He will join the team on 1 October taking on the roles of Lecturer in Theology and as a Research Fellow with The Nathaniel Centre - the New Zealand Catholic Bioethics Centre.

Zachariah has held several senior academic positions at BBI The Australian Institute of Theological Education, as well as an adjunct/conjoint lectureships with The University of Wollongong, The University of Newcastle and The University of Tasmania in Australia.

TCI Director, Gerald Scanlan, said: "We're delighted to have Zachariah joining our team and welcome his wealth of experience and diverse skill set to the team."

Zachariah has a particular interest and expertise in the areas of disability theology; practical-pastoral theology; ecclesiology and ethnography; and theological education.

He is currently co-chairing the Living Fully Network and undertaking the role of vice president of the Association of Practical Theology in Oceania.

Zachariah is a director on the Board of St Lucy's School (a Catholic primary school which caters for children living with disabilities) and the Delany Foundation (the not-for-profit charity of the Patrician Brothers).

He has published a number of articles and papers on theology, spirituality and disability.

Late last year, the New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference (NZCBC) announced the creation of an Establishment Board to work towards creating a new structure for the delivery of Catholic tertiary level teaching, learning, research and advocacy.

The Board is working alongside Good Shepherd College and The Catholic Institute to assess how this new structure would work and the pathway for its creation.

Source

• Supplied: Amanda Gregan NZCBC Communications Advisor

TCI offers qualifications to those who minister and lead in parish communities, chaplaincies and Catholic organisations or who teach in Catholic schools.

TCI Director, Gerald Scanlan says "it is important to us that our students reflect the rich diversity in New Zealand's Catholic faith community. It is particularly important that Maori and Pasifika students feel welcome at TCI and encouraged to commit to and succeed in gaining qualifications in Christian Ministry or Religious Education."

The video in which three students discuss their experience of studying at TCI, offers a message specifically to those in Maori and Pasifika communities.

"We'd like people to share this video with their community groups, in their parishes, youth groups and family. It's just over five minutes and is suitable to share online," says Scanlan.

Click here to see the video

Supplied: Amanda Gregan New Zealand Catholic Bishops' Conference

Dr Chris Duthie-Jung is to be Head of Partnerships and Director of the National Centre for Religious Studies.

Mrs Anne Kennedy is to be Associate Director National Centre for Religious Studies, Curriculum.

When announcing the appointments, Tuohy said "This is a challenging and exciting time for Catholic education in New Zealand and these appointments signal TCI's commitment to supporting strong Catholic leadership and learning excellence within the Catholic Sector.

"Chris brings rich experience gained at both local and national levels in a wide variety of roles in pastoral ministry, education and theology to this newly established role," she said.

"Anne is well known in Catholic Education having successfully fulfilled key responsibilities, also at local and national levels, across the Catholic School sector."

Kennedy will begin work on 14 October and is to be based in Dunedin.

Duthie-Jung, who will take up his appointment some time in the next two months, is to be based in Wellington.

Anne Kennedy has had extensive experience as a primary teacher and school principal. She was the Coordinator-Editor of the National Primary Religious Education Programme and more recently she has taken up the role of Religious Education Consultant for the Diocese of Dunedin.

She has qualifications in education, theology, and religious education.

Her Master's thesis, awarded with distinction, focused on New Zealand Children's Spirituality. She contributes nationally to teachers' Professional and Academic development in this area, which along with Religious Education is her area of special interest and expertise.

She is married to Tony and has three adult children and four grandchildren.

Duthie-Jung has been a lecturer at The Catholic Institute. He has been involved in a wide range of church ministries in the Palmerston North Diocese and Wellington Archdiocese.

When he was the Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministry in the Archdiocese of Wellington, Duthie-Jung was involved in a wide range of youth ministry initiatives at the national level.

He completed a BTh at Otago University and a Masters degree in Religious Studies from the Catholic University of Leuven. In 2012, he was awarded a Doctorate in Ministry from the Sydney College of Divinity. His topic was "Processes of Secularisation and the Catholic Identity of Contemporary Catholic Young Adults."

Chris and Veronika have three children, two boys at St Bernard's College and a daughter at St Peter and Paul School in Lower Hutt.

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New Zealand Catholic Bishops' Conference

A series of online modules, Faith Updates, has been created to complement the Institute's courses and has been designed to offer people a learning experience that they can access from the comfort of their own home.

"By utilising new technology we can offer a range of new opportunities for learning," says The Catholic Institute's Director Professor Anne Tuohy. "We want to make our Faith Updates not only accessible and convenient but also fun. These small six week courses present a great opportunity for anyone who is interested in learning more about their faith to engage in the rich history and tradition of our Church in new and exciting ways."

The Faith Updates comprise a total of nine hours of work in three parts. They include a range of material and activities comprising podcasts, YouTube clips, readings, quizzes and some follow-up work in between.

The first round of online Faith Updates has now finished and participants have been asked to complete an online evaluation, the results of which will be used to enhance future online offerings.

"These courses were designed in such a way that allow busy people to fit their study schedule in around the commitments we're aware often limit people's ability to spend time on extra activities," says TCI's eLearning co-ordinator, Susan Wilson.

"They're accessible to people across the country and include online forums that encourage people to engage with others which helps strengthen the learning experience."

"At the moment we have courses on Social Justice, Scripture, Theology, Christology and Church History," she says.

The Catholic Institute of Aotearoa New Zealand (TCI) was established in 2011 by the Catholic Bishops of New Zealand. TCI is a registered PTE offering nationally accredited NZQA courses and qualifications from Certificate, Diploma and Masters level in all of the New Zealand Dioceses.

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• New Zealand Catholic Bishops' Conference
• Image: New Zealand Catholic Bishops' Conference

Originally from Wellington, Dr Tuohy was appointed Director of The Catholic Institute in November of last year while she was a Senior Lecturer at the Australian Catholic University's School of Theology in Strathfield.

At the whakatau Dr Tuohy said, "I feel very honoured and a little overwhelmed at the open hearted welcome I have received from the community and would like to thank all the people who have made this exciting job a reality. I am also deeply appreciative of the love and support of my family - and in light of the recent death of my father this ‘coming home' is for me even more timely".

Chairperson of The Catholic Institute Council, Patrick Waite, welcomed Dr Tuohy, and Bishop Cullinane thanked Paul Ferris for his work in establishing the foundations for the Institute. There was a commissioning and anointing ceremony for Dr Tuohy, and staff members lit candles in the colours of The Catholic Institute logo.

Dr Tuohy said she looked forward to "working together to help foster and nurture the work of the Institute - work that we pray brings the ‘living water' referred to in the reading from John's gospel to the Catholic community of Aotearoa New Zealand".

Dr Tuohy is originally from Wellington and has distinguished career of teaching and research in Catholic theology and in the formation of leaders of institutions in a pastoral and educational outreach and response. She has taught across all levels of the educational system in New Zealand, England and Australia. She is currently the Assistant Head of School at the Australian Catholic University and is on a number of internal and external committees and professional associations.

Dr Tuohy holds a Doctor of Philosophy from the Australian Catholic University; a Master of Theology from the Sydney College of Divinity in New South Wales, Australia, and a Diploma of Teaching from Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. She was a recipient of the Brian Murray Scholarship for Theological Studies and the Catholic University Post-Graduate Award for Doctoral Studies Scholarship.

Her main teaching area is in Systematic or Foundational theology with a particular emphasis on theologies of social critique and sacramental theology. More recently, Anne has become involved in the relationship between theology and the social sciences and is currently working with initiatives involving the Catholic Health Care sector.

Dr Tuohy's publications include "On Being Pastoral", which she co-authored with Associate Professor Patrick McArdle. Her conference presentations and workshops have explored themes such as religious education "beyond the school gates", new models of formation, the discipleship of equals, and maintaining the dignity of the human person in disability services.

The New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference established The Catholic Institute to provide formation for those involved in education and pastoral ministry in Aotearoa New Zealand and the opportunity to engage in research and discussion in all areas of the Church and its ministries. The six diocesan bishops are the trustees of The Catholic Institute.

Dr Tuohy takes over from Paul Ferris, who has been acting as the interim leader of the institute.

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New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference

Image: Australian Catholic University/Catholic Institute of Aotearoa NewZealand

Mr Ferris will begin in July and will work closely with the Institute Council. He will be working for all the bishops to bring together the various parts of the Institute, including the National Centre for Religious Studies and The Nathaniel Centre. The appointment of an Interim Head will allow a number of establishment matters to progress while the Council undertakes a thorough search for a permanent Principal. Mr Ferris will be working from Wellington, but will travel around the country as part of the role.

Mr Ferris has held a number of positions on bodies in the education sector. He has strong skills in translating vision into action, and in building teams. He holds a Commissioner's Licence for the Ministry of Education, and has experience on various NZQA boards and panels. He also has experience in establishing video conferencing networks to deliver education to students. Currently, Mr Ferris is engaged in Catholic Character reviews in the Dunedin and Wellington dioceses.

The bishops, who are the current employers of staff involved, have said there will be no change at this time in the employment situation of those working in tertiary or adult education in dioceses. These people will remain employees of the diocese, with the same lines of accountability, until decisions are made as part of the transition process.

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• New Zealand Catholic Bishops' Conference
• Image: Otago Daily Times