Are you a Councillor or a LINK representative?

Bula Vinaka, Malo e lelei, Talofa Lava,Tēna koutou katoa

You are now part of a Council of women who have been advancing and serving the needs of women in this Church for nearly 20 years. Anglican Women’s Studies is a three–tikanga project with equal representation across the tikanga.

You have been appointed because of your status in the Church and your connections with women, especially those in leadership, in training for ministry or in theological education.

Where did it begin? A short history of Anglican Women’s Studies Centre

Council and LINKS at ST Francis Retreat Centre, Auckland in February 2024

The Anglican Women’s Studies Centre was set up by General Synod in 2006. The priorities were as follows:

To strengthen and resource those women currently involved in higher level theological education.

To call together the women leaders and scholars of this Church for education and formation hui.

To create a place for informing, equipping, resourcing and inspiring all women of the Church. This includes a comprehensive data base, and the active promotion of women’s news and opportunities. A website will facilitate the wider sharing of information and resources with the wider church nationally and internationally. Links to international Anglican Women’s Studies/ Ministries will be explored .

To establish liaison women as the Links with Dioceses and Hui Amorangi. These women are the local face of AWSC, and are chosen for their skills of leadership, facilitation and knowledge.

To mentor, and advocate women in leadership and with leadership potential, and to facilitate gender equity in leadership.

To publish the writing by and about women in this Province.

Who we are: AWSC Council Members

The AWSC Council has six members, two appointed by each tikanga. The Council meets monthly by Zoom and in person, once a month. Their broad task is ensuring that all the aims of the AWSC are carried out.

Top: Mrs Bridie Marsden-Boyd, tikanga Pakeha; The Revd Bettina Maxwell. Tikanga Maori; Mrs Quandolita Redi Enari. tikanga Polynesia;

Bottom: The Revd Natalie Milliken, tikanga Pakeha, Ms Kelera Oli, tikanga Pasifika; Ms Hera Clarke, tikanga Maori

AWSC Link representatives

Links and local Christchurch women , at the Christchurch Hui

Link representatives liaise between their local area and the Council. They are women with extensive knowledge of the women in their area, and of the issues and concerns of each diocese/hui amorangi/archdeaconery.

Link representatives meet face to face twice a year and are connected regularly by phone and ZOOM.

LINKS are encouraged to establish networks of connection, support, and friendship with women in leadership and ministry in their area/diocese, hui amorangi, or archdeaconery.

*Invite some of the local women clergy , women leaders and ministry/theology students to coffee. Discuss an article on the website, www.anglicanwomen.nz, or review a new book.

are the newsletter on your facebook page, in your parish, on your diocesan webpage, and with any women who are interested.

*Encourage women to subscribe to the newsletter.

*Invite people to gather together to join in the Virtual Theology Chats.

Experience and knowledge gained as a LINK often leads to appointment as a Councillor for their tikanga.

AWSC community

All around Aotearoa, New Zealand and the Pacific are women connected with AWSC- lay women and ordained women. We have an email and newsletter distribution of almost 7oo people. Our Virtual Theology Chats and subsequent videos have reached in the thousands .

Communication with Council and Links

Communication among the Council members is by regular email and ZOOM meetings and face to face meetings, about every month. Dates notified well in advance.

Link representatives meet once or twice a year in person. There are also regular Zoom meetings. Links are encouraged to find ways of linking with women in their area.

Travel and accommodation costs are covered by the Council budget. You will be sent a separate email with details before each meeting.

Administrator

Ms Ceridwyn Parr Email: anglicanwomenstudies@gmail.com : +64 (0)275 73 80 73 Website : www.anglicanwomen.nz

Virtual Theology Chats

Watch previous Chats here https://anglicanwomen.nz/theology-chat-videos/

Zoom each month on the Third Thursday 7pm https://anglicanchurch-nz.zoom.us/j/94599431152

Virtual Theology Chats are always interesting, often surprising and sometimes very challenging.

They are an innovative opportunity to share research projects, publications, reflections, and interests, with a wide and interested audience of women associated with the Anglican Women’s Studies Centre. Speakers may be post graduate students, advanced practitioners , enthusiasts, creatives and thinkers.

Format: Using Zoom, the presenter speaks for up to 20 minutes, then the host invites

comments, questions and responses from the virtual audience. The chat ends after 1 hour.

Youtube here Most Chats are on video and can be seen on youtube. https://www.youtube.com/@anglicanwomenstudies

Social Media- website , newsletter, facebook, instagram, youtube

The AWSC website is www.anglicanwomen.nz

This website is bright, contemporary, and inviting, giving information and resources about and for women in leadership, theological education and ministry training, as well as providing a vehicle for national and international initiatives which can inspire and inform. www.anglicanwomen.nz

There is a monthly newsletter, https://anglicanwomen.nz/our-latest-newsletter-things-you-need-to-know/

sent out to our contact list of women in ministry, ministry educators, Bishops, General Synod.

Instagram anglicanwomennz

facebook https://www.facebook.com/anglicanwomenleadersnz/ and https://www.facebook.com/groups/492416817899480

HUI

See our HUI here https://anglicanwomen.nz/category/gatherings/virtual-theology-chat

A major activity of AWSC is Women in Ministry Hui. These are held every year

The purpose of the Hui is to call together women leaders and scholars of this Church, for education and formation. Of course there is a lot of networking and enjoyment!

2-5 November 2023

Provincial Hui , Many Hands held at Holy Sepulchre Church and Marae, on Khyber Pass Road, Auckland, there were around 80 women present over the three days.

All Council and LINKS were funded to attended, and we also helped fund many others. Women attended from all around New Zealand and the Pacific.

Watch some of the sessions on youtube https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkMqN_kSO7B_xQuiNDQS0lBFlfgYefZBF

2023 April Ways of Knowing All Souls, Merivale, Christchurch 25 women- Council, Links and local women

2023 February Women, Faith and Society All Saints, Apia, Samoa 25 women, Council, local links and local women

2022. 20221. 2020 Hui all postponed because of Covid restriction But many Zooms and Virtual Theology Chats held.

2019 October/November Hui

tikanga Maori Light Beyond the Horizon, Waipatu Marae, Hastings (50 women)
tikanga Pakeha Empowering Women St Francis Retreat Centre, Auckland (30 women)
tikanga Polynesia Journey from the Past to the Future, ST Pauls Anglican Hall, Nuku’alofa Tonga

2018 October Na Mareqeti ni Bula Ivakarau/Pasefika Perspectives Tanoa International hotel, Nadi (75 women, 3 days residential and non-residential)

2017 October Kia Ngawari: FInding a Wholeness te Karaiti o te Pou Herenga Waka, Auckland (3 days, residential)

2016 July Keeping it Real: from Reconciliation to Restoration Treasuring Women in Ministry #3 (3 days, non-residential )

2015 May Violence Prevention is our Church’s Business (40 women, 3 days )

2014 Sept/Oct Treasuring Women in Ministry #2 (86 women, 3 days non-residential)

2013 Leaders like Lydia – a theological discourse in raranga, siapo and Word, VAughan PArk, Auckland (40 women, 3 days, residential)

2012 June Treasuring Women in Ministry #1 ST Johns COllege, Auckland (3 days, 100 women, non-residential)

2011 Pastor and Prophet, Vaughan Park, Auckland

Mentoring

CAWS Mentoring and Advocacy

The CAWS Mentoring budget is intended to support and enable women into leadership and theological education.

CAWS promotes, identifies and provides opportunities for women to attend theological and educational conferenced and gatherings, nationally and internationally.

CAWS works alongside other women in leadership and education across tikanga

CAWS encourages women into study and leadership.

The Budget is currently $9500 for the year, to be allocated to selected applicants. Mentoring Application 2024Download

The AWSC has a mandate to mentor women in leadership, and those with leadership potential. A high priority for AWSC is Increasing the numbers of women in representative positions across the Church.

To this end, the following are important:

Intentional mentoring of those in national and international leadership positions .

Identifying those with leadership potential , especially younger women, and providing opportunities for them to attend national and international gatherings.

Providing leadership training opportunities (the provincial hui is one example)

Women are mentored in many different ways

Travel and costs to present a paper at conference in Canada
Spiritual Direction Training
Sunday School teacher training in Tonga
Writing Stories for Children- Christian/Bible, written in Samoan
Laidlaw Theology Hope Conference 2025, presenting a paper, costs for travel and accommodation
Counselling training, travel costs
Attend the Writing Retreat, travel costs from the Pacific and NZ
fees for final paper for Post Grad dip in Theology
fees to attend Provincial Hui
travel to Hui from Pacific and New Zealand
travel from Fiji for Writing Retreat Vaughan Park 2023
promotion costs for a book,
and much more.