The Reverend Tumanako Tomo is stepping in to General Manager role of Te Hui Amorangi ki Te Upoko o te Ika. As he sees it, it is the fulfilment of a calling first heard more than 5 years ago.
“My hapū put the call out for me to return home and to help and be the minister back on our marae, because that was the mahi of my grandmother, Reverend Kahu Durie.
I came to a point, about five years ago that I foresaw my family’s future, serving our hapū interests, especially in te ao Wairua,” he says.
The father-of-two grew up in East Auckland, the youngest of four boys. Through his father he has whakapapa to Waikato, and through his mother he is Ngāti Kauwhata and Rangitāne with links to Ngāi Tahu.
His appointment to the GM position will see him relocate with his wife and children to Aorangi, where his marae stands. It is a place that holds a special connection his whakapapa and his faith.
“Through my grandmother’s side, one of our tupuna was Te Rangiotū, who was baptised and given the name John Mason in the 1800s. Te Rangiotū was known as a peacemaker and helped settle iwi conflict between Raukawa and Rangitāne. From that point on our whānau have always had an interest in the hāhi.”
Moving home is bittersweet, as he bids farewell to Te Hui Amorangi ki Te Taitokerau, with which his whānau has had an association for more than 30 years. His grandmother, Kahu, was ordained in Whangarei in 1996, and he has been formed and trained at Te Mīhana Māori and St John’s Theological College in Auckland.
But he is excited to share the skills, mātauranga and experiences he has learned there, with Te Upoko o Te Ika and help the parihā, clergy and Bishop Waitohiariki Quayle grow a flourishing church.
“I have a real interest in the growth and development of our church, especially our Māori church. So, as I look at working in a macro level across all the different parishes, I’m looking forward to the next three months and getting to understand the culture, meeting all of our clergy.
“Before I create a vision on what that might look like, I think I’m initially wanting to build relationships and whakapapa with all the hardworking, serving ministers in our region.
“Working closely with Bishop Wai and understanding what her goals and aspirations are for our Amorangi and supporting her role as the bishop within our Amorangi is real key.”
“I’m really excited about the potential bubbling away in Te Upoko. There’s something happening in the spirit and young people are becoming slowly more engaged and with that momentum, I really want to support the growth in our Amorangi.
“I’ve learned a few things about growing our young adult attendance, supporting our priests and supporting my friends and colleagues that are going through clergy training. I want to encourage growth within our young whānau for them to help find a home or reconnect with a home back into our hāhi.”