Anglican Taonga : New Zealand's Anglican News Leader

Rev Becky Heale reflecting on the roles of a modern woman - and the example set by the nineteenth century missionary, Charlotte Brown.

A view from the chancel to the nave as the service begins.

Rev Jacynthia Murphy sharing stories of the past - and naming the contributions of "the wahine that make our Maori bishops look good!"

"The Angies" - the Auckland Anglican Maori Club, resplendent in pink and blue, contributing a waiata.

The Rev Lipena Smith, who hails from Samoa, delivered a Tikanga Pasefika woman's reflection.

A view of the afternoon's congregation at the beginning of the service.

That's Brigitte Te Awe Awe-Bevan at the microphone, during the intercessions.

Brigitte Te Awe Awe-Bevan (black suit) Rev Dr Eseta Mateiviti Tulavu and the Ven Carole Hughes leading the intercessions.

Women in ministry - and young women in the brass band.

Tikanga Pasefika turned up in force, and supplied a brass band and choir. You may also detect a couple of 'interlopers' in this photo.

Taonga News | 24 Nov 2014 |

More than 400 people turned up at Auckland’s Holy Trinity Cathedral on Sunday afternoon to celebrate 200 years of women’s ministry in this country.

Women from each of the three tikanga, and from the main women’s groups within the church –Mother’s Union, Te Kahui Wahine, Anglican Association of Women and The Anglican Women’s Studies Centre – joined forces to organise this bicentennial celebration, which they called: Weaving into the Future.

The liturgy for the afternoon comprised collected prayer, scriptural readings, and himene/waiata which surrounded three homilies delivered by Rev Becky Heale (Tikanga Pakeha); Rev Jacynthia Murphy (Tikanga Maori) and Rev Lipena Smith (Tikanga Pasefika).

Each of the three women told stories of the past – Becky Heale, for instance, reflected on the pioneer mission work of Charlotte Brown – while Jacynthia Murphy named and gave thanks for all the wives of the Maori bishops, starting with Hana Te Unuhi Mere Paaka, and then (when Hana had died) Arihia Rangioue Pokiha, who were Frederick Bennett’s wives during the daunting years of his episcopate as the first Maori Bishop in Aotearoa.

The idea of the afternoon, says Archdeacon Carole Hughes, was to look at “who and what has gone before us, to work and worship together now in the present – and to work together as women in this church in this land in the future.”

We've add the reflections of the three speakers - see the links above.