Learning and sharing through International College for Officers appointment

Captain Faye Molen (Ngāti Awa, Ngā Puhi, Ngai Tūhoe) from our Manurewa Corp had a cooler than usual Christmas in 2024 after flying to London to attend the International College for Officers (ICO) at Sunbury Court, Surrey in December.

The six-week programme she is attending aims to develop officers’ leadership, spiritual development and international understanding while encouraging a renewed sense of misison and purpose as an officer in the Salvation Army.

Faye will be joined by officers from around the world and she looks forward to hearing about their experiences, particularly those of other Indigenous officers.

“It will be interesting seeing some of our Indigenous siblings and just hearing stories of their life and how the Salvation Army lives and breathes in their homelands,” she says.

“I do like hearing stories of how the Salvation Army has impacted a person’s life and how people have come to meet God and become Christian and the calling to officership.”

She will also be sharing her own experiences as a Māori officer within the Salvation Army.

“I think for us as Māori it’s an opportunity to share things from a Māori perspective. There are a lot of Salvationists who may never have met someone from New Zealand, never known someone who has whakapapa Māori, so being able to share some of our culture will be great because there’ll be things that we have in common with each other, those stories of lament and celebration, of loss and joy.”

She says others who have attended the course, including her father Wayne Moses, considered it a life-changing experience.

“They’ve said it has impacted the way they look at New Zealand, about their ministry, about themselves and their family, so we’ll see what happens to me.”

And while it’s an important opportunity for Faye, she is not looking forward from being away from her whānau for such a long period of time.

“I’d prefer to be home with my feet on the ground and my gumboots on my feet,” she says.

“But I am grateful to TSA Aotearoa NZ leadership for the opportunity to be a delegate of ICO Session 260.”

• Faye’s attendance at ICO supports one of the central objectives of Te Au Hūmārika (The Gentle Current), the Māori transitional strategy in place until 2027, which is to develop Māori leadership within Te Ope Whakaora.