Dallas is a husband to Lucy (nō Repanona, Kōtirana, Airihi hoki ia) and Pāpā to Barnaby, Wilbur and Ivy Pearl - his greatest blessings!

Dallas considers himself a willing learner sitting (and working!) under the kaupapa of Ngā Wai Hōhonu as a Kaikōkiri. To join and follow in the footsteps of numerous and honourable people who have paved the way for us all in the pursuit of justice, truth and reconciliation is a real privilege. He is passionate about co-creating spaces and contexts that invite, challenge and deepen an authentic and real connection to the divine well of life, our roots, each other and ourselves. Dallas attended the World Christian Gathering on Indigenous People’s in Israel in 2008 where he first met the NAIITS: An Indigenous learning Community international whānau.

Dallas has a wealth of knowledge and experience in the personal, social, community and international development sectors, and also in various ministry and faith contexts in Aotearoa and overseas. He and his whānau are based in Ōtautahi and currently he is exploring theology, spiritual formation and discipleship within te ao māori and other contexts.

Hannah has spent most of her life living in Tāmaki Makaurau and Tūrangi, her ūkaipō and served for many years alongside her parents in their ministry of reconciliation. She is committed to enabling and empowering Māori and other indigenous peoples to have life in all its fullness, and through her company provides business support services to entities that align with this life-orienting conviction. Hannah is a Trustee for Te Ora Hou Aotearoa and on behalf of her whānau whānui she leads engagement with the Crown in their ancillary claim settlement process. Hannah was a founding Kaikōkiri of Ngā Wai Hōhonu (2020-2022) but now works as the Trust Secretariat. She lives in Tāmaki Makaurau with her children, Canaan, Josiah and Psalm and dog, Finn, and remains involved with her beloved hapū Ngāti Tūrangitukua.

Sam and Thelma have spent over 40 years compelled by Gods love to journey with underserved, marginalized families and communities. These are Kiwi families who want to love more, give more, serve more, lead more, be more, achieve greater levels of purpose, productivity and influence but just don’t know how.

Sam and Thelma and their whanau have always provided a home environment with a cultural mix of Maori and Irish worldview. Their spiritual beliefs, values and practices, such as the Maori concepts of Whanaungatanga (Aroha, Manaakitanga, Awhi, Wairuatanga) and the Celtic concepts of Longing to Belong to Place and People, reflect a collective and collaborative commitment to each other, to wider whanau, to the wellbeing of all of creation, to the land and the people, to the “we” and not just the “me”. More than anything. it reflects God’s love and commitment to them.

They returned home to Turangi in 2013 and were able to purchase back land that had been taken from Sam’s family under the Public Works Act for the Tongariro Hydro Power Project in the early 1960’s for a maternity hospital. This land had been for six generations under their care as Kaitiaki or guardians for the wellbeing and sustainability of their people. Sam and Thelma saw this as an opportunity to restore this role and develop an authentic Maori whanau environment where people from all walks of life could discover and experience God’s presence in the story and spirituality of the people and land of Tuwharetoa. Their daughter Hannah and her family joined them and together with their sons Hami, John, Luke and their families who live in Auckland, will seek to create and develop a future that will reflect the image of God by simply being whanau.

David was born in Te Puke, grew up in Tokoroa. In 1980 he became a committed Jesus follower, leading to a deep interest in national and international mission.

Through this interest, he developed strategic relationships living and working in 49 countries that helped shape him into a full-time career in Christian ministry his whole adult life.

David values relationships and connectedness, is comfortable with close relationships, and enjoys turning strangers into friends. He is an includer, a bridge-builder of people, a philosophy around which he orientates his life. David likes expanding a group so that as many people as possible can benefit from its support.

He is a consultant, a speaker, teacher, mentor and strategic thinker; chairs a local neighbourhood trust; sits on several national boards; is passionate about decolonising theology as an educational, spiritual, and material project embedded in indigenous histories, context and ontologies.

His family is an essential part of his life, married to Denise. They have three adult daughters, a son-in-law and three mokopuna, and all live in Mangere, ki Tāmaki Makaurau.

Alistair Reese is a farmer, historian and public theologian who lives with his Canadian wife Jeannie [Scottish/Lebanese/Mi’kmaq] on their Bay of Plenty orchard in the district of Tapuika. He has postgraduate degrees in Theology, History and Tikanga Māori. Alistair is a Research Affiliate at the University of Otago and his research and speaking interests centre on the New Zealand story with particular regard to post-colonial identity and reconciliation. Alistair is a Research Fellow at the University of Otago and is involved in local and national efforts to promote reconciliation between Māori and Pākehā, and exploring understandings of what an indigenous form of Christianity might look like. He enjoys swimming, hiking and good coffee…

Hana is a Salvation Army officer, leading the church and social services in Rotorua and a proud mum of two adult sons. A social worker by trade, with a passion for education, social justice and public health leadership, she has had the privilege of working in several different communities over the past 20 years. Hana is currently studying theology with the University of Otago, with a focus on theologies from Indigenous perspectives. In between singing and storytelling, Hana is often found facilitating conversations around Tiriti-based leadership in faith communities.

Allana was born in Waipawa. Her whakapapa includes Ngati Kahungunu, Ngai Tahu lines through Petane Marae (Dad), and Te Arawa heritage through Ngati Rangitihi (Mum), as well as Christian missionary links through both parents. In her early years Allana’s parents taught at Horoera, East Coast, where the family were steeped in rural Maori ways. In 1962 the Hiha family moved to Napier where they became active participants in the community - school life, sports, church and cultural activities.

Although well respected in all arena, in those days mainstream NZ churches struggled with the reality of authentic Maori Christianity. Allana was told to ‘give up being Maori because ‘everything Maori was evil!’

In 1985 she asked God: “Who did You make me to be as a Maori?” The next years were enlightening, and Allana was mentored by Norman Tawhiao and others alongside the counsel of her parents to make sense of her identity. Two key topics discussed were the traditional roles of gender, and also the traditional process of higher education followed by the Maori.

Since then life has been a journey of tying all her learnings and experiences together for Allana to continue to serve the Lord with enthusiasm both in Aotearoa NZ, and overseas.