Tag Archives: Christianity and Maori

Henry Williams – the inveterate learner

Posted on May 12, 2020 by

The chocks were kicked away. Fifty tonnes of sailing vessel glided down rollers, over the Paihia sand and plunged into the water. The multitude of Māori onlookers were briefly silenced. Astonished. Then they erupted. Hundreds splashed wildly into the water … Continue reading →

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Henry Williams – adventurer to the ends of the earth

Posted on May 1, 2020 by

The swine plummeted into the abyss. But this was no cliff above Galilee. It was a precipice above the Whanganui River. Henry Williams, now barefoot for greater grip, clung to the roots and branches on the side of the near … Continue reading →

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Te reo Maori no cloak for secularism Mr Speaker

Posted on November 18, 2017 by

For nearly 170 years our Parliament has opened each session with a Christian prayer. Last week the new Speaker of the House, Trevor Mallard, unilaterally ditched it. Gone were references to both the Queen and Jesus Christ…. To continue reading … Continue reading →

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Land Wars Day – what should we hold on to?

Posted on September 6, 2016 by

I spoke with the Maori Affairs Select Committee recently about the proposed Land Wars Day. Some of those thoughts were published in Stuff today. Will commemorating the New Zealand Land wars build national unity? Ewen McQueen September 2016

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Such a garment as that !

Posted on March 23, 2016 by

It was the week before Easter. William Fairburn was returning home at night to the Paihia mission station accompanied by a young Maori man. As their boat glided over the darkened waters of the Bay of Islands the young man … Continue reading →

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Rore Kahu – Soaring Eagle of the Spirit

Posted on December 20, 2014 by

This week on Christmas Day we come to the 200 year anniversary of the proclamation of Te Harinui in New Zealand.  A beautiful structure named Rore Kahu – soaring eagle – has been established on the hill top at Rangihoua … Continue reading →

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Parliamentary prayer should reflect our spiritual DNA

Posted on December 6, 2014 by

News today that the Speaker of the House the Hon David Carter is considering changes to the Parliamentary prayer. The NZ Herald reports the decision about a change could be as early as next week. This in spite of no public … Continue reading →

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New Zealand’s lost Christian legacy

Posted on October 16, 2014 by

Many New Zealanders question if our nation ever had a strong heritage of Christian faith. Wiremu Tamihana is the answer to their doubts. As a young Ngati Haua chief, Tamihana found faith in the early 1830s under the teaching of … Continue reading →

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Christianity foundational to the Treaty

Posted on February 6, 2014 by

On this Waitangi Day in the 200th year since Te Harinui was first proclaimed in these islands, let us remember that the Treaty would never have been signed without the influence of Christianity. Read the Otago Daily Times, Foundations of … Continue reading →

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Rev Samuel Marsden – Till time shall be no more

Posted on January 30, 2014 by

200 years is a momentous milestone in a nation as young as New Zealand. But that is the milestone we celebrate this year of 2014. It is two centuries since the Rev Samuel Marsden came ashore at Rangihoua in the Bay … Continue reading →

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