1. This I believe . . .
It is also a place where the past and the present meet.
It is a turangawaewae—the place where people may stand, speak and be heard, knowing that they will be received with respect and open-mindedness even by those who may disagree with what they hear.
It is a place where we may encounter one another, explore our differences, and discover our commonalities.
It is a place of belonging.
2. I believe the marae can be New Zealand’s greatest gift to the world
Churches, schools, auditoriums, etc.: places of inequality
Sports fields: where people begin as equals but end up being winners or losers.
Te marae is something different from all these: where people begin as different but equal, and end up being as one but different.
3. Places of encounter not for people as individuals, but as representatives and spokespersons of groups, communities, etc. having different perspectives on the same issues, concerns, or interests.
Learn from one another about other ways of seeing and responding to the same issues and concerns.
Come to understand the real substance of differences and disagreements that may in some ways be irreconcilable but need not, even so, isolate us from one another.