Bilingual church service in Eltham taking place on Parihaka Day

The inscription on the church's altar was carved in the early 1900s.

If you think having a bilingual church service in te reo Māori and English is a novel idea, you would be wrong, says Central Taranaki Anglican missioner the Rev Paul Bowers-Mason.

Just look at the altar in Eltham’s All Saints Church, he says.

The altar, carved in the early 1900s by Gretchen Briant, is inscribed in both te reo Māori and English.

The English inscription reads “Thy kingdom come”, while the te reo Māori wording reads “Kua tata te Ariki”.

“The Lord is near would be a good translation of that,” says Paul, who says the altar shows the message of Christianity can be told in any language.

“And in 1903, having it in te reo Māori was no big deal, but in 2023 we are making headlines with the idea.”

That idea — to hold, what is to Paul’s knowledge, the first-ever bilingual service at the Eltham church — will be completely bilingual, he says.

“Everyone’s level of language fluency is different, so this way, everyone can understand everything.”

The service, which will include readings, prayers and songs, will be led by Paul and the Rev Vincent Nuku (Ngāti Ruanui).

The timing of the service, November 5, is deliberate, says Paul, becauses it is Parihaka Day, marking the event of November 5, 1881, known to Taranaki Māori as Te Rā o te Pāhua or the Day of Plunder.

“It’s a fitting day to hold the service, as it is about coming together, community and inclusiveness. It also happens to be the last day of the three garden festivals across Taranaki, and is the last day of Taranaki Heritage month.”

While the two Anglican priests are obviously hard at work planning the service, the content itself isn’t hard to source, says Paul.

“Our Anglican prayer book has te reo Māori in it. A lot of the prayers are already translated. For our Anglican church here in Aotearoa New Zealand, biculturalism is a really important part of our practice.”

Paul, who describes himself as being “a fluent reader of te reo Māori, rather than a fluent speaker”, has led tangi services a few times, and says language should never stop people being able to practise their faith as they wish.

“We also run the te reo groups here, and have between six and 10 people come each week, mostly Pākehā who want to learn. So we know people want this, and we look forward to welcoming people to what may be the first, but won’t be the last, bilingual service in Eltham.”

The Details

What: Karakia o ngā tikanga rua/bilingual church service

Āwhea: Rātapu ā te 5 o te wā te 5 o Whiringa-ā-rangi

When: Sunday, November 5, 5pm.

Kei hea: Te Whare Karakia o ngā Pononga ki Arakamu

Where: All Saints Anglican Church, Eltham.