Grace and peace to you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Tēnā Koe e Cr. Gibson,
I write to you not only as a citizen, but as a practising
and academically trained Theologian who has spent years reflecting on how our
Christian faith takes root in the soil of Aotearoa. I was saddened to hear that
you felt unable, as a Christian, to attend the marae in your role as
Councillor. I’d like to offer a theological reflection on why — far from being
a space to fear — the marae can be understood as a sacred place where God’s
presence and hospitality are profoundly alive.
From the beginning of the Christian story in these islands,
there has been deep relationship between te ao Māori and the Gospel. When
Ruatara welcomed Samuel Marsden at Rangihoua, the encounter was grounded in
manaakitanga — a mutual offering of space and spirit. Saints of our land such
as Tarore of Waharoa and the Rev. Rota Waitoa carried the Gospel into Māori
life not by replacing tikanga but by walking respectfully alongside it.
In Scripture, God continually meets people where they are
and honours the hospitality of local culture. Abraham is welcomed by strangers
(Genesis 18), Moses removes his sandals on another people’s sacred ground
(Exodus 3), and Jesus receives the gifts and customs of the people He walks
among, blessing rather than dismissing them. The marae, likewise, is a place of
encounter — a threshold space of welcome, remembrance, prayer, and
reconciliation. It resonates deeply with biblical themes of whānaugatanga (relationship),
manaakitanga (hospitality), and kotahitanga (unity).
To step onto the marae, then, is not to step away from
Christ, but to meet Him already present in the love and honour extended there.
As Paul declares in Acts 17:27–28, “He is not far from any one of us. For in
Him we live and move and have our being.”
In our uniquely bicultural covenant as a nation, Christians
have an opportunity — even a responsibility — to be bridges of trust and
understanding. The marae offers a place to live out that Gospel of
reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18–19) in a way that is both authentically
Māori and authentically Christian.
Ngā manaakitanga o te Atua ki a koe,
TeRata Boldy
Graduate
Diploma in Theology, Laidlaw College
Formation
Student, Te Hāhi Mihingare – The Anglican Church
Lay Preacher
