“Is this real?” An austere letter for Cook Islands-born Reverend Tapita Ching detailing her nomination for a King’s Birthday Honour had her stunned.
She’s been given the royal nod for her faithful contributions to Pasifika in Nelson through education, culture and church ministry with a King’s Service Medal - a "privilege" to accept though she insists “there are other people who work with me that do more”.
The lessons of the Richmond resident’s childhood - “always cater for our village” - has guided Tapita’s service since laying down roots in Nelson in 1996 after teaching in Rarotonga.
She’s a luminary to her Fijian, Samoan, Tongan, Cook Islands and Niuean students at Victory Primary School where she’s been a bilingual teacher, teacher aide and chaplain since 2009.
Her leadership has helped ensure Pasifika students are not defined by the size of the islands they or their heritage comes from, but by the greatness of the oceans that connect them.
She is instrumental in weekly songs, dances and language lessons in Te Reo Māori Kūki 'Āirani (Cook Islands Māori) and Gagana Sāmoa, helping Pacific children unite.
She also spearheads the kura’s annual Pacific graduation for honoured students to proudly fly their Pasifika flags.
Her work extends beyond the classroom to caregivers of Pasifika heritage, providing translation support to help them engage in their children’s education.
Tapita also pioneered Moana Pasifika at the school, a cultural group dedicated to Pacific identities, values and languages, championing the “leaders of tomorrow” - including a young Leicester Fainganuku, who went on to wear the black jersey.
She was ordained in 2016 and attained priesthood in 2018, and currently serves as pou mihana (lead enabler) for Nelson within Te Hui Amorangi o Te Waipounamu, the Anglican Māori Diocese serving the South Island.
With six faith leaders, she formed the Nelson-Tasman Interfaith Council in 2017, an organisation she remains involved in today.
“That was really good to bring all faith together, and also to reach out to those who don’t have a faith… it’s good that we can reach out to them too, because we can help them,” she says.
Her other roles include serving as regional link to the Anglican Women’s Studies Council for five years, promoting women’s leadership in ministry, and through her ministry supporting the homeless in Nelson.
Reverend Ching has previously been a Nelson Tasman Pasifika Community Trust trustee.
