Nga mihi atawhai – greetings to all in Mercy! The topics for this year’s series of Imaging Mercy Today, chosen by Mercy International Association, have been inspired by the current Year of Consecrated Life instituted by Pope Francis and due to finish on February 2 next year. New Zealanders will recognise this month’s topic, Right Relations, as an indigenous contribution to Mercy’s global mix.

It’s our commitment to honouring Te Tiriti o Waitangi that helps us to see why building right relationships is so important. The broad sweep of whanaungatanga takes us from Te Atua, God, through nga tupuna, our ancestors, to te whenua, land, te taiao, environment and te tangata, other people. To overlook one piece in this interlocking jigsaw of family connections is to risk a major misalignment in our lives.