Newsletter 25: Friday 19 June 2026

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This newsletter is now sent out on Friday mornings to include weekend notices, so please have your articles to me by Wednesday evenings. (robin@bacchus.co.nz). 
Apart from local members and friends in Hawkes Bay, modern technology enables it to reach much wider readership in Christchurch, Wellington, Auckland, Northland, and a number overseas.   Positive feedback is often received and is very appreciated.   Robin

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Christianity as Mystical Fact (1902) by Austrian esotericist Rudolf Steiner is a foundational work of Anthroposophy. It bridges the gap between pre-Christian pagan mysteries and the historical Gospels, framing the Christ event as the pivotal turning point in human spiritual evolution.

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Our Society’s Constitution.

Forming a society provides a community group, that plans to operate long-term, with a formal legal structure.

The main reasons to form a society include:

• Legal Protection: It creates a distinct legal identity. This means individual members and committee officers are generally not personally liable for the society's debts, contracts, or financial obligations.
• Asset Security: Any property  ( the Anthroposophical Centre), funds, library or equipment belong to the society as a whole, not to any single individual.
• Independent Existence (Continuity): The organization continues to operate smoothly even if members, volunteers, or committee leaders change over time.
• Financial and Operational Freedom: As a standalone entity, the society can easily open its own bank account, hold leases, hire staff, apply for funding grants, and enter into contracts.
• Credibility: It builds trust with funding agencies, donors, and the broader community by demonstrating structured, transparent governance.

For us here in Hawke's Bay, the Anthroposophical Society is threefold:

Global: General Anthroposophical Society (GAS) [Allgemeine Anthroposophische Gesellschaft] is based at the Goetheanum, Dornach, Switzerland and is run by a Vorstand.

Country or national: Anthroposophical Society of New Zealand (ASNZ) run by a Council with a Representative who regularly visits centres around NZ and also attends meetings at the Goetheanum on our behalf.

Local: Anthroposophy Hawke's Bay (AHB) owns the Centre at 401 Whitehead Road and is run by a Committee responsible for maintaining its assets to a good standard for use by members.

There are two legal forms for Societies in New Zealand:  Incorporated and Charitable.  Our society was originally formed as a Charitable Trust, which it still is.  We report annually to the recently reformed Charities Commission, which has an overseeing role that is carried out by Charities Services (Ngā Ratonga Kaupapa Atawhai), a business unit within the Department of Internal Affairs.  Its primary function is to regulate the charitable sector and promote public trust and confidence through transparency and accountability.

The Commission has asked all charitable organisations to review their Rules or Constitution to ensure that they are fit for purpose.  The ASNZ totally rewrote its Constitution, which was adopted, after regional consultation meetings, on 13 June.

It is now time for us to improve the local constitution, which was written in 2008.  Our AGM is scheduled for Saturday 25 July, about 5 weeks away.  Revising the Constitution is on the Agenda. 

As this process is complex, the Committee wish to have a Consultation Meeting on Saturday 4 July from 3 pm to 4:30 pm at the Centre. 

Some of the issues are:

• How membership is determined and managed;
• How financial support is handled;
• The roles and responsibilities of Trustees and Committee members.

The aim is to reform the current Constitution into a form that can be simply adopted as a whole (as was done by the ASNZ) at our AGM.  You can read Proposals for change so far along with a commentary on them.

We call on all those who have an interest in these matters to join us on Saturday 4 July at 3pm.

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Warm and cold – finding the balance . . .

 When a group of people come together, as we regularly do, it is important to find a balance in relation to the physical atmosphere in the space. We now have more than adequate heating and, along with the underfloor insulation, it is indeed a comfortable space, that is until it is not.

Understandably, with a group of people there will be those who experience the cold more than others, those who don’t feel the cold and those who are comfortable with either.

The problem with being too hot /cold is that we become preoccupied with this and find it difficult to remain alert.

Heating the room before an event and then turning this down or off has proven to be a good middle road in balancing the temperature. An additional bonus is that in silencing the noise of the heaters,  the quiet can support our conversations and listening.

 For those who do feel the cold more acutely, knee blankets are available to bring comfort and extra warmth, these are available both in the foyer and in the main room.

 Bernie Raichle.

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Mary Willow Book Launch at Taikura

Conversations on the Christmas Foundation of 1923