August Newsletter
Kia ora whānau,
CONNECT 2026 – Grounded Hope
What a privilege it was to host the three Wilberforce Connect events in Christchurch, Auckland, and Wellington these past three weeks. The rapid growth in the Wilberforce Community saw us moving to three regional conferences for the first time, and we were delighted to see a younger and more diverse group of participants than at previous events.
Feedback from previous Connect events has consistently highlighted the value of time together and engaging deeply on just a few topics rather than the Conference smorgasbord model we are probably most familiar with.
So, this year we experimented with limiting numbers and utilising a workshop format to encourage a deeper dive into fewer topics, and far greater interaction between speakers and participants.
Associate Professor Phil Fountain and Archbishop Justin Duckworth anchored the three events. Philip dug into the national and international data on the state of faith, provoking some great table discussions, especially around two contentions: that Christendom is dying in Aotearoa, but Christianity is not; and the rise of an increasingly insecure secularism in NZ. He reminded us that Aotearoa/NZ is not the UK or the USA, and to be careful in slavishly adopting models and programmes from offshore. He encouraged us to listen carefully to voices new to faith and to those just outside of the church. Their experience of faith is often very different to our own.
Archbishop Justin led the afternoon session, building on Philip’s analysis and highlighting a series of trends he is seeing across the Church including the decline in the local church in favour of larger congregations, the professionalisation of ministry, the rise of moralistic therapeutic deism, the huge unattended back door (i.e. those leaving the church), our idols, and how the polarisation we are seeing in society is infecting the Church. His comment that he “would rather fail at something that is ultimately right than succeed at something that will ultimately fail” resonated with many, while his call to reclaim a radical discipleship based on Jesus’ engagement with the disciples led to some great table discussions.
At each venue we also heard from a local leader who has helped lead organisational transformation and renewal. A big thank you to Hannah Cossey (CYS), Sarah Dunham (PACT), and Hillary Hague (Scripture Union) for your very engaging and thoughtful contributions. You each reminded us that keeping Jesus at the centre of our work requires constant work and attention from boards and senior leaders alike.
Finally, a big thank you from the Wilberforce board and staff to all who attended. We loved hearing your stories and the different regional perspectives. You continue to inspire us with your often unheralded work. It is truly an honour to be able to support your mahi.
Chris Clarke
Chief Executive, Wilberforce Foundation
Faithful Stewardship: Growing Resources for Lasting Kingdom Impact
It's a big responsibility, to manage finances for a charitable organisation! Holding reserves, managing donor funds, and stewarding resources with a long-term mission vision to answer to is heady stuff. It's natural to find it difficult to be confident when it comes to financial decisions, particularly about investments.
In this engaging and practically-minded session, Keryn Martin from the Kaitiaki Foundation will speak about how organisations can strengthen their financial foundations and use wisely what has been given with a purpose in mind.
Drawing on his experience supporting charities across Aotearoa, Keryn will unpack:
- Building reserves, cash flow, and long-term sustainability.
- The role of investing, and when it may or may not be appropriate
- Key governance considerations including risk, time horizon, and purpose alignment
- How organisations can make informed decisions without losing sight of mission
This session is designed not to promote a particular financial approach, but to equip leaders and
boards tor understand their options, ask the right questions, and decide wisely.
Ideal for board members, CEOs, and finance or operations leaders in faith-based and for-purpose organisations.
Faithful Courage:
What Henry (Karuwhā) & Marianne Williams teach us today
Come along as we discover what it means to live and lead with courage through complexity! In this session, Dr Samuel Carpenter will draw on the lives of Henry (Karuwhā) Williams and Marianne Williams, a couple who were early missionaries in Aotearoa New Zealand, to draw out three powerful lessons in courage, faith, and conviction.
We will explore what it looked like to stand firm. In challenging circumstances, they faithfully navigated cultural change and tension. Their legacy continues to have impact today, demonstrating depth of courage and humility in leadership.
Join us to learn about good leadership with an example drawn from our own history.
Advanced Governance – Governing for Greater Impact
A focused one-day workshop on the 9th of September.
Designed for experienced faith-based board leaders, this workshop deepens governance practice beyond the fundamentals. Led by Dr Peter Crow, Advanced Governance tackles strategic oversight, board effectiveness, and complex governance challenges through real-world case studies, peer discussion, and shared learning.
$195 is the subsidised cost to attend the masterclass
Please contact: melanie@wilberforce.org.nz if cost is a barrier to you.
Good News for Aotearoa Conference:
Friday 16th & Saturday 17th October 2026, Journey Church, Auckland
We are delighted to invite you to Good News for Aotearoa 2026! This is a gathering of people passionate about seeing the gospel flourish across Aotearoa, created to equip and encourage as well as facilitate crucial connections between like-minded Christians.
Faithfulness in Practice: Strengthening Evangelistic Culture in Our Organisations with Julie-Anne Liard
Today's workshop brought together 20 people from 17 Christian organisations across Aotearoa. It was amazing to see so many similarly passionate organisations connecting in person, learning from one another and considering how we can strengthen a culture of evangelism and discipleship together.
One of the most encouraging themes was hearing that spiritual hunger is rising across Aotearoa and people are coming to the Lord.
This also raises an important challenge: How do we ensure evangelism leads naturally into discipleship, and how can we improve the onramps that help people move into belonging, growing and participating in local church communities?
Our time together reinforced that we are not alone in this work. Across Aotearoa, organisations are wrestling with similar questions and sharing a common hope of seeing people encounter Jesus and flourish as disciples. We look forward to continuing this conversation and fostering deeper collaboration. If you would like to be part of future discussions, please reach out to Aimee or Wee-Yeong.
The Calendar Corner
Stay up to date with these upcoming events and important dates from our previous newsletters and announcements.
Good News for Aotearoa Conference:
(Oct 2026)
Save the date for the next Good News for Aotearoa Conference:
On Friday 16th & Saturday 17th October 2026, Journey Church, Auckland
With Dan Paterson - an evangelist, apologist, pastor and snake catcher as our keynote speaker.
Advanced Governance – Governing for Greater Impact
A focused one-day workshop on the 9th of September. Times to be advised.
Designed for experienced faith-based board leaders, this workshop deepens governance practice beyond the fundamentals. Led by Dr Peter Crow, Advanced Governance tackles strategic oversight, board effectiveness, and complex governance challenges through real-world case studies, peer discussion, and shared learning.
Wilberforce Community Newsletter
Our Community Newsletter is a place for you, our community, to promote and share any announcements, stories, job opportunities or events. Please send them to us.
All articles should be sent to news@wilberforce.org.nz
The newsletter will be distributed on the third Wednesday of every month.
Thank you for your continued engagement, and we look forward to hearing from you..
