Māori Evangelists

The time is now for a Māori Led Gospel Renewal

Home — Our People — Māori Evangelists

The Story so Far

In 1814 missionaries from the Church Missionary Society brought the Gospel to Aotearoa. Once the Bible was translated into te reo Māori, many Māori accepted Christ, and they took the Gospel to their own people. Because of this, the greatest revival Aotearoa has ever experienced swept across this land, bringing transformation to countless lives and communities.

In 2018, the Pīhopatanga o te Tai Tokerau (a Māori Anglican diocese), came to NZCMS with a vision to see Māori once again bring the Gospel to their own people.

Since then we have partnered with four Māori Evangelists serving under two Māori dioceses: Te Hauoterangi (Howard) and Ngahuia Karaka (Port Waikato), Keri-Ann Hokianga (Manukau, Auckland) and Fran Hokianga (Far North). This ministry is seeing doors opening to the Gospel that have been shut for decades and many are coming to Christ and flourishing within a Māori led Christian community. However, we’ve also seen through this work that the harvest is plentiful, the need is great, and the workers are too few.

The Vision

Our Invitation to You

We see a pathway for how te Rongopai — the Gospel — can be renewed in this nation once again; by partnering with the critical work of Māori Evangelism.

Our vision is to support ten Māori Evangelists who could proclaim and live out the Gospel across Aotearoa.

This initiative is not about reaching Māori communities to the exclusion of others in our multicultural nation. It’s about actively reaching a specific people group for the benefit of all people in this country. By partnering with Māori Evangelists, we believe Aotearoa will experience the Kingdom of God flourishing once again within our local communities, nation and beyond!

The time is now for a Māori led Gospel renewal.

Our Invitation to You

We invite you to be apart of sending a new wave of Gospel workers into God’s harvest fields. Would you take this initiative to Christ and ask: “Lord, what are you asking me to give?”

“Katahi ia ka mea ki ana akonga, He nui te kotinga, ko nga kaimahi ia he ruarua;
Na inoi atu ki te Ariki nana te kotinga, kia tonoa e ia he kaimahi ki tana kotinga.”

“Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.’”

- Matthew 9:37–38

Te Hauoterangi (Howard) & Ngahuia Karaka

Te Puaha o Waikato (Port Waikato)

Howard and Gladys are evangelists and church planters in a joint venture between NZCMS and Te Pīhopatanga o te Manawa o te Wheke in the Port Waikato area. They minister to many marae there and are seeing wonderful fruit among the Māori and Pacific communities.

Keri-Ann Hokianga

Manukau, Auckland

Keri-Ann is a Māori evangelist within the Mihingare (Anglican) Church in South Auckland as a joint partnership between NZCMS and the Te Pīhopatanga o Te Tai Tokerau. Her evangelistic focus is particularly on reaching Māori and those outside of the Church.

Fran Hokianga

Far north

Fran is appointed as a Māori Evangelist in the Parengarenga, Ahipara, Peria in Te Pihopatanga o Te Tai Tokerau area. She moved to Kaitaia in 2012 with her husband Rapiata after both sensing a call from the Lord to the ‘Far North’.