The Vaughan Park Resident Scholarship Programme supports theological and creative work that aligns with our Christian ethos. It offers dedicated time and space for focused research, writing, and reflection in a peaceful retreat environment overlooking Long Bay, Auckland.

We welcome applications from ministers, scholars, writers, and artists — both lay and ordained — from Aotearoa New Zealand and around the world.

FEBRUARY - Rev. Dr. Kathy Kelly (USA)

Kathy is a theologian and pastor with a passion for supporting healthy church communities. She will address the deeply relevant topics of parish conflicts and mental health, providing insights and strategies to help churches navigate these challenges.

MARCH - Hua Dai (Aotearoa New Zealand)

Hua is a poet and creative thinker who will use her residency to explore spirituality and healing through poetry. After 15 years of continuous work following a life-changing event in 2002, this scholarship offers her the space to pause, reflect, and reconnect with divine guidance as she contemplates the next phase of her journey.

APRIL - Justin Bristow (Australia)

Justin is a scholar in political theology with a focus on the intersection of faith and conflict. During his time at Vaughan Park, he will develop a political theology of civil war, exploring how chaos has been framed as the adversary of political-theological life in the Western tradition.

MAY - Rev. David Jackson (Aotearoa New Zealand)

David is a minister with a passion for children’s spiritual formation. His residency will focus on exploring the power of storytelling in shaping children’s faith, examining how stories ignite imagination, make Divine truths relatable, and inspire deeper spiritual exploration.

JUNE - Taulu Schuster (Aotearoa New Zealand)

Taulu will explore the faith dynamics of Generation Z Polynesians and their relationship with the church. His work seeks to provide valuable insights into how young people engage with spirituality in the modern world, particularly within Polynesian communities.

JULY - Rev. Dr. Feiloaiga Taule’ale’ausumai (Aotearoa New Zealand)

Known as Fei, she is a trailblazing fafine (Pacific woman) leader with 34 years of ministry experience. During her residency, Fei will focus on writing memoirs reflecting her remarkable faith and leadership journey. Her work will offer profound insights into her ministry, cultural heritage, and the unique challenges and triumphs she has experienced as a fafine in spiritual leadership.

AUGUST - Dr. Anne-Marie Ellithorpe (Canada)

Anne-Marie is a scholar with a focus on friendship and kinship within the early Church in Aotearoa New Zealand. Her work will explore how these relationships shaped church history while considering the potential for an interdisciplinary Centre for Friendship Studies.

SEPTEMBER - Rev. Dr. Rangi Nicholson (Aotearoa New Zealand)

Rangi is a minister and theologian who will delve into Anglican equity issues in the context of honouring the Treaty of Waitangi as a sacred covenant. His research will explore the relationship between these two significant aspects of New Zealand’s history and spirituality.

OCTOBER - Dr. Cecelia Faumuina (Aotearoa New Zealand)

Cecelia is a cultural preservationist who will focus on the spiritual significance of traditional Tongan weaving. Her work seeks to ensure that this unique heritage remains deeply connected to faith and community.

NOVEMBER - The Venerable Dr. Michael Godfrey (Aotearoa New Zealand)

Michael is an archdeacon and historian who will research and write an updated history of the Diocese of Dunedin to mark its 150th anniversary. Using the ten bishops as era markers, he will examine their leadership and the interactions between the church and wider cultural contexts.