An update from Te Kapa Rautaki for 2022.
Tena koutou katoa ngā hāhi Iriiri o Aotearoa. During the last two COVID-19-disrupted years, Te Kapa Rautaki has been working quietly, mainly behind the scenes. Our guiding metaphor has been “take the waka out of the water into dry dock and prepare it for the next big journey ahead.” To this end, Te Kapa Rautaki has been weaving together multiple discernment and planning strands to understand the word of God in Baptist Māori ministries and cast a vision for godly partnerships within our movement.
We have prioritised building solid relationships, conducting the hui whakarongo around the country, and attending Assembly Council meetings. We have joined with NZBMS to plan support for Māori mission initiatives in Aotearoa and formally met with the National Leader to discuss partnership issues. Te Kapa Rautaki also drafted a document, “Puna o te Ora” that offers a compass tool to take our bearings and guide the Baptist Union of New Zealand as we move towards co-designing a partnership model for Baptist Union governance.
At the same time as progressing our planning, visioning and co- designing relationships, members of Te Kapa Rautaki have contributed to the Baptist movement in various other ways. They give hundreds of voluntary hours to provide tikanga guidance for the Baptist Union of New Zealand which includes our churches and our communities. It is our pleasure and our privilege to serve in this way.
Although it has been an intense time of juggling many responsibilities, Te Kapa Rautaki is now ready to implement the planning from the last two years. The Hura Whakairo (unveiling of the carvings) at Carey Baptist College in July was a very special occasion for Te Kapa Rautaki, marking a relaunch of our waka into the new season. We sense a fresh and strong wind of the Spirit rising to propel us forward together as Māori, Pākehā and Tauiwi in our Baptist whānau.
The members of Te Kapa Rautaki for 2021 and 2022 are Matt Renata (Kaihapai), Steve Mihaere, Leonnie Motu, Ray Totorewa, Josie Te Kahu, Sean Delany, Mike Norman, Sandy Kerr and Luke Kaa-Morgan (2021).
This update is from the 2022 Annual Report of the Baptist Churches of New Zealand, which you can view here.
