Down to Earth Conversations

Sign the open letter to the NZ Government to call for a ceasefire

Monday Feb 12, 2024

86. Sophie Fasi-Mohenoa - Israel/Palestine, Peace-making, and Christians for Peace Aotearoa

Monday Feb 12, 2024

Sophie Fasi-Mohenoa is part of a small but growing group called Christians for Peace in Palestine Aotearoa that has arisen in the midst of the Israeli war on Gaza. Our conversation is grounded in her time living in the West Bank, working with Messianic Jews and Palestinian Christians looking to drive peace in the region.

We talk about how Christians for Peace Aotearoa came about, what they are involved in and are hoping to achieve, what she learned from her time living in Israel/Palestine, her experience as a foreigner in an occupied land, the hope that she found there, and what we can do from the other side of the world.

It's a conversation that is very timely, and gives us much food for thought and action.

Here are some links mentioned in the episode:

Christians for Peace in Palestine Aotearoa on Instagram or Facebook

Lent - Gaza Ceasefire Pilgrimage information

Listen to Across the Divide Podcast on Spotify

Watch Daoud Nassar sharing about the Tent of Nations

Also check out James Beck's podcast, Ngā Here: The Many Connections on Spotify or Apple Podcasts (or wherever you get your podcasts).

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Monday Dec 11, 2023

85. Donna Dyson - Losing Sight, Gaining Vision, and Finding Your Spark

Monday Dec 11, 2023

Donna Dyson is a fantastic human with a beautiful story. Her life has changed significantly on several occasions, yet she has managed to pivot, and to keep finding ways to move forward, bringing life to others as she does it. She is an educator, an author, an award winning song writer, and much, much more.

We talk about teaching, literacy, health conditions and disability. We talk about music and creativity. We hear about to moments of Donna's life that marked significant endings, and how she turned them into new beginnings. We hear about joy, passion, and a love for people, as well as the beauty of seeing people's hearts. This is a truly hope filled episode to finish the year with.

Find Donna at donnadyson.com

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Monday Dec 04, 2023

84. Orange Sky - Brodie and Raina - Laundry, Showers, and the Joy of Volunteering

Monday Dec 04, 2023

It's a busy, crazy time of year for many but it's also a time that can be really hard for those already doing it tough. For those living on the streets or those who have accommodation but can't afford the necessities of life, without support life simply isn't manageable, especially in a season where they are often forgotten.

Orange Sky is an organisation based out of Australia that, through a huge number of volunteers around Australia and New Zealand, offer a free service to allow people doing it tough to wash and dry their clothing, and have a safe, hot shower at the same time. They have vans kitted out to allow a portable service to visit different locations on different days.

Brodie and Raina are two of Orange Sky's volunteers, based here in Ōtautahi, Christchurch. So on a very wet and miserable day I went to meet with them at their Christchurch base in the Kairos Food Rescue warehouse.

You may hear the rain on the warehouse roof come and go through the episode, but that just serves to remind us how important it is that Orange Sky exist.

We talk about what Orange Sky is and how they both came to be involved. We talk about the types of people who use the services on offer and the difference it makes to them, and we talk about what Brodie and Raina have learnt from volunteering for Orange Sky.

Check out Orange Sky Aotearoa at orangesky.org.nz or find them on Facebook or Instagram

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Saturday Nov 25, 2023

Catching Up With - 02 - Julia Grace

Saturday Nov 25, 2023

Julia Grace talked to us last time about her journey with mental health, the work she was doing speaking into that space, and her recognition that there isn't a line separating well and unwell, but that we're all on a continuum of mental health. It's a profound and fun kōrero and definitely worth a listen.

Julia joins me on Catching Up With to talk about how the journey of speaking in the mental health space is going, her recent appointment as president of the Professional Speakers Association of New Zealand, and most excitingly, her upcoming book, Be Kind to Your Mind.

Order Julia's new book here, or check out her website, juliagrace.co.nz, Facebook, or Instagram.

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Monday Nov 20, 2023

83. Steff Fenton - Transgender and Christian, and the Gender Expansiveness of God

Monday Nov 20, 2023

Steff Fenton (they/them) is a trans Christian speaker, writer, educator, and advocate who publicly shares the intersections of queerness and faith. Steff is passionate about creating safe spiritual spaces for LGBTIQA+ people and helping others cultivate a more equitable and expansive faith.

I asked Steff on the podcast because they get in the way of all the prejudice I was taught in the faith culture I grew up in. Steff is transgender and is not only Christian, but has co-founded and co-pastored a church, has a Masters of Divinity, and lets their faith shape their way of being in the world. Steff is an amazingly loving human being who longs to see everyone embraced for who they are.

In this conversation Steff and I talk about their contrasting experiences of coming out within a church context, firstly around sexuality, and later around gender, and how those experiences highlight what the church often is and what it can be. We talk about exclusion and embrace and the effects those have on people. And we talk about the ways in which embracing those who are different from us, and particularly hearing the transgender voice, can give us a fuller and more beautiful picture of God.

Watch Steff's Awaken Conference session on gender expansiveness as a revelation of God at diversechurch.co.nz/resources or hear it wherever you get your podcasts by searching Awaken Conference, Diverse Church NZ

Check out more from Steff at steffenton.co or on Facebook or Instagram

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Monday Nov 06, 2023

82. Lisa Maathuis - Periods, Poverty, and the Dignity of it All

Monday Nov 06, 2023

Lisa Maathuis is the General Manager of Dignity - an organisation whose mission is to make period products accessible to everyone who needs them, so no one misses out on work, education, sport, or anything else in life.

You may have never thought about that, but the more I've learned about period poverty and period equity, the more I have realised this needs to be something that we are talking about more openly so we can fix the issues together.

I talk with Lisa about what period poverty is, and why it is such a hidden problem. We talk about reducing stigma, and empowering people to thrive in life without the barriers some face in this area. We talk specifically about what Dignity are doing in this space - as a socially focused business looking to change lives one period product at a time.

Check out Dignity's website, dignitynz.com, or find them on Facebook or Instagram.

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Monday Oct 23, 2023

81. Sarah Page - Inequality, Free Joy, and the Collective Art of Kindness

Monday Oct 23, 2023

Sarah Page is the founder and Executive Director of the Kindness Collective Foundation. When events in life led her to see the inequalities of life clearly for the first time Sarah knew it was time to do something about it. So she started by getting friends to donate things for those she was connected to who were in need.

Ten years on and the Kindness Collective is a thriving network of thousands of ordinary New Zealanders who are getting alongside those in need, and they are partnered with some of New Zealand's biggest and most well known companies to bring love, and joy, and peace, and hope to people around the country through acts of kindness.

We talk about Sarah's journey of realising what life was like for others, what she decided to do about that, and the effect that performing these acts of kindness had on her own challenging journey with mental health. We hear the very tiniest tip of the iceberg of the stories that come Sarah's way on a daily basis and why this has become a lifelong passion for her. We talk about how broken our systems are that mean the Kindness Collective even has to exist, but the huge difference they are making because they do. And we touch on this word kindness and about how deep and gritty kindness really is.

Check out the Kindness Collective on their website, Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok, and see ways you can contribute to the Christmas Joy Store.

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Saturday Oct 14, 2023

Catching Up With - 01 - Te Karere Whitiao Scarborough

Saturday Oct 14, 2023

'Catching Up With' is the new side project here on Down to Earth Conversations. These are short episodes with former Down to Earth Conversations guest about new and interesting things they've been up to since I last talked to them.

In this first episode we are Catching up with Te Karere Whitiao Scarborough who featured way back on episode 10.

Te Karere joins me on Catching Up With to talk about an exciting new educational pathway in Aotearoa, Te Wānanga Ihorangi, which he is involved in shaping as they get ready to take their first students in 2024. It's an exciting new initiative that involves te reo Māori learning combined with theological learning and a number of other things.

Check it out at ihorangi.ac.nz or find them on Facebook or Instagram

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Monday Oct 09, 2023

80. Bruce Pilbrow - Transforming Organisations, Empathy, and the Spirit of Adventure

Monday Oct 09, 2023

Bruce Pilbrow is a CEO who has worked across business and not-for-profits. He loves working in spaces that have a positive impact on the world, and he has become a bit of a transformation specialist, helping organisations change and adapt to better fulfil their mission.

We talk about disrupting the status quo, building culture, and doing it with empathy. We hear how Bruce's role as a CEO is about discovering talent and harnessing it to allow both the people and the organisation to flourish. We hear about his current role with the Spirit of Adventure Trust who specialise in youth development, why boot camps aren't the answer for troubled youth, and we talk about being an ally to the young people in our lives so they can thrive and live their best lives.

Check out the Spirit of Adventure Trust on their website, Facebook, or Instagram.

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