Reconstruction of the Signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, Marcus King
For the past three years, All Saints Church in Arakamu/Eltham (Taranaki) has hosted a bilingual Waitangi service.
Rev. Vincent Nuku (Ngāti Ruanui) says the annual service is growing in popularity — and not just among the local Eltham congregation, with some attendees travelling from Ngāmotu/New Plymouth in the north and Te Wairoaiti/Waverley in the south.
“And they’re not all Mihinare. A lot come from hāhi katoa. We’re also getting ministers from other hāhi coming along. It’s their desire to connect and see how both languages go hand in hand in the service. We see people from around the maunga coming along to our services.”
A Service Rooted in Connection and Accessibility
The bilingual Waitangi service was established to honour both te reo Māori and English equally, reflecting the dual heritage affirmed in Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
The service is co-led by Rev. Vincent and Rev. Paul Bowers-Mason. Rev. Vincent says the Anglican prayer book — with te reo Māori and English printed “side by side” — makes it an ideal tool for a community seeking to bridge cultural and linguistic understanding.
“Everyone starts to see the subtle differences in the way we use our words and our poetry within our waiata and our hīmene. A lot of our whānau say, ‘Oh, we actually can sing He Hōnore, and they say Glory to God.’”
“I think everyone also comes for the kauhau. One thing our Reverend Paul does really well is explain the history of the waiata — Tūtira mai ngā iwi, for example. He talks about that from Canon Wī Huata. He uses all these waiata, and also our karakia. And by using our 476 service and the transliterations in there, it gives people an idea of how they can use those as well, even on our marae.”
Honouring History: Te Tiriti and Local Narratives
Rev. Vincent also sees the Waitangi service as part of a broader effort to “fix the narratives” surrounding local and national history. The parish hosts a Parihaka service each November, offering a chance to share history and correct misunderstandings about that period in Aotearoa.
“It’s giving a narrative and the hītori of what actually happened, and how narratives change in different times. It’s so our Pākehā pakeke can understand the kōrero, but also for our whānau to know our own history — like how we were the ones who took up arms against the church, our tupuna Tītokowaru, and the history of the cathedral. Our people get to understand that we all try to live in harmony, but we want different things at different times.
“For us as a hāhi, it’s about ū ki te pono o ngā kōrero.”
Another special aspect of holding the service at All Saints is the carved altar, which Rev. Vincent says not many people knew about or spoke about.
“It’s about whanaungatanga — bringing all of our people together, living in our history, seeking reconciliation, and growing our relationships between Māori and Pākehā in our hapori, especially in places that aren’t strong in te ao Māori. We’re growing it through our karakia.”
The bilingual service will take place at 5pm on Sunday 8 February at All Saints Church, Arakamu/Eltham.