The education system did me proud when I learned New Zealand history – briefly – at primary school. It never bothered again; British history was much more important; but there were always Weet-Bix cards to collect, and they told you all you’d ever need to know about the national story. We learned how lucky Maori Read more
One of the most daunting things about sending our boy to boarding school was that, for the first six weeks, aside from handwritten letters, we weren’t allowed to have any contact with him. In the pre-email, pre-free calling era, this would have been fairly standard. Back in the day, boarding school parents didn’t have much choice Read more
In his last year at school David Gledhill was asked about his future plans. Put on the spot, David admitted that he was considering study for the priesthood… “I thought ‘I’ll give it a go. They’ll discover I’m not suitable. Then I’ll go home and get on with the rest of my life’.” But they never Read more
There were 21 Baptisms at Easter Sunday Mass at the 2016 Hui Aranga gathering held in Whanganui. Several hundred people attended the event over Easter weekend this year. The occasion marked 70 years since Hui Aranga first started. Fr Phil Cody, SM, said the Baptisms were linked with Catholic Māori clubs from Whanganui and Hawkes Read more
Rob McGowan, a former Catholic priest, has spent 20 years in teaching, researching and assisting Māori engage in traditional uses of native plants. McGowan is one of the foremost authorities on rongoā Māori (traditional Māori medicine) and is well respected nationally for his work with and for the restoration of rongoā Māori practice in New Read more
It was at the time of those terrible raids and terrorist allegations, during which any media coverage of the affair was very one-sided, and the Tuhoe were portrayed as a threat to national security. In light of this, the prospect of travelling into the heart of the Ureweras and staying with this group of people Read more
For the most part Te Ao Mārama looks just like the other low to medium security units at Waikeria prison. Sixty cells surround a central yard on three sides. On the fourth is a dining hall, behind that the meeting areas and offices. The perimeter fence is lined with coils of barbed wire, over which Read more
Last month a small delegation of New Zealand Anglicans attended the biennial Anglican Indigenous Network (AIN) conference which was held in New York. Before the Conference, the delegation met with former Prime Minister Helen Clark, who is now the Head of the United Nations Development Programme. The delegation also met with New Zealand’s Permanent Representative to Read more
An Anglican bishop in New Zealand who offended Jews and Muslims last month has lost his episcopal title. Former Bishop John Gray shocked visiting Jews in Christchurch last month when he told them the Holocaust “should have taught you a lesson”. Gray, who was head of the Maori Anglican diocese in the South Island, also Read more
Over 600 people gathered in the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit in Palmerston North New Zealand for the ordination of Danny Karatea-Goddard to the permanent diaconate. Karatea-Goddard is the Bishop of Palmerston North’s Assistant for Māori Apostolate. The ordination took place on 7 June and was attended by people from Wairoa, Ohakune, Te Awa o Read more