Kenyan Kiwi bishop up and running
Nelson officially welcomes its new Anglican bishop today, Kenyan priest the Rev Steve Maina. Hannah Bartlett hears his hopes and plans for the church in the top of the south.
When the Rev Steve Maina and his family arrived in New Zealand 10 years ago, they feared that their Kenyan family and friends wouldn’t come to visit. To his surprise, not a single year has gone by without a significant person making the long trip.
This weekend, about 20 Kenyans will arrive to see Maina take up his new role as Bishop of Nelson.
‘‘Together with the other Kenyans in New Zealand, there will be about 40 Kenyans in Nelson,’’ Maina says.
‘‘We are going to change the colour of the city as we march the streets, you know.’’
The ceremony today, followed by an official welcome from Nelson Mayor Rachel Reese and a procession down Trafalgar St, will see Maina ordained as bishop.
He replaces Bishop Richard Ellena, who served in the role for 12 years and retired at the end of 2018.
Maina says his new role is a continuation of the current ‘‘season’’ of his life, which began a decade ago.
He was appointed head of the New Zealand Church Missionary Society in 2009, prompting the move from Kenya to Christchurch with his wife and two daughters, who were then aged five and eight.
‘‘We did not know if we would make friends here, we did not even know if we would get to like the country, we didn’t know if we would cope with the weather,’’ he recalls.
But now New Zealand is home, and Maina feels well placed to serve the top of the south.
Maina began serving the church in Kenya, as a third-generation Anglican minister. He says people there are more open to faith.
‘‘Kenyans generally do not have a significant distinction between the social, the spiritual and the physical,’’ he says.
‘‘We are very holistic. Probably a bit like the Ma¯ ori people. Spirituality is very much a part of who we are, so church is not something people push away.’’
New Zealand, on the other hand, is becoming more secular, he says.
‘‘Here, the challenge we face is that we may be materially wealthy . . . we have a fantastic lifestyle, we have health insurance, we’ve got a house and a job – and yet perhaps spiritually, we’re not where we need to be.’’
Maina says that while New Zealand is a place of immense natural beauty, the community has its struggles, including in the areas of loneliness and mental health.
‘‘There is a bit of a contrast between the beauty that you see and the warmth people have and what goes on inside. There is room for ministry in this place – people need hope in the Lord Jesus.’’
He says his vision is for a united church. ‘‘A united diocese, a place where God’s people love one another and serve one another, and it’s about putting others first.
‘‘That’s the call that Jesus gives us. It begins with us. Before we can go out there and minister to others, it begins with us.’’
He acknowledges that the church faces challenges, including ongoing debates over doctrine, but says it’s important that this doesn’t distract from the core message of the Christian faith.
‘‘We are to share the good news in whatever form or shape it takes . . . the Lord Jesus Christ has come and died for us and been raised up again to give us life in abundance. That is the message.’’
Maina hopes that, given his experience as the first Kenyan bishop in a predominantly Pa¯ keha diocese, he will be able to help both the church and wider community learn to welcome newcomers to the region.
‘‘We’ve got people from other cultures who have come into our cities but they are still on their own in their communities, and we don’t integrate well. We’re friendly on the outside, but we don’t go deep enough.’’
He wants to see the top of the south become a place of ‘‘welcome, a place of manaakitanga, a place of hospitality for all people from all cultures’’.
Maina and his family feel well loved and cared for in New Zealand, which they now call home.
But his Kenyan roots are evident in his love of coffee and desire for locals to share their favourite running tracks with him.
‘‘I love running,’’ he says. ‘‘I think Kenyans and running go hand in hand.’’
‘‘The challenge we face is that we may be materially wealthy . . . and yet perhaps spiritually, we’re not where we need to be.’’ Steve Maina, Bishop of Nelson