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Working in The Province of Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia
Originally known as the Church of the Province of New Zealand, the Church of Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia covers 106,000 square miles and includes the countries of New Zealand, Fiji, Tonga, Samoa and the Cook Islands. This combines the three tikanga, or cultural strands which are Maori, New Zealand and Polynesian.
The first branch of Mothers' Union to be founded outside England was established in Christchurch in 1886. The Association of Anglican Women emerged from Mothers' Union in 1969, when the central MU did not recognise divorced women as members. Now the AAW and Mothers' Union work together in many areas; there are currently 550 MU members.
Members are currently involved with many projects that offer practical support to their parish and local communities. They aim to have a strong voice at a national level, and have recently shown this with their involvement in the 'Elimination of Child Poverty' campaign, a national campaign attempting to reduce the amount of children living in poverty in NZ. MU members support the campaign by collecting donated groceries for food banks run by other charities that are involved.
One project in Auckland, which has been particularly successful, is known as 'The Godmothers'. A group of members have set up a project, which aims to support young mothers. Members devote time to many young mothers who attend a residential programme that aims to equip and encourage them during their first few months of motherhood. The 'Godmothers' are then on hand once the mothers have returned home and they will support them as they adjust to living back in their community. This is valuable work supporting young mothers, giving not only practical advice on motherhood but being a pastoral support where many are in difficult situations.
In Waikato Diocese members along with the Association of Anglican Women (AWW) have launched a new programme for children in New Plymouth called 'Growing through Grief'. Several training events have already been held so that members are equipped to work with children who are facing this issue. The children are either referred to the project by Social Services or School councillors. By the end of 2004, 17 children had attended the programme, and 26 were registered for 2005. This has been a valuable resource for the local community attracting much praise and recognition.
There has been a Mothers' Union group in Tonga for many years, and a branch has re-opened in Auckland recently, comprising mainly Tongan women; there is a growing interest in the work of Mothers' Union in Fiji.
Facts & Figures
Mothers' Union Members: 550
Population: 3,800,000
Life Expectancy: male: 76 female: 82
Infant Mortality Rate: 6 deaths out of every 1000 births
Reg Charity No.240531
