In a visit marked by a shared spirit of mission, Daniel Ang, Director of the Sydney Centre for Evangelisation, recently travelled to Aotearoa New Zealand to share key insights and learnings from Sydney’s evangelisation journey.
His series of formative talks—held in the Diocese of Palmerston North under the leadership of Bishop John Adams, and in the vibrant parish of New Plymouth—drew together bishops, pastoral leaders, Catholic organisational heads, and diocesan staff from across the country.
The visit provided a unique opportunity for the church in New Zealand to draw on learnings, principles and pastoral strategies behind Go Make Disciples, the Archdiocese of Sydney’s evangelisation plan and the centre which supports its vision.
New Plymouth parish stands out as one of the first international communities to adopt this framework as part of its own pastoral development, making it a fitting setting for these cross-Tasman conversations.
Spanning 16–19 June 2025, at the heart of the visit was a clear and urgent message: the church exists to evangelise and extend her reach, bringing the Gospel to those who have yet to encounter its transforming power.
Daniel challenged leaders at every level to return to this foundational mission with renewed conviction, inviting them to reflect deeply on what it means for the church to reimagine itself in light of the demands and opportunities of a new apostolic era.
Early sessions explored the importance of placing mission and evangelisation at the centre of diocesan identity, helping leaders rediscover not just what the church does, but why it exists.
“Evangelisation is not just the work of a few passionate parishes or gifted individuals”, Daniel shared. “It must become the organising principle of diocesan and parish life— shaping how we lead, how we support, how we form, and how we deploy every resource we have.”
Drawing on the parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14-30, Daniel underscored Jesus’ warning against fearful inaction—a real temptation for a church that, in the face of past challenges, can become passive or overly guarded.
He emphasised that Christ calls his followers not merely to safeguard what has been entrusted to them, but to boldly invest and multiply it for the sake of the Kingdom.
Participants were also invited to reflect on the cultural shift from Christendom to a more secular age, and the implications of this change for how the church plans and leads. These sessions were not merely theoretical, but deeply practical, asking hard questions about whether current diocesan structures and inherited systems will serve the church’s evangelising mission tomorrow.
Rather than dismiss structures as unimportant to mission, Daniel shared that, like fresh wineskins, parish and diocesan structures that are alive, responsive, and mission-focused can promote that most important thing—the Gospel—to be passed on, can be supple enough to hold the vitality of the Gospel and adaptable enough to serve its proclamation.
Clear was the need to reclaim the church’s “why”—the deep heartbeat of mission that fuels purpose and passion in ministry. Leaders were given space to wrestle with their roles, reflect on their leadership, and discern how they can shape diocesan culture in ways that inspire renewal rather than simply preserve what has always been.
As Emily Sit, Director of Mission and Evangelisation in Palmerston North shared, the diocesan leaders’ day on 16 June was aimed at “creating space for diocesan leaders in New Zealand to reflect, reimagine, and realign their leadership in service of mission. We need to share more openly, deepen trust and our reliance on the Holy Spirit who convicts of the urgency of evangelisation as a priority for the Catholic Church here in Aotearoa as elsewhere.”
For Emily, the day was illuminating: “Daniel’s talk reignited in me the conviction that evangelisation is not a program, but a posture—a way of living, leading, and serving that depends completely on the Holy Spirit. Renewal begins with the transformation of hearts, and as leaders, our first responsibility is to cultivate a culture where that becomes possible.”
The momentum continued on Tuesday 17 June as Daniel joined the parish community of New Plymouth, three hours from Palmerston North, which—under the leadership of Fr Simon Story and his senior leadership team—has experienced renewed vitality and a deepening sense of missionary purpose.
Fr Simon shared: “Our parish is seeing the fruit of a missional parish journey. The Holy Spirit is working in new ways here. We are on new ground. We need the encouragement to keep walking on water. “
An evening talk with key leaders looked at the character and implications of servant leadership, while the following morning a breakfast talk examined the need for culture, clarity and conversion in local communities, stressing that the experience of growing parishes is that renewal requires more than tactical shifts.
Fr Simon emphasised that these sessions were important because “an essential component of our identity is as missional disciples of Jesus. It is important for our parish to hear different people speak of evangelisation in different ways and touch different people significantly. Our parish is on a journey of mission and so it’s essential we raise the task to front of mind.”
Daniel also suggested that all are called to influence our culture through leadership—but not the kind so often amplified in politics and public life. True leadership, he observed, does not need to be loud or forceful. It does not demand the spotlight or dominate the room. Instead, it often begins quietly, in the backwaters of Galilee—among the everyday fishermen of this world, the tax collectors and accountants, the tentmakers and widows, the barren women who dared to hope, the prophets who trembled at their call, and “the carpenters who shaped wood long before they shaped hearts and human history.”
On the afternoon of Wednesday 18 June, the conversation delved into the need for ministry teams to reconnect with the deeper meaning behind their work. Rather than simply managing tasks, leaders were encouraged to raise up other leaders. Daniel acknowledged the risk of burnout in ministry, proposing that renewed clarity of mission can offer a lifeline to those who feel stretched thin or spiritually dry.
A key takeaway for parish leader Christine Ng was the insight that “culture is not merely what appears in a vision document. Culture is how we live it, how it is experienced, and ultimately, it requires an encounter with Jesus Christ and a continual process of conversion.”
Having attended both Tuesday and Wednesday sessions, Christine found the experience personally nourishing: “It encourages me and serves as a launch pad for encouraging others. Often, ministry may not seem immediately rewarding, but Daniel’s message was that it’s not about what I can gain. Instead: what is the Lord calling me to do? How am I being called to serve?”
Daniel’s talks reaffirmed for her that ministry “is not just about willpower or moral resolve. It begins at the foot of Jesus, learning from him, trusting that he will guide us and open doors along the way.”
As the sun set, the energy shifted to a public Parish Mission night, where parishioners, leaders, and guests gathered for a keynote titled “Evangelisation: It’s Not What You Think.” In this wide-reaching presentation, Daniel broke open common misconceptions about evangelisation, acknowledged Catholic reticence to use the word following the Protestant Reformation, and framed evangelisation not as a professional task for experts but as a deeply relational, accessible calling for every Catholic. The talk resonated deeply with attendees, many of whom admitted to feeling hesitant or intimidated by the idea of evangelising.
The evening also promoted the “Hope and Renewal Summit,” a major upcoming event in New Zealand organised by Emily Sit of Palmerston North together with Divine Renovation ministry’s Cheryl Surrey. Designed to equip and inspire Catholic leaders to become “catalysts for change” through inspiring keynotes and workshops and to ignite a movement of evangelisation among parishes.
The final formal engagement of the trip took place on the morning of Thursday, 19 June, where Daniel met with Parish Pastoral Council members in New Plymouth over breakfast for a session titled “Mission at the Centre.”
This conversation explored how these councils can relate to the parish priest and senior leadership teams, the latter of which have been emerging in many of the Catholic parishes experiencing the most growth in the experience of Sydney and communities abroad.
Councils were encouraged to actively become stewards of the parish’s vision, carrying the vision of the “architects” and as “engineers” considering those practical foundations and strategies that will sustain and grow that vision for so many who are spiritually homeless, “ensuring that what’s being built is sound—not only structurally, but pastorally. They listen deeply, respond thoughtfully, and help ensure that every part of the community is included in the building process.”
The need for courageous leadership rooted in Christ, a willingness to rethink inherited models, and a deep, shared desire to see the church become once again a vibrant, missionary presence in the world.
“I believe we are seeing revitalisation because of the leadership of visionary priests such as Fr Simon and leadership teams that are working together with a common passion for Christ who never fails to call people to himself,” Daniel shared.
“The Spirit is inviting us to step forward, not just to maintain what we’ve built, but to reimagine what a renewed Catholic culture, local leadership and apostolic parishes look like for the sake of the Gospel. Christ continues to call people to himself, and so we are challenged to respond to that opportunity with dependence on the Holy Spirit and a willingness to make those changes that can better serve Christ’s outreach to all people.”
Daniel’s visit was a fruitful and timely one, said Fr Simon.
“We are grateful to Daniel for visiting our parish and sharing his own story of conversion to Catholic faith. Daniel reiterated the call of recent popes to parishes, to evangelisation with new ardour, new expression and new method—the new evangelisation,” he said.
The visit struck a chord. From diocesan teams to parish pews, there’s a sense that something new is stirring in New Zealand.