Wilberforce Community News
Kia ora e te whānau Wilberforce,
March is a season of movement— from upcoming gatherings and conferences to practical resources, job opportunities, and cultural rhythms to be aware of, there’s plenty here to explore. As always, we hope this newsletter helps you stay connected and equipped for the months ahead.
🔹 Join the Interserve team as a Financial Administrator
Read more about the job opportunity at Interserve.
🔹 Register now for the Praxis Gathering 2026
See more information and sign up for the Praxis gathering this June.
🔹 Do you know what's coming up in the Māori calendar
We've got you covered with all the significant dates this year.
🔹 Strengthen your leadership at the Abide conference, supported by the
'Laidlaw Centre of Church Leadership'
Register now for the Abide Conference this August.
🔹Catalytic support through our Consulting Panel
The Wilberforce Foundation offers a Consulting Panel fund. Read more
Find out more about each of these below.
If you have content you'd like us to include in a future edition of the Wilberforce Community News, you can email news@wilberforce.org.nz. Please note that requests must be submitted by the first Friday of the month to be included in that month's newsletter.
Ngā mihi,
The Wilberforce Foundation Team
P.S. Please feel free to forward this newsletter to others you think may be interested in the content. The best way to do this is by using the 'FORWARD' button at the bottom of this page. This will ensure all the links work correctly. Look for the envelope symbol below.
Join the Interserve Team!
Are you good with numbers?
Do you have a good eye for detail, with a focus on accuracy?
Are you looking for a flexible part-time role?
Interserve is a Christian mission organisation. We are looking for a
Finance Administrator who will be based in Auckland: someone who is an enthusiastic team player with excellent written and verbal communication skills.
We need someone with knowledge and experience of finance systems, who is computer literate, familiar with Xero, accounts administration, and invoice and payment processing.
We are looking for someone who is a motivated self-starter, a quick learner, who relates well to people at all levels and who aligns with the values of our organisation.
Closing date of 25th March.
Praxis Gathering 2026
The Praxis Gathering is a grassroots event bringing together Youth Workers from across Aotearoa to connect, collaborate, and grow. Over three days, participants can choose from twelve workshops exploring topics such as faith-based youth work, brain development, Te Tiriti o Waitangi, group facilitation, and more. Each workshop is designed to strengthen local communities by exploring the intersection of faith, practice, and context in youth work today.
Do you know what some of the most significant dates are on the Māori calendar?
Check out these dates and add them to your diary and or save the date:
29th April 2026:
Pukehinahina Commemoration
21st June 2026:
Te Ranga Commemoration
Early September:
Koroneihana – Anniversary of Māori Queens Coronation
14-20th September 2026:
Māori Language week
14th Sepember 2026:
Māori Language Day
5th November 2026:
Parihaka Day
July 10th 2026:
Matariki
22-27 Feb 2027:
2027 Te Matatini
Equipping Opportunities for Church Leaders
Abide Conference 2026
25th - 27th August 2026
Venue: Grace City Church, 17 Marewa Road, Greenlane
Abide Conference is a gathering point for all church leaders, ministry leaders, and leadership teams from across Aotearoa New Zealand. Bring your leadership team, your small group leaders, and your team leaders to be equipped, encouraged, and strengthened, while building relationships with other church leaders from around the nation.
Catalytic support through our Consulting Panel
The Wilberforce Foundation offers a Consulting Panel fund to provide catalytic, capacity‑building support for organisations within our community.
The Consulting Panel is designed to support organisations at moments where targeted external expertise can unlock new capability, strengthen the engine room, or help address a clearly defined organisational need. This is often catalytic work — enabling change, growth, or renewed effectiveness that continues well beyond the life of the consulting engagement.
We have a limited pool of funding set aside for our Consulting Panel, which can fund up to 50% of the cost of a consultant. Consulting Panel projects are intended to build lasting capacity within organisations and are typically focused on areas such as strategy, fundraising, governance, leadership, systems, or other organisational foundations that support long‑term impact.
Organisations are invited to apply where there is a specific need and where engaging a consultant will contribute to meaningful capacity building, rather than one‑off activity with no enduring benefit.
If your organisation is facing a particular challenge, transition, or opportunity — and you believe catalytic consulting support could help move things forward — we warmly invite you to get in touch to explore whether the Consulting Panel might be a good fit.
P.S Please feel free to forward this newsletter to others you think may be interested in the content. The best way to do this is by using the 'FORWARD' button at the bottom of this page. This will ensure all the links work correctly. Look for the envelope symbol below.
