Conference 2026: Pursuing Excellence in Chaplaincy

Excellence Through Collaboration

Hospital Chaplaincy Aotearoa’s 2026 Conference has drawn to a close, and this year’s theme, “Aspire: Pursuing Excellence in Chaplaincy”, challenged attendees to reflect on their personal ministry in a collaborative environment, ultimately leading to a deeper understanding of what it truly means to take part in the ministry of chaplaincy.

The conference began with an inspiring introduction from Ps Sonny Poutapu, who drew a powerful comparison between the work of hospital chaplains and the collaborative efforts of the individuals that push a waka canoe forward.

Wakas can only move when every person on board works in harmony to reach a shared destination. In the same way, true excellence in chaplaincy can only be achieved through mutual support and a shared calling to care for others.

We were invited to stand up and paddle in our metaphorical waka in time with everyone else in the room, serving as a tangible reminder of our collective journey towards excellence in chaplaincy.

While much of our work takes place in individual hospitals and communities, we all have a shared kaupapa: providing compassionate spiritual care that strengthens the wellbeing of the patients, whānau, and hospital staff in the communities that we serve. Sonny reminded us of this, offering each person there a metaphorical paddle with which to move towards a better understanding of how to best provide this care, together.

This introduction set the basis for the rest of the conference, and the engagement received from the chaplains reflected the importance of Sonny’s message for each of the chaplains in the room.

The Breadth of Chaplaincy across Aotearoa

Over the following two days, attendees heard from and engaged with 19 different speakers across almost 30 sessions.

These sessions covered the breadth of excellence in chaplaincy, and we were able to learn from the experiences of some of the most significant voices in spiritual care across Aotearoa:

·         Associate Professor Richard Egan from the University of Otago delivered an update on his revolutionary research on spiritual care in Aotearoa’s healthcare systems.

·         Dr. Elle Brittain, Senior Lecturer at Massey University, shared stories of Wairua through psychological distress and healing.

·         Hans Wouters, CEO of NZ Spinal Trust, inspired with his understanding of hope as seen through the lives of people coming to terms with life-changing spinal injuries.

·         Matt Hawkins, from Sports Chaplaincy NZ, explored excellence in chaplaincy in a completely different profession, facilitating three presentations and discussions over the course of the conference that challenged the chaplains’ understanding of what chaplaincy really means.

Aside from our external speakers, we also heard from several of our own chaplains.

These presentations brought to light their own particular areas of expertise within chaplaincy, highlighting the real breadth of the impact our work has on the communities we serve. From helping parents navigate the loss of a baby, to understanding how to guide struggling individuals to reframe their trauma.

Seeing the interactions between these disciplines brought the power of collaborative learning to the foreground.

| Just as the waka relies on everyone’s shared strength, true excellence in chaplaincy relies on every chaplain striving to share their knowledge to ultimately facilitate a deeper connection with the communities that each individual serves.

A real highlight of the conference came when Seven Sharp presenter, Hadyn Jones, shared his journey with Hospital Chaplaincy Aotearoa with all of the chaplains at the final dinner of week.

He has been working with the fundraising team behind the scenes for a number of months to create a series of videos highlighting the important work done by our chaplains across the country. Two of the videos were shared at the conference and will be launched publicly in 2027.

| But until then, we simply wish to thank everyone that attended the 2026 Hospital Chaplaincy Aotearoa Conference. Your hard work and collaborative spirit created a genuinely inquisitive environment, within which we made real strides towards true excellence in chaplaincy.