Archbishop Don Tamihere and Archbishop Philip Richardson have asked Kurahautū – their Wayfinder Unit for research, wānanga and talanoa – to seek out what communications tools, platforms and models can best serve our Anglican mission and ministry across the motu.

The way is open for where the communications research might lead, but as far back as 2018 General Synod Te Hīnota Whānui had agreed this Church needed to revisit how we communicate with one another and the world.

“Over the last ten years – even over the last two ‘Zoom’ years – our communications world has changed hugely. As a Church we need to be proactive about speaking into that new world.” said Archbishop Philip Richardson.

Archbishop Don Tamihere is pleased that our Church's search for ways to tell our stories online will set out from a different mooring post this time round.

“This will be the first time that mātauranga Mihinare – Māori Anglican knowledge and experience – will be at the heart of our whole Church’s thinking as we look to refresh and reshape our communications.” he said.

“As we wānanga and talanoa on the possible ways ahead, mātauranga Mihinare will be embedded as a guiding principle from the outset.”

For the first leg of the voyage, Kurahautū is calling for a full-time researcher or researchers, who will undertake a three-month contract identifying what our current Anglican online presence is: What stories do we tell? Who speaks to whom? And where do we share who we are as the Hāhi with others?”

This project will record where we share our Mihinare stories, images, videos and digital news coming out of all those places where the Anglican faithful meet: parishes and Hui Amorangi, Dioceses, marae, kura, house churches, kapa haka groups, and the many other Anglican ministries across both urban and rural contexts.

The initial stage of research will scan online spaces such as Facebook, podcasts and blogs, Twitter and Instagram as well as church websites, online news outlets and wherever an Anglican presence can be found.

Next, the findings from that research will go out to a growing network of expert church communicators to help the Church discern what patterns and possibilities we can find from that snapshot of our online media.

All Anglicans are warmly invited to support the communications research project, and Kurahautū is keen to hear from you at any stage of the process.

Before they set out, Kurahautū recognises that one of our Church’s communication strengths is the fact our people speak into the public square in many different voices.

“As part of Te Hāhi Mihinare and Anglican communities across the Pacific we speak in many different languages and from many different perspectives. We speak into Māori, Polynesian and Pākehā worlds and into the many other cultural worlds where we live and serve.” said Rev Dr Hirini Kaa from Kurahautū.

“This research aims to hold onto that multitude of voices, and perhaps find new ways to connect them, but not by looking to become any single voice. Our many voices are precious as they are and reflect our diversity in the body of Christ.”

Kurahautū has opened applications for researchers wanting to take up the three-month Anglican Communications Research Project.

Download the Communication Research Project Description here.

Here you can fill out the Anglican Communications Research Project application

Applications for the Kurahautū Communications researcher role are now open. Applications close on 20 January 2022.

Kurahautū - The Archbishops’ Wayfinder Unit is the Archbishops’ research and advisory group, which leads wānanga and talanoa in Aotearoa and Polynesia to provide research for Mihinare leadership in both church and wider public spheres.

Kurahautū and its work are informed and guided by three compass points that ensure its mahi is Mātauranga led, Mihinare grounded and Navigation focused.