A pōwhiri at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart of Wellington, on Monday 27 February, welcomed Deacon Danny Karatea-Goddard and his wife Maru.
Danny has been appointed the new Tūranga Māori in the Archdiocese of Wellington.
Hundreds of whānau, students, staff and friends travelled to Wellington to join people from the Archdiocese at the pōwhiri.
The bishop of Palmerston North, Bishop Charles Drennan, handed over Danny and Maru to the Archbishop of Wellington, Cardinal John Dew.
Throughout the gathering there were mihi, waiata and karakia.
Cardinal John thanked Bishop Charles for bringing the Danny and Maru to the Archdiocese.
“We know they will make a great contribution here and will also teach and challenge us. By accompanying them here and handing them over to us, I thank you for your willingness and generosity.”
The New Zealand bishops announced in early February that Karatea-Goddard will also be taking on a new part-time role with Secretariat for Te Huinga o ngā Pīhopa Katorika o Aotearoa – the New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference.
His role will be to supporting the secretariat and the bishops in their commitment to Katorika Māori.
Drennan, who is secretary of the NZCBC, said ‘Deacon Danny together with his wife Maru and whānau have been a tremendous blessing to the Diocese of Palmerston North, particularly since Danny’s ordination to the Diaconate.
“Danny’s gift of articulating Catholic Māori thinking and illuminating faith at work among Māori will be of invaluable help in our formation as Bishops and our ability to shepherd tangata whenua.”
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