The Methodist Alliance is the formal alliance of Methodist Missions, Trusts and Parishes that deliver social services and community led development throughout Aotearoa.
Our vision is a just and inclusive society in which all people flourish.
Our Mission: The Methodist Alliance is grounded in the Methodist Church of New Zealand's, Te Hāhi Weteriana o Aotearoa, commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and the bi-cultural journey. Te Tiriti o Waitangi is the covenant establishing our nation on the basis of a power sharing relationship, and will guide how the Methodist Alliance undertakes its mission.
Each Mission, Trust and Parish remains independent, with their own governing boards and the Methodist Alliance provides a vehicle where they can work and cooperate together more intentionally on common issues in communities of practice or working groups. Our founding document provides more information on how we work.
The Methodist Alliance makes submissions on behalf of its members and you can read them here.
The Methodist Alliance also aims to raise the profile of the work being done by Methodists across the country. Currently all the Missions have their own names like Lifewise in Auckland, Wesley Community Action in Wellington, and Methodist City Action in Hamilton, so members of the public don't know that we are connected under the Methodist Church. While the Missions keep their own names, they 'co-brand' with the Methodist Alliance logo, like Air New Zealand does with the Star Alliance. Parishes also co-brand and this raises the profile of the work Methodist organisations are doing under many different names and make the work undertaken by Methodists more visible.
Methodist organisations provide a wide range of social and community services including early childhood education, parenting, social work support, community development projects, budgeting, youth development, social and emergency housing, Housing First, addiction, disability and mental health services, and residential elder care.
We celebrate the work of our members at a national Forum, which is held every second year and in articles in eMessenger & Touchstone. These articles can be viewed in our blog.
If your organisation is interested in becoming a member, please contact me:
Hamish Jarvie
National Coordinator
[E-Mail not displayed]
Our Social Security System
Life on a Deficit Budget
The Methodist Alliance Working Group is campaigning to increase benefit levels and abatement thresholds. This video explains the impact in more detail.
Video linkIncome Security, Debt to Government and Wealth Distribution in Aotearoa NZ
The Methodist Alliance working group campaigning to increase benefit levels and abatement thresholds has created a resource for Parishes and all Methodist entities to use leading up to the election. It provides information on income security, debt to government and wealth distribution in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Discussion documentCycles of Hope
A reaffirmation of Breaking the Cycle
We continue to affirm and commend the journey from ka mate (death in the midst of life) to ka ora (life in the midst of death).
We reaffirm the commitment to Breaking the Cycle, a document accepted by Conference 1999 as a creative way forward for the whole church.
We are all encouraged to:
- recognise we live in a changing, damaged and fragile world
- seek innovative solutions
- respond to immediate need
- enable people to achieve their own goals
- strengthen children and adults of all ages
- build better neighbourhood
- move from "charity" to transformation
Acknowledging these challenges we, the people of Te Hāhi Weteriana o Aotearoa, declare again that there is an alternative way: to organise society as a neighbourhood, where we belong to each other, rather than compete against each other.
Our social service ministries will continue to:
- represent a bicultural future for Aotearoa New Zealand
- model high standards of care
- respond with compassion, working alongside any who require support
- be truly ecumenical in working for partnership with all who have a vision of justice, peace and sustainability
- be committed to social analysis exposing the pathologies of society
- challenge structures or processes which ignore poverty in Aotearoa New Zealand.
It is a calling to:
- listen and respond in humility to the stories of the people, tangata whenua and tauiwi;
- support individuals, tamariki and whānau to reach their goals and build true neighbourhood.
The Methodist Alliance is a local donation manager for the Tindall Foundation.
We distribute grants up to $15,000 in accordance with the Tindall Foundation's priorities - you can check out the priorities, what is funded, and what is not, here.
Funding rounds are held annually and reporting on outcomes is provided to the Tindall Foundation.
For further information, please contact:
Hamish Jarvie
National Coordinator
Social Justice Issues
The Methodist Alliance Working Group campaigning to increase benefit & abatement rates has pulled together resources on social justice. These can be found here.