More than 140 people from around Te Hui Amorangi ki Te Manawa o Te Wheke are gathering for this year’s Kura Hōtoke, a three-day hui centred on strengthening relationships, reconciliation and a shared vision for the future.
Archdeacon Ngira Simmonds says the gathering is about renewing the bonds of whanaungatanga that unite Te Manawa o Te Wheke across its many rohe.
“Too often in life, and this is an experience that many people share, we turn up to tangi and we say, ‘We don’t want to wait til the next tangi before we all get together again.’ For Te Manawa o Te Wheke, we didn’t want to wait for something to bring us back together. We wanted bringing us together to be the kaupapa.”
The Kura Hōtoke continues a long tradition within Te Manawa o Te Wheke, dating back to the leadership of Bishop Whakahuihui Vercoe and later Bishop Ngārahu Katene, who both gathered hundreds of people for seasonal wānanga.
This year’s event will see clergy, lay leaders and church members from throughout the Amorangi come together, many for the first time since the farewell of Bishop Ngārahu last year.
Archdeacon Bettina Maxwell says the kura is a progression of hui ā rohe held earlier this year. Since February, the Hui Amorangi has been creating opportunities for people to reconnect, strengthen relationships, and work through reconciliation and forgiveness ahead of important decisions facing the church.
“We had to go through that process before we could do anything else. Before Christ sent his kaimahi into the field, they all went through a process and we’re doing the same thing here with our whānau.”
While reconciliation is an underlying focus, Archdeacon Ngira says the gathering is not about revisiting past disagreements but about acknowledging that some people may feel disconnected and offering a space for healing.
“What matters to us is that we can reconcile and bring all our people together, so we approach the Electoral College in whakaaro kotahi (one mind).
“I also think it’s landed quite nicely now in the journey of Matariki. We’re in that time of year where we’re able to reflect on the past and then think forward for the year ahead. All of these tohu have aligned and have given us as a Hui Amorangi a wonderful opportunity to gather.”
This year’s programme has been designed with the upcoming Electoral College in mind, while also looking to the future direction of the Hui Amorangi. Each rohe, along with Kāhui Wāhine, Kāhui Tāne and Kāhui Rangatahi, will be given time to wānanga together.
Two key questions will guide the wider Amorangi discussions: What has Te Manawa o Te Wheke learned? And What do we see ahead? Feedback will be collated and presented to Archbishop Don Tamihere, with the hope it can help inform the Electoral College process.
“That says, here are the whakaaro of the people of Te Manawa o Te Wheke, because we have more people coming to Kura Hōtoke than will be part of the Electoral College, so we will have different voices participating,” says Archdeacon Ngira.
The programme includes Bible studies, daily prayers and a special reconciliation service led by Archbishop Don. Archbishop Philip Richardson, representatives from NZCMS and Cherryl Thompson from Disability Ministry Educators will be among the guests attending the gathering in Rotorua.
With more than 140 people registered, including a number of first-time attendees, organisers hope the gathering will strengthen whanaungatanga across Te Manawa o Te Wheke and help the Hui Amorangi move forward in whakaaro kotahi as it prepares for the future.