By Erin Morahan
I have the privilege of teaching at Te Kōmanawa Rowley School in Christchurch. Our school community is rich in culture, with a high proportion of Māori and Pasifika students. While many of our families navigate significant challenges, including poverty, trauma, housing insecurity, and other social issues, I have also witnessed great resilience, generosity, and a deep desire among whānau to see their children do well. I value the opportunity to work alongside them and be part of their lives.
When I first began teaching at Rowley, I didn’t fully understand the community. Over the years, God has challenged me to grow in my understanding of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and the impact that our history continues to have today. Listening to Māori colleagues, whānau and members of our community has helped me recognise that many of the struggles we see today are connected to generations of injustice, loss, and unequal access to opportunities.
That growing understanding has changed the way I see the children in my classroom and the people who care for them. Instead of asking, “What’s wrong?” I’ve learnt to ask, “What has happened?” That shift has grown my compassion and reminded me that every child and every parent has a story.
One of the most encouraging things I’ve witnessed is the growing passion among Māori to reconnect with their language, culture, iwi, and marae. I’ve seen the confidence, hope and sense of identity that comes when people know where they belong. It has reminded me that we were created for community.
At the same time, I’ve noticed that many of the families who struggle the most are also the most isolated. Sometimes, as their child’s teacher, I’m one of the few people they interact with consistently each day. That relationship becomes incredibly significant. A smile at the classroom door, a conversation after school, celebrating something their child has done well, or simply listening without judgement gradually builds trust.
As a Christian, I see those everyday moments as opportunities to reflect God’s love. While I am not able to openly share my faith in the classroom, I hope families experience something of Jesus through the way I serve them, listen to them and care for them.
One story that has had a profound impact on me is that of a colleague I work alongside. She is Māori and Niuean, and a proud mum of six children.
As we worked together each day, in the ordinary conversations that happen in a busy classroom, she gradually shared more of her story with me. She has experienced addiction, relationship breakdown, and the heartbreaking loss of one of her children. She told me that when she was first offered the opportunity to work at Rowley School, she felt like a completely broken person.
Over time, we built a genuine friendship. She was attending a Tongan church, so we would often chat about church, about my church, and about the Navigators. I never felt like I had to force those conversations – they became part of sharing life at school. Behind the scenes, I was praying that God would continue healing her and draw her closer to Himself.
Then, almost by chance, she visited a new church where she was able to understand the message and hear God speak to her through His Word. On the Monday morning after visiting, she burst into my classroom, absolutely beaming. She said, “Whaea Erin, I’ve finally found a church like your church. And for the first time, I actually understand who God is.” I remember thinking, “I thought you already did!” But it made me realise that God had been quietly at work in her heart over a long period. Looking back, I can see that while we were sharing life, God was faithfully answering those prayers in ways I couldn’t yet see.
Since then, it has been such a joy to watch her faith grow. She is passionate about reading God’s Word, excited to share what she’s learning with her family and friends, and last year I had the privilege of standing alongside her when she was baptised. Hearing her share how God had rescued and restored her was deeply encouraging and a wonderful answer to my prayers for her.
That story reminds me that God is always working, often in quiet and unseen ways. Sometimes our role isn’t to have all the answers or say all the right things. Sometimes it is simply to faithfully love people, pray for them and trust God with the rest.
As I reflect on my time at Rowley School, two passages of Scripture have come to mean a great deal to me.
The first is Micah 6:8: “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”
Working in this community has taught me that justice, mercy, and humility are not abstract ideas. They look like listening before judging, recognising the dignity of every person, seeking to understand people’s stories, and faithfully loving the families God has placed in front of me.
The second is 1 Thessalonians 2:8: “Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well.”
That’s what God has been teaching me. Most ministry doesn’t happen in extraordinary moments. It happens in the ordinary rhythms of everyday life – in conversations at the classroom door, while working alongside colleagues, encouraging a child who is struggling, or listening to a parent who needs someone to care.
As Navigators, we often talk about life-on-life discipleship. Looking back, I realise that’s exactly what I’ve been experiencing. Long before people are ready to hear about Jesus, they often need someone willing to share life with them.
It is a privilege to serve at Te Kōmanawa Rowley School. The children, families, and colleagues I work alongside have shaped my faith just as much as I hope I have encouraged theirs. My prayer is that through the ordinary faithfulness of showing up each day, people would catch a glimpse of the love, hope, and grace of Jesus Christ.