NZ bishop championed Tongan culture when it was restricted

Tongan researcher Dr Felise Tāvō recently posted to Facebook about a 1962 article from the Taumu‘a Lelei newspaper. The article reported that the Catholic bishop at the time, understood to be New Zealand Bishop John Rodgers SM, stated his desire to change the usual entertainment performed at Catholic schools’ prizegiving nights.

According to the article, it was customary for the schools to present English dramas and entertainment on such occasions. But the bishop wanted the students to be taught about their indigenous faiva or faiva fakaTonga.

The article noted that the bishop aimed to instil in the students a sense of value for their faiva fakaTonga, and help them understand the importance of their culture. It said that, as a result, various schools were told to each practise various faiva groups.

The influence of Wesleyan missionaries saw many traditional Tongan practices deemed heathen and therefore banned or modified. But Catholic priests were recognised for preserving the faiva fakaTonga, especially among the people of Lapaha in Tongatapu, where the first French missionaries were stationed.

Fr Rodgers went to Tonga in 1941 and was principal of ‘Api Fo’ou College. Appointed as Vicar Apostolic for Tonga in 1953, he was ordained as a bishop in Wellington the following year. Bishop Rodgers attended the first, third and fourth sessions of the Second Vatican Council.

He became Bishop of Tonga when the diocese was created in 1966. He resigned the see in 1972 to make way for an indigenous bishop, Bishop Patrick Finau. Bishop Rodgers was Bishop of Rarotonga from 1973 to 1977 and later served as an Auckland auxiliary bishop. He died in 1997.

The ASB Polyfest 2025 took place from April 2-5.

FULL STORY

NZ bishop restricted English drama (By Kalino Latu/ Kaniva Tonga)

John Rodgers (bishop) – Wikipedia (Wikipedia)

Bishop John Hubert Macey Rodgers [Catholic-Hierarchy] (Catholic Hierarchy)

ASB Polyfest (ASB Polyfest)