Outstanding

Outstanding

The Māori call her a kōtuku; 
That oh-so-rare and outstanding woman
Rising among us
At the moment of our most desperate need
With the gift of faithfulness
To her uncompromising
& sometimes unpopular vision 

& can it be, that the sacred waters of
Te Waikoropupū Springs become
Their own rare and outstanding kōtuku
As they rise to bear witness to the beauty
& power of primordial Aotearoa
That we, in our blindness
& ongoing avarice
Daily nail
To the cross
We call progress

& on behalf of
The Save Our Springs Campaign
I ask the select committee
To retain ‘Spiritual Characteristics’
As one of the outstanding characteristics
Of Water Conservation Orders

Because simply put, outstanding
Means outstanding…
& on misty nights sometimes alights
As an ever-so-rare kōtuku;
A spiritual messenger,
Appearing among us
As both witness and judge
In these, our most desperate days
Where storms rage
& time runs short

~

‘Kōtuku:’ to the Māori people, the kōtuku (white heron or egret) is ‘the rare one;’ and ‘spiritual messenger’ who accompanies the dead back to their origins in Hawaiki.

This poem was presented to the select committee of the Natural and Inbuilt Planning Bill on the 6^th of March 2023. It is proposed ‘spiritual characteristics’ be removed as one of the outstanding characteristics of Water Conservation Orders.