Rangi Davis  – Specialist in Maori Spirituality

Ko Tuhipa, ko Maungarangi nga maunga

Ko Tereawatea te awa

Ko Pewhairangi te Moana

Ko Otiria te marae

Ko Ngatokimatawhaorua te waka

Ko te Kau i mua te hapu Ko Ngati-Hine te iwi Ko Ngapuhi nui tonu.

Rangi Davis is a mother of seven children and grandmother of twenty three mokopuna and one great grand child. She is the eldest of eleven children and brought up in a quiet little valley called Orauta in the Bay of Islands.  Her mother steeped in Catholic traditions and Maori values, her father steeped in tikanga Maori flavoured with Anglican teachings shaped much of her strong foundations to her  growing spirituality, te reo Maori, Maori and Catholic beliefs, values, traditions and practices.

Kingi Davis no Hokianga whakapau Karakia, Motukaraka an old boy of Hato Petera College in the 60s and Rangi Davis an old girl from Hato Hohepa married in 1968. Their commitment to marriage was of the old school through tomo, which meant that the extended whanau had a responsibility to awhi and support the couple throughout their days.

In 1988 Rangi and Kingi were invited by the Marist brothers to share in Marist mission assisting with the care and manaakitanga of 200 young men from all over Aotearoa and from as far as Australia. Eleven years later they witnessed young wahine starting at Hato Petera. They left the college twice for a break but the call and pull to return to the Kura was still strong and so twenty-seven years later they are still privileged to be a part of this dynamic spiritual journey at Hato Petera College.

In 2013 Rangi and Kingi were invited to champion accommodation for University students at Whakaruruhau with Kaupapa Maori and values. 29 mainly Maori University students grace Whakaruruhau with their presence.

At present Rangi is a member of Te Puna Hauora Network Alliance Ltd Board, A past member of Board for Marist Alternative Education Centre Board, and a past Trustee of Te Whanau o Hato Petera Trust. She founded the Manawahine Taumatatanga Trust in 2003 and in 2014 it closed its doors due to funding cuts. Rangi has a private counseling practice and works for Hestia(a women’s Refuge) in Silverdale one day a week and some referrals from TePuna Hauora.

Rangi was no scholar in her early days, but winged everything which made her appear clever but she persevered her learning and have since gathered evidence of this journey.

At the age of fourty being a mum most of her life, was lucky to find some paid work to complement her voluntary mahi at Hato Petera. Getting her first paid employment at AUT saw her start an education pathway of her own. Rangi is now 67 with a Diploma in Teaching Adults, A Diploma in Matauranga Maori from Raukawa, Diploma in Poupou Karanga and a  Diploma to practice as a Psychosynthesis Counselor heading towards being a Full member of NZAC, She earned lots more smaller Certificates for other interesting subjects and taught the Maori Theology and Spirituality program offered by the Catholic Institute of Theology for twenty years and this year delivered 4 PPK wananga for Te Wananga o Raukawa with 28 wahine who passed. She loves life and the potential that the universe has in store for those who dare to make a difference.

I am privileged to be asked to represent Te Whanau Marama in a kaumatua role with a spiritual guidance kaupapa.

No reira nga manaakitanga ki a koutou katoa.