Archbishop Don Tamihere, Archbishop Fereimi Cama and Archbishop Philip Richardson have announced that this Church’s provincial theological college, the College of St John the Evangelist in Meadowbank, Auckland will undergo an independent review into the culture of the College over the next five months.
The review, which was called by the Archbishops with the support of General Synod Standing Committee, opened on 16 March 2021 and is expected to conclude in August this year.
A group of experienced reviewers will carry out an independent and objective review of the culture at St John’s Theological College. They will have the assistance of a panel of advisors to consult as appropriate especially on matters relating to ecclesiology, tikanga, theological education and ministry training.
Miriam Dean CNZM QC will lead the review assisted by Doug Martin, as well as barrister Nura Taefi and staff from Māori law firm Kahui Legal.
The reviewers are encouraging face to face interviews, but are happy to receive written statements if participants prefer. Interviews can be in pairs or groups and individual participants are welcome to bring along a support person.
Both pastoral and cultural support will be available for anyone taking part in the review.
Miriam Dean emphasised strongly that confidentiality is of the utmost importance in the review process, both to protect the privacy of people taking part and ensure free and frank discussion.
To that end, the reviewers will keep confidential the identities of those they meet, keep confidential all interview notes and any written material they receive from participants and destroy all notes and other material at the end of the review.
In a letter to the St John’s Theological College community Ms Dean encouraged full participation in the review,
“…the success of the review very much depends on the participation and cooperation of all of you, whether you have a specific complaint, more general comments about the college’s culture or simply want to tell us what is working well at the college.”
Anyone who has been involved with St John’s College in recent years and wishes to participate in the review should contact the review team at their email address reviewteam@kahuilegal.co.nz. Please note this email is strictly confidential to the review team. The closing date to register to take part in the review is Friday 9 April 2021.
