Chris Farrelly KNZM: “Working and Walking with Marginalised People”

A man who receives a knighthood could be expected to have a generous community spirit and a sense of hard work and achievement. That is readily seen in Chris Farrelly, recently appointed a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit. Missionary, health services professional, leader in welfare provision, and a former Columban priest show the extent of a life lived fruitfully and compassionately.

The eldest of eight from a strong Catholic farming family in Pukekohe, Chris showed his stamina in attending De La Salle Mangere in Auckland: very early starts and late home arrivals was standard. Character and formation were nourished in a Lasallian college. Chris notes that it did not result from “grandiose buildings, state of the art facilities, breadth of curriculum, wealth of pupils’ families, being Auckland first XV champions, (that was to come later).  

“Perhaps it was because the buildings were simple, the school was struggling financially, the families were not rich, but gave a huge amount of their time and effort to support; perhaps there was a strong sense of what it meant to be a good man, and to be strong in…spirit”.

The spirit, he reflects, came through too, in the strong relationships with a large community of De La Salle Brothers.

“They were good men who related with us. Brothers Declan Thompson and Maurice Salmon are stand outs.  For me some of those relationships have endured over a life time.  I was deeply moved when last year, Brothers Pat Lynch and Declan visited me at the Auckland City Mission and made a contribution to our work.  Brother (Sir) Pat has been a strong supporter and guide over many years, and I am deeply grateful to him.  He is such an inspiring leader in our country”.   

After school, a calling to be a missionary in the Columban priest order saw Chris train in Sydney, and then work in slum ministry in South Korea. In 1991, returning home to Aotearoa led him to work in the Northland health sector for 25 years. This included care for people with AIDS, hospital management, and CEO of a large Primary Health organisation. As well as a graduate degree in theology, Chris has an abiding interest in mediation, qualifications in conflict resolution, and equity and justice processes, as defined by the Treaty of Waitangi.

More recently, Chris has served as ‘Missioner’ (CEO) of the Auckland City Mission. This role encapsulated for him forty previous years of “caring for those in most desperate need, being the voice of the voiceless, and enabling (those) voices…to be heard”. The work involved building a “facility of healing – ‘HomeGround’- 80 units for the homeless, 25 alcohol and drug detox and rehabilitation units, a large medical centre, education and retraining facilities, dining and food distribution. Most of all”, Chris says, it is “an environment of respect for all and love”.

The new knight’s inspiration shines through. He quotes David Whyte’s book ‘Consolations’:

“The ultimate touchstone of friendship is witness, the privilege of having been seen by someone and the equal privilege of being granted the sight of the essence of another; to have walked with them, and to have believed in them, and sometimes just to have accompanied them, for however brief a span, on a journey impossible to accomplish alone”. 

He reflects on the precious people he has encountered- many on the edges of society- who have taught, guided or inspired him, and are part of the “honour” received. There is obvious pride and gratitude too, in being a De la Salle College old boy, and seeing a school that “has huge mana and respect in Auckland.  It is seen as a College that embraces and respects cultural diversity, grows leaders, supports the marginalised, has a strong focus on justice and is a caring community, where brotherhood is lived”.

A lived motto, says Chris, is: “Act justly, love mercy, walk humbly with your God”. (Micah 6:8).

Author: Br Gary Wilson FSC, Creative Writter

Photo: De La Salle College Old Boys Chris Farrelly (1969) and Christopher Tenisio, (Head Boy 2016), both working at Auckland City Mission, 2021