The Commission on Episcopal Leadership (COEL) met on 18 September at St John’s Theological College for an urgent inquiry into developing a new set of principles to better support ngā Pīhopa.
It follows an earlier hui on leadership where COEL members received contributions from different speakers on the church doctrine, civic society, iwi and canonical expertise.
The urgent inquiry focused on authority and relationships – mana and whanaungatanga. How leadership is wielded and practised, and where the boundaries are.
The session was facilitated by Commission Chairperson, Māori lawyer and academic, Khylee Quince, who will synthesise the kōrero into a working plan and draft principles.
Khylee Quince (far left) leads the inquiry
The group examined the relationship between Hui Amorangi and the Pīhopatanga; guard rails to necessitate support; embedding iwi, hapū, and Mihinare tikanga into our decisions and way of being and drew on the collective knowledge and experience of the Church.
The group reviewed canons and best practice models from all of the tikanga streams to inform the discussion. On the day, Ven. Sue Fordyce, spoke about the work she and Te Korowai are doing to create a safer church in response to the Royal Commission Inquiry into Abuse in State and Faith Care. She highlighted the ambivalence the Church has on power which impacts decision making. And how the current funding structures contributed to the underfunding of Archbishops.
Viewing Rev. Dr Hirini Kaa’s presentation
Rev. Dr Hirini Kaa brought a historical perspective, speaking on the whakapapa of the first Pīhopa o Aotearoa, and how Sir Apirana Ngata’s concept of mana whakapapa “continues to shape us,” he said. “It’s important to understand what our tipuna were thinking when they formed us [and similarly] why it was decided not to have canons in Te Pīhopatanga.
“The need to be prophetic and courageous was the feeling at the time.
“We integrated our tikanga into our way of being, but this has had its limitations, such as moments of conflict resolution for which there are no written rules.”
The general feeling in the room was that the Hui Amorangi has never questioned our unity – we are one Pīhopatanga. The Church can know that we look to scripture and tikanga for how we care for our whole being and others.