The president of the Methodist Church of New Zealand on faith and identity
Shared from
World Council of Churches
First published 8 May 2026
Dr Te Aroha Rountree, president of the Methodist Church of New Zealand Te Hāhi Weteriana o Aotearoa, spoke with the WCC about her whakapapa in the far north, her years teaching at Trinity Methodist Theological College, and life in a bicultural church where Māori ways of knowing shape how scripture is read. She also talked about the church’s work on climate justice.