Psalms Conference

I pakeke mai ahau i ngā rekereke o aku tīpuna ki Ōpōtiki. He tamaiti ahau nā ōku pakeke, i waimaria ahau i ngā whakaakoranga maha o te kāinga. Ko te kapa haka tētahi o aua kura.

Anameka is the current Co-Principal of Te Wānanga Ihorangi formally Oati, who specialises in teaching, curriculum development, and resource creation. She is leading out the development and the creation of curriculum with a Theology and Te Reo Māori focus.

Ko ōna kāwai nō Te Taitokerau nō Ngāti Hine, Te Kahu o Torongare, Ngāti Rangi, Te Māhurehure, Ngāti Rāhiri, Ngāi Tawake, Te Matarahurahu, Ngāpuhi. Ki te Rāwhiti ko ōna hapū ko Ngāti Konohi, Ngāti Rangi, Te Whānau a Ruataupare ki Tūpāroa, me Ngāti Kahungunu.

Te Hira is the Tikanga Māori Dean at St John’s Theological College and is currently completing his PhD through the University of Otago with a focus on theology and kapahaka.

Dr Brent Strawn (PhD, Princeton Theological Seminary) is a professor of Old Testament at Duke Divinity School in North Carolina with particular interests in the Psalms, Old Testament theology, Israelite religion, and ancient Near Eastern iconography. He has published over two hundred and fifty academic works and regularly speaks and preaches in churches across the United States.

*Brent will be presenting virtually.

Dr Michael Rhodes (PhD, University of Aberdeen/Trinity College Bristol), is lecturer in Old Testament at Carey Baptist College. His passion is to help the church hear and respond to God’s call in Scripture to become a community that embodies Jesus’s good news for the poor. At the Psalms Conference, Michael will be presenting with other Carey faculty members.

Luke Kaa-Morgan provides leadership for Carey Baptist College and its Tiriti hikoi. He guides Carey’s Ministry Training Team as it seeks to develop practices of leadership formation that embrace Kaupapa Māori and embody the vision of Te Tiriti. He nurtures Carey’s community life and seeks to develop and identify emerging Māori leaders in need of theological formation and ministry training.

Lani Alo has quickly become a prominent figure in the music scene, profoundly impacting the Samoan and Pacific communities worldwide. He is a key figure in the Samoan and Pacific music scene, particularly in Aotearoa New Zealand, and his work has earned him numerous accolades in the music industry. He continues to perform at various events and festivals, captivating audiences with his dynamic presence and vocal prowess. His music not only entertains but also resonates deeply with cultural pride and identity.

Dr Jill Firth (PhD, Australian College of Theology) is lecturer in Hebrew and Old Testament at Ridley College, Melbourne. She has ministered in Western Australia, the Northern Territory, Hong Kong, and Melbourne, and is an Anglican priest and a trained spiritual director. She has edited her PhD on lament psalms for publication and is currently writing a commentary on Jeremiah.

Dr Rico Villanueva (PhD, Trinity College/University of Bristol) is a pastor, seminary teacher, editor, and author. His book “It’s OK to be NOT OK” applies his research on Psalms of lament. Currently, he serves as Commissioning Editor for Langham Publishing and Pastoral Care Coordinator for Asian scholars of Langham Partnership. He was previously General Editor of the Asia Bible Commentary series and teaches part-time at Asia Graduate School of Theology and Ateneo de Manila University.

Dr Brian Fiu Kolia is a second-generation Australian-born Samoan. He is a lecturer in Hebrew Bible at Malua Theological College. He holds a PhD from the University of Divinity, Melbourne, Australia. He is interested in reading the text from decolonising, Pasifika/Moana cultural, and indigenous/native perspectives. More importantly, he is a husband to Tanaria and a father to Elichai.