Farewelling a Legacy: Kaikohe Gives Thanks as Marist Brothers Conclude Nearly 50 Years in Te Tai Tokerau (Northland), Aotearoa New Zealand

On 7 December, the Marist Brothers community in Kaikohe marked the close of nearly 50 years of presence and service in the north of Aotearoa - New Zealand. A beautiful and deeply moving Mass brought the community together as local parishioners, friends, and former students gathered to honour the Brothers and express their gratitude for decades of ministry, accompaniment, and friendship.

Br Peter Horide, Provincial Delegate to Aotearoa - New Zealand, has penned a heartfelt reflection on the significance of the moment and the enduring bonds forged over those many years.

Brothers John Hazelman, Peter Horide, Martin Pattison, and Osmund McNamara represented the Marist Brothers at the farewell ritual

On Sunday, a fitting farewell Mass was held in Kaikohe.

We are deeply grateful to Bishop Steve Lowe, Father Emile and the local parishioners. Our Brothers were always generously and enthusiastically supported in Kaikohe.

Thank you to each of our men who participated in our venture in Kaikohe in the last 10 years. This includes Brothers Martin Pattison and Samisoni Talia, and others who’ve been involved there.

The Brothers together with the wonderful local community at the Mass marking the community’s closure

Let us also prayerfully celebrate the wider history of our Marist Brothers’ effective presence in the northern region over the past 49 years.

In addition to Kaikohe, there have been communities in Panguru, Kaitaia, Kawakawa and Moerewa. Over the last 49 years, we saw dozens of different Brothers who served in the region. The number is approximately 50 of our men, perhaps a few more than that.

Bishop Steve Lowe

Our continuous Marist presence in Panguru was maintained for several decades. The communities in Kawakawa and Kaikohe both lasted for 10 years. Also noted, we had a significant presence and good numbers living in Kaitaia.

Underpinning this story is the sensible approach that was taken by our Brothers who went to these small towns of the north. Our men were innovative and showed a keen willingness to adapt. Brothers not only served as teachers, sports coaches and in governance or senior management at local colleges, they also walked with, and worked alongside, many local people and organisations. Brothers formed great friendships and strong connections with church groups, youth workers, social workers, the police, courts and non-profit ventures.

Br Martin Pattison during the ceremony

Not infrequently, facilitated by our historic links with Hato Petera College, Brothers engaged with, and actively supported, the existing local groups. It also helped greatly that they were ready to take up whatever apostolic opportunities happened to emerge.

Our Panguru venture was the important initial step that was taken in 1976. Here a workable pattern was established, where Brothers accepted various teaching and other roles at the nearby Panguru Area School.

In 1988, the 150th Anniversary of the arrival of Bishop Pompallier and the first Marists, there was a hikoi (a communal march) of 20 Marist Brothers to the North, wishing to celebrate our historic connection with the region. The contingent included men from all parts of the country. Two years later, another ‘national’ Catholic hikoi came north with young people drawn from Auckland and Wellington, and this also involved some of our Brothers. In 2001, several Brothers accompanied the representatives of the New Zealand church who went across to France to retrieve Bishop Pompallier. It was momentous event, bringing the Bishop’s remains back to the Hokianga.

Brothers enjoying a cuppa as they reminisce about the beautiful Marist presence and impact in the North

Increasingly, our New Zealand Brothers developed an appreciation and understanding that our earliest Champagnat-trained Brothers who had come to Aotearoa starting in 1838, and into the 1840s and 1850s, were in real sense our ‘ancestors’ or tipuna.

We are now left with a proud legacy of the more recent decades of service and our Christ-like presence in the north.

A tribute to Brothers Martin and Samisoni, they will now pass back to the parish a neatly-kept residence and garden

We thank each one of you who has served there. Through you, we were welcomed and appreciated. Through you, we have been effective in making a difference.

This story of success is founded on the fact that each individual who went to Panguru, Kaitaia, Kawakawa, Moerewa or Kaikohe, was freely available, and he generously responded to the call of the Holy Spirit.

Brothers, may we continue to appreciate and nurture our vocation, our communities and our mission to make Jesus known and loved. Kia ora!

(Reference: Far Distant Shores by Br Edward Clisby)