Project working to create first Māori Audio Bible

Last year, Bible Society launched a new partnership with Te Wananga Ihorangi, a faith-based Māori language school in Auckland.

The partnership aims to produce a Māori Audio Bible, a project that “we believe will make a significant impact in giving young Māori people greater access to the Bible in their heart language”.

The Christian Broadcasting Association has also joined the initiative, which is a three-year project.

As the various books are completed, they are released to communities, giving them an opportunity to provide feedback and allowing milestones to be celebrated collectively.

“This sense of community and shared achievement is what makes this project so special,” Bible Society stated.

“This is an initiative we can all be proud of and be connected to.”

This year, Bible Society also aims to distribute more than 5000 Bibles and New Testaments in 70 languages through prison and hospital chaplaincies. This helps ensure that people in difficult circumstances can engage with Scripture in a way that speaks to them through their hearts and cultures.

One prison chaplain shared that new Bible-reading groups often emerge whenever he and his team distribute Bibles.

In one instance, providing Samoan Bibles led to the formation of a Sunday church service – complete with a choir of 20. In another example, a simple request for a Chinese language Bible resulted in a small group of seven people meeting weekly to study the Word of God.

In both cases, the demand for Samoan Bibles and Chinese Bibles continues to grow.

Bible Society’s mission is to make the Bible accessible to everyone and to encourage interaction with it.

FULL STORY

Bibles for New Zealanders | Bible Society New Zealand (Bible Society)

Māori Audio Bible | Bible Society New Zealand (Bible Society)