Being Church in Aotearoa New Zealand Catholic Schools is a new support document published by NZCEO and NCRS (National Centre for Religious Studies) to reemphasis the place of Catholic schools in Aotearoa New Zealand.
The document, with clear language and grounded concepts, contextualises and links several key Catholic education documents on the Aotearoa Catholic education landscape – The Catholic Education of School-Age Children (NZCBC, 2014), Catholic Special Character Evaluation for Development (2022) and Tō Tatou Whakapono Our Faith (NCRS, 2021).
The purpose of Being Church in Aotearoa New Zealand Catholic Schools is to facilitate rich dialogue of how Catholic school communities can realise their place in the mission of the Church, and make clear connections between Catholic special character, Religious Education, and the current Aotearoa New Zealand context. Furthermore, its intention is to expand and support practical application of The Catholic Education of School-Age Children (New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference, 2014). The QR code on the page 24 will give access to support material for engaging with the document. These resources will be added to over time.
In just 30 minutes, school staff and boards are invited to use a new NZCEO reflection template to engage in synodal dialogue grounded in Being Church in Aotearoa New Zealand Catholic Schools. The intended formation invites us not simply to read a document, but to enter into dialogue about who we are, why we exist, and how we live the mission of Jesus in our schools today. At its heart, this document names our Catholic schools as Church in action –faith communities called to evangelisation, formation, and hope, woven into the cultural and educational landscape of Aotearoa New Zealand. To support this, NZCEO has developed a Group Reflection Template that enables staff and school boards to engage in focused, 30-minute discussions grounded in shared listening, reflection, and discernment.
These short conversations are designed to be synodal in spirit – creating space to listen deeply, to speak from experience, and to notice how the Holy Spirit is stirring within our school communities. Using the template, leadership teams, boards, and staff are invited to explore one theme at a time from Being Church, identify evidence from their own context, name challenges honestly, and consider the formation and resourcing required to steward Catholic special character with confidence. As we “walk together” in this way, these conversations become moments of shared mission – helping our schools bring faith, culture, and life into harmony, and strengthening our collective identity as Catholic schools in Aotearoa.