Te Rōpū Māori

Kia whakatōmuri te haere whakamua:

‘I walk backwards into the future with my eyes fixed on my past’

AGNZ is a movement with a heart to reach Māori when opportunity and personnel are available.  Our Māori Fellowship is firmly integrated within the AGNZ. We include individuals and Māori groups from other denominations. We are open to people wanting to learn Māori perspectives, past and future.  

Our vision is to see Māori flourish because of the abundant life that is found in Christ alone!! Over 10 years our efforts have been backed and participated in by Executive Members. Someone said, “like a new-born child, your Māori Fellowship has been nurtured well, reaches out and continues to grow”.  

 We exist to create bonds both cultural and spiritual. Many Māori struggle to connect culturally. We build camaraderie around the unique redemptive work of Jesus specific to Māori culture. Our network of relationships extends around Aotearoa serving and providing Christian connection points within relevant relational geographical framework’s. 

Our desire is for every Māori to find and fulfil the purpose they were created for. We do this by running a yearly marae based National Hui; Te Haerenga, where we celebrate our uniqueness. A Wananga; Te Ropu Pou Muramura, where we seek to build confidence and competence in Māori identity, Theology, Ministry and Te Reo.

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History

For a century, Māori emergent leadership struggled with finding their place in church structures. In the 1990’s, AGNZ still did not have strong representation of Māori ministers in their ranks. Furthermore, there were issues surrounding identity, personal security, suspicion, inferiority and a general uncertainty about their value and role in the scheme of things. After a personal encounter with the Holy Spirit around her identity as Māori, Pastor Whiromena Acraman (Ngati Whakaue, Ngai Tuhoe) called a meeting at a Conference in New Plymouth. A small gathering of Māori ministers came. The meeting quickly revealed a lack of identity and a recognition of our desperate need of God to do something. Pastor Peter Hira led us in a waiata that became a powerful unifying dynamic that released the presence of the Holy Spirit, repentance and tears flowed and a renewed vision for the spiritual flourishing of AGNZ Māori was re-born and continues today.  

Te Rōpū Māori Leader: Ps Mina Acraman

Email: macraman@xtra.co.nz