myself fortunate for that, but that doesn't mean to say that we don't have [00:05:30] a lot of work to do in the church as well. And I'll be writing a, um, a report well, an article for our diocese and magazine on the conference. And, um, part of that will be about the whole area of, of how we have to reframe a lot of our, um, understanding of of sexuality within the church and and Marvin Ellison's, um actually, that was really helpful to give some language to that. I wish [00:06:00] I'd had him around as my consultant to help me write my big coming out speech at Diocese and Synod. But he would have had to do it in five minutes, not 25 forgetting if you can. But the work you do, which is a big part of your life, obviously has that. Has the conference meant anything to you at a sort of basic personal level? Yes, it has. It's made me feel part of a a bigger community. Um, especially from living in a rural, isolated [00:06:30] rural area. Um and, yeah, it's been a really helpful thing on that from that angle. Um, and I'm you know, I'm probably more open now with claiming that identity than I would have been some years ago. Um uh, and I ended up being somewhat of an activist in my fifties which I never expected to be. Um, most of the people [00:07:00] that that were part of all that activism stuff of my age group have done that long ago. Um, and but it's quite interesting to come to it at this point with with, um, maturity and experience to be able to use, um, and relate that to context that I think is often forgotten. I think those of those who live there within an urban context have no idea really about if they've come from the country, [00:07:30] they've escaped it early, Um, and have no idea how that might be for those people who live pretty invisible and closeted lives. Um, and, um, I'm not one of those who does either of that, but, um, there is hardly a community around me that supports, and this has been helpful for that building the networks for a wider support network and you'll keep in touch with people by visiting them. Have them visit you. Yeah, I already do a bit of that. Anyway, um and [00:08:00] I will I will do that more. Um, because I've made contacts with all sorts of people or some people that I've only ever been introduced to on Facebook. Facebook does work. Um and, um, they, you know, I've been able to actually meet them in person, and, um, both from New Zealand and around the Pacific.
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