He uri no nga iwi o te Tairawhiti.
Hirini brings to Hoani Tapu an impressive track record of leadership in academia, ministry and mission across the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia and in community and society.
Coming from a role as Archdeacon of Mātauranga for Te Pīhopatanga o Aotearoa he builds on the opportunity to ground Hoani Tapu in this land and context, drawing on the mātauranga of Aotearoa and Te Moana-Nui-a-Kiwa as well as our whakapapa as Anglicans and as part of a global Christian tradition. As Dr Kaa says:
“working with the staff and students and with the whole Church whanau, we can equip people for the mission of today and into the future, including increasing instability and the challenges of climate, militarisation and disinformation. We can create Oranga Ake (flourishing, abundant life) for the world and for our whānau, with Christ at the centre of all we do.”
Hirini has led in areas such as Kaiārahi for the Faculty of Arts at the University of Auckland, leading innovative projects to embed Māori and Pacific values in teaching and the faculty. Dr Kaa has worked in the social services sector, for the Anglican Church, and for his iwi. He has also lectured in theology and history at the UoA.
Since researching and presenting the historical documentary series The Prophets for Māori Television, he has gone on to become a significant media commentator on a range of critical topics.
His book Te Hāhi Mihinare won a number of prizes including as a finalist for the Ockham NZ Book Awards.
He was ordained Deacon in 2005 and Priest in 2006.
In 2023 he was awarded the Lanfranc Award for Education and Scholarship by the Archbishop of Canterbury.