Is tradition good or bad? Then [Jesus] called the crowd to him and said to them, “Listen and understand: it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles.” Then the disciples approached and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees took offense when they heard what you said?” He answered, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And

Welcome to The Very Rev’d Ruihana Paenga - Amokura Dean of Waiapu On Saturday we held a wonderful celebration at Waiapu Cathedral to welcome and install our Amokura, Dean, the Very Rev’d Ruihana Paenga. The service was a tremendous occasion bringing together laity, clergy and bishops from across the motu and throughout Waiapu and Te Pīhopatanga to celebrate this historic event. Sitting alongside Archbishop Don during the service, we ministered together from our respective cat

Pauline Matthews, wife of the late Bishop Ralph Matthews, 11th Bishop of Waiapu (1979-1983), died peacefully in Taupō Hospital on Sunday 2 August, surrounded by her loving family. A devoted supporter of Bishop Ralph's ministry, Pauline served alongside him in parishes across Hastings, Waipukurau, Taupō and Gisborne, while also contributing actively to Anglican women's groups, including Mothers' Union and Young Wives and Family Fellowship. Alongside her church involvement, she

In the storm Immediately [Jesus] made the disciples get into a boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them. And early in the morning he came walking toward them on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they

Waiapu Cathedral of St John the Evangelist 28 Browning Street, Napier Saturday 1 August 2026, 11am The Venerable Ruihana Paenga will be installed at a service at the Waiapu Cathedral on Saturday 1 August 2026 at 11am. The appointment sees Ven. Ruihana as the 15th Dean of Waiapu, as well as the first Māori Dean of Waiapu. All are welcome to attend the service. To watch the installation service, or see the recording afterwards, the installation service is being live streamed on

Scarcity and abundance Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a deserted place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion for them and cured their sick. When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselv

Oro! Oro! Oro! These are words of welcome, acknowledgement and peace which come from the Oro Province in Papua New Guinea. Oro Province is on the northern coast of the main island of PNG a short 30 minute flight over a steep range which divides that part of the island. Oro Province is home to many important landmarks and features of PNG life; a strong tradition of Anglican ministry, Martyrs’ Memorial College (Anglican) which commemorates the martyrs of WW2, the site of Japane

God’s hidden work of love [Jesus] put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.” He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was le

Siane! Hello from the Eastern Highlands Province of Papua New Guinea. Last week I travelled to Papua New Guinea on a mission visit with a small team from Anglican Missions - Mark and Phoebe. Our focus here is to continue the warm relationship we have with the Anglican Church of PNG and to focus on missional projects to help improve sustainability of Anglican Health services, and offer training in community resilience, while also worshipping alongside our sisters and brother

Weeds among the wheat [Jesus] put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field, but while everybody was asleep an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and then went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well. And the slaves of the householder came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?’ He answered

Over the past 12 months, we have seen several changes within the Finance Team, including movement of staff, adjustments to responsibilities, and improvements to our workflows. We are pleased to share that the Finance Team is now fully staffed and operating with clearly defined areas of responsibility. To help ensure your queries are directed to the right person and can be resolved as efficiently as possible, we would like to inform everyone across the Diocese of the key conta

Sowing seeds, preparing the ground, celebrating a harvest That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: “Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell on a path, and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did no

Greetings all, Celebrating Karuwhā / Henry Williams’ arrival to Tauranga Moana This time last week we were celebrating the arrival of Henry Williams to Tauranga Moana in 1826. Henry arrived at the invitation of kaumātua from Tauranga Moana and travelled with the support of waka from Nga Puhi with whanaunga ties to Tauranga Moana. Williams stayed in Tauranga Moana for four days receiving the manaakitanga of Otamataha Pā, trading for supplies for the mission and schools aroun

Rest for our souls [Jesus said] “But to what will I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to one another, ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we wailed, and you did not mourn.’ “For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon’; the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is vindicated by

Octagon Room, All Saints Church, 23 Puketapu Road, Taradale Saturday 25 July 2026 Please send in your registrations to Penny Hales, Safeguarding & Risk Manager, penny.hales@waiapu.com

Kia ora koutou, Greetings and peace to you all. Te Puke 125th On Sunday I joined with the congregations at the Church of St John the Baptist, Te Puke, as we celebrated 125 years of the life of the parish. It was a joyful occasion as two congregations joined for a festive feast following the two services which are run concurrently across the church and hall. 125 years on from the turn of the century the parish continues to faithfully bear witness to the love of God in wor

Last weekend we were privileged to remember the ministry of so many – clergy, both Vicars and Priests-in-Charge, and committed lay women and men - who have served the Parish of St John the Baptist, and the wider community, over the last 125 years. Bishop Andrew joined with us for Sunday which saw an Anniversary Eucharist, followed by time to view displays and memorabilia from the past, and a beautiful luncheon. It was lovely to have a previous vicar, Rev’d Brian Hamilton join

A glass of cold water [Jesus said] “Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. Whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever welcomes a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive the reward of the righteous, and whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple—truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward.”

E te whānau a te Karaiti o te whare karakia nui o Waiapu, Greetings and peace to you in Christ. We have great joy in announcing together the appointment of the Venerable Ruihana Paenga as the next Dean of Waiapu Cathedral. We believe that The Ven Ruihana Paenga will serve the Church well as the Dean of Waiapu Cathedral, and help us to live into the vision of Te Oranga Ake for Te Pīhopatanga o Aotearoa and Waiapu together. Our appointment has been supported by the work of Pari

Greetings all, This week has been a slow one for me as I’ve been unwell with a cold that has laid me low for most of the week since Saturday evening. Sometimes these things come along and really knock the stuffing out of you, and this week has been one of those ones for me. If we learned anything from COVID it was that it really is ok to take a break to rest and recover properly and that is preferable to sharing bugs around! As a result there are a few meetings and events f