Te Ara Aroha

Who we are

Te Ara Aroha is a Christian Community within the meaning of Canon XXXVIII of Te Hāhi Mihinare ki Aotearoa ki Niu Tīreni, ki Ngā Moutere o te Moana Nui a Kiwa / the Anglican Church of Aotearoa New Zealand and Polynesia. 

The purpose of Te Ara Aroha is to: 

• advance the Kingdom of God through a message and practice of radical inclusion; 

• advocate for Takatāpui, LGBTQIA+, MVPFAFF+ inclusion at all levels of participation within the church. 

Upcoming Events

Official AGM 2026 - planning is underway for our first Annual General Meeting, likely to be post Easter and in Tāmaki Makaurau / Auckland. Membership will be required to recieve the details closer to the time - sign up below! If you'd like to help organise, email tearaaroha.community@gmail.com.

Mailing List

Not ready to take the leap and become a member? Sign up to our mailing list to stay in touch! 

If you are wanting to sign up as a member, scroll down for the membership form.

Documents

Read our Constitution and Affirmation of Faith here.

FAQs

• Who are we? We are TAARTAN: Te Ara Aroha Rainbow Takatāpui & Allies Network, a Christian Community within the meaning of Canon XXXVIII of Te Hāhi Mihinare ki Aotearoa ki Niu Tīreni, ki Ngā Moutere o te Moana Nui a Kiwa (The Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia). We are a network of Takatāpui, LGBTQIA+ and MVPFAFF+ Anglicans and Allies, including Anglican ministry units and organisations.

• What is our goal? Our ongoing mission and goal is that all Takatāpui/MVPFAFF+/LGBTQIA+ Anglicans are fully represented in the life of the church, and feel like they can live their full lives as part of the Church – including full access to ordination and marriage.

• What do we do?

  • Connect: We spiritually sustain and nourish Takatāpui, LGBTQIA+ and MVPFAFF+ persons through a broad network for Whakawhanaungatanga and mutual Christian Fellowship. We do this through supporting existing local networks of Takatāpui, LGBTQIA+ and MVPFAFF+ Anglicans, facilitating the creation of these networks, and connecting local networks together on national and provincial levels.

  • Advocate: We witness to and advocate for full affirmation of gender and sexual minorities within the structures of the church, including access to all sacramental rites including Holy Matrimony and Holy Orders; and we advocate for full equality beyond the structures of the Church.

  • Educate: We support individuals, organisations, and ministry units across the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand, and Polynesia with resources for furthering spiritual growth in safe, inclusive, and affirming ministry including via education, research and relationship building.

• What does ‘Te Ara Aroha’ mean? ‘Te Ara Aroha’ is our reo Māori name, meaning ‘the way of love’ or ‘the path of love’. It orients us toward the expansive, inclusive love of Christ for all people, whose example we aim to emulate in all that we do. The name ‘Te Ara Aroha’ was decided on in consultation with Anglicans from all three Tikanga of our Church, including Takatāpui and Rainbow Anglicans and Allies. 

• Where can Te Ara Aroha’s constitution be found? Here.

• What is a 'Christian Community'? According to Canon XXXVIII, Christian Communities are “societies of Christians who voluntarily commit themselves to obedience to their Rule and Constitution”, which have been ratified by the Church’s governing body, General Synod / Te Hīnota Whānui (or its Standing Committee). Apart from the Community’s constitution fulfilling a number of procedural and legal requirements (including recognition of Te Tiriti and Te Pouhere, a statement of belief consistent with the Church’s beliefs, various requirements imposed by NZ incorporated society law etc.), there is a high level of flexibility in how Christian Communities can choose to operate. Christian Communities operate fully within the Church and existing Church structures.

• What is the current position of the Anglican Church? 

  • Same-sex blessings: In 2018, Te Hīnota Whānui / General Synod (the highest governing body of the Anglican Church) passed legislation allowing for priests to bless same-sex couples (and queer couples generally) who are married or in a civil union. However, these blessings can only be conducted in Dioceses and Hui Amorangi where the Bishop/Pīhopa has authorised them, and only by priests whom the Bishop/Pīhopa has authorised. Blessings have been authorised within all Hui Amorangi and the Dioceses of Auckland, Waiapu, Waikato and Taranaki, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin. We advocate for the availability of same-sex blessings in all Dioceses, on the path towards full marriage equality for Takatāpui/MVPFAFF+/LGBTQIA+ Anglicans.

  • Ordination: Individual Bishops/Pīhopa differ in their positions on whether to ordain Takatāpui/MVPFAFF+/LGBTQIA+ Anglicans in blessed same-sex relationships. Bishops in certain Dioceses interpret ordination requirements for clergy to be “chaste” and in “right-ordered relationships” as excluding these candidates, while the remainder are satisfied that candidates in blessed relationships fulfil these requirements. We advocate for full access to ordination for Takatāpui/MVPFAFF+/LGBTQIA+ Anglicans in all Dioceses and Hui Amorangi.

  • Conversion Therapy: Our Archbishops have publicly spoken out against conversion therapy, in support of the Conversion Practices Prohibition Legislation Act 2022 (Aotearoa New Zealand). This is an excerpt from their statement: “We recognise the diversity of takatāpui and other expressions of gender and orientation as unique offerings from mātauranga Māori and its Pacific roots. We see that measures to erase these, including conversion therapy, are acts of colonisation. Therefore, we support this Bill as an act of decolonisation.” We support the Archbishops’ statement and advocate for the elimination of conversion practices within our Church.

  • What is Te Ara Aroha’s position on Te Tiriti o Waitangi and the Three Tikanga Church? Te Ara Aroha is deeply committed to honouring, upholding, and realising Te Tiriti o Waitangi (specifically, the Māori text of Te Tiriti), and its fourth article (also known as the oral article). Te Ara Aroha is deeply committed to Te Pouhere, and in particular, to equitable partnership and whanaungatanga between the three Tikanga of this Church, as outlined in Te Pouhere. Te Ara Aroha is committed to centring Māori and Pasifika identities and sexualities, recognising the impact of colonisation and dominance of Pākehā voices in our Church and wider society, and the ongoing inequities between the three Tikanga of this Church. 

  • Who can join? There are three types of membership: Individual, Affiliate and Associate. See "How to join" for details on each type of membership.

How to join

There are three types of membership: Individual, Affiliate and Associate. See below for details on each type of membership:

Individual Members

Individuals may become members of Te Ara Aroha by either written or online application, including their assent to the Community Affirmation of Te Ara Aroha. Clergy applications will be approved by the Steering Group of the Convocation. You can apply for Individual Membership via the form below.

Affiliate Members

A Ministry Unit may become an Affiliate of Te Ara Aroha per the process outlined under Canon XXXVIII Part 3: by the resolution of a duly constituted congregational meeting; providing that the decision is passed with a two-thirds majority and is confirmed in writing over the signatures of the Churchwardens and the Vicar/Priest-in-Charge.

For Ministry Units (Parishes, Mīhana, Anglican Schools, etc.) wishing to join Te Ara Aroha, please email us at teararoha.community@gmail.com to begin the process of becoming an Affiliate Member.

Associate Members

For groups/organisations other than Ministry Units wishing to join Te Ara Aroha, you will need to send in (via email) a motion passed by your Governing Body (or equivalent), showing that your group/organisation: a) wishes to become an Associate Member; and b) assents to the Community Affirmation of Te Ara Aroha.

You can email us at teararoha.community@gmail.com to begin the process of becoming an Associate Member.

Glossary

LGBTQIA+: Lesbian, Gay, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual/Agender and more; an umbrella term used to indicate gender and sexual minorities

MVPFAFF+: Mahu, Vakasalewalewa, Palopa, Fa’afafine, Akava’ine, Fakaleiti or Leiti, Fakafifine and more; An acronym used to encompass the diverse gender and sexuality expressions and roles across Pacific cultures. Their meanings are best understood within their cultural context and may mean something different to each person 1.

Takatāpui: “A traditional Māori word that traditionally means ‘intimate friend of the same sex’. It has since been embraced to encompass all tāngata Māori who identify with diverse genders, sexualities or variations of sex characteristics. Takatāpui denotes a spiritual and cultural connection to the past. It is best understood within its cultural context and may mean something different to each person.” 2

Footnotes

1 InsideOUT Kōaro–Tatū ki Roto, Tatū ki Waho, “Rainbow Terminology: Sex, gender, sexuality &

other key terms”, accessed at

https://www.insideout.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/InsideOUT-rainbow-terminology-August-2021.pdf.

2 InsideOUT Kōaro–Tatū ki Roto, Tatū ki Waho, “Rainbow Terminology.”