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Maori Synod ministry training

By Heeni Collins

A former Maori Presbyterian training centre called Te Wananga a Rangi is to be revived in the Bay of Plenty and will provide courses for people interested in exploring mission and ministry in a Maori context.

A brochure for the training centre explains its focus as “equipping people for leadership within Church and society in the name of Jesus”.

The previous Te Wananga a Rangi was based in Whakatane and operated from 1953 to 1971. It was aimed at training Maori for full-time ministry in the Presbyterian Maori Synod and trained 23 ministers and one deaconess over that period.

Te Aka Puaho has wanted to re-open the wananga since 1980, says the ahorangi, or head of the wananga, the Rev Wayne Te Kaawa. A recent surge of interest in amorangi training since the 50th anniversary of Te Aka Puaho last March has provided the momentum to turn the plan into reality, he says.

The wananga will be housed at the Sister Emily Ross Youth Hall at Ohope marae and is expected to open in June or July 2006. The current intake of eight amorangi students will become the first students of Te Wananga a Rangi. There are also at least 10 people enrolled in the Certificate in Te Aka Puaho studies.

“We’ll learn about our own history, people and events,” says Wayne, who goes on to say that some courses will be bilingual and some will involve lecturers from the School of Ministry in Dunedin .

The wananga is seeking sources of funding to keep fees to a minimum.