Seeing people overcome their personal struggles and carry their lives “in a more positive way” had been the highlight for Jim Maguire in his near 30-year career as a local chaplain.
The Motueka resident retired from the role on 30 June after 28 years serving as one of the chaplains at organisations such as Nelson Pine Industries, Nelson City Council, ITM Frame and Truss, Nelson Fire Station and Alexander Hospital.
Jim says he was working at the Work and Income (WINZ) office in Motueka when he was offered the chaplain opportunity in 1995 from Workplace Support, which is part of the Inter-Church Trade and Industry Mission.
He initially declined, but upon completing its training programme, he never looked back.
“I always had an interest in helping people from previous training that I had in various jobs and knowledge, to some degree, of how to deal with people in crisis,” he says. “It became obvious that [a chaplain] was the path I wanted to take and [WINZ] were extremely good in allowing me to work part-time and continue working as a chaplain at the companies that I went to.
“Eventually, when I finally retired from WINZ [in 2003], I then devoted more of my time to my work as a chaplain.”
Jim, who is also a registered marriage celebrant, says there had always been “very positive” outcomes for his clients who visited him at their workplaces to resolve their personal issues.
“It’s quite useful to have someone who’s there on site who they can talk to, who’s not their husband, wife, or partner, or boss, who is quite confidential,” he says.
“Sometimes they need to talk to someone who is not directly involved with them, and we found that over the years that worked extremely well.
“The success comes from the personality that you have and the ability to get on with people whoever they are, and once they get to know you, they then feel confident that they can talk to you about anything.”
Jim says his retirement as a chaplain was marked at Nelson Fire Station with the unveiling of a plaque to honour his years of service to the organisation, and a morning tea at ITM Frame and Truss in Richmond.
“There were some very positive words from some of the guys that worked there about how much they appreciated my time, and that I would be missed,” he says.
The 85-year-old says, while he still has the energy to continue as a chaplain, he now wishes to spend more time with his partner and visit family in Christchurch.
He will also use the time to focus on his small market garden business in Motueka.
