Chaplaincy

Nurturing the spiritual health of our Selwyn Village community

As a member of the Anglican family, nurturing the spiritual health of our Selwyn Village community is an integral part of our all-encompassing approach to caring for the individual. We believe that spiritual and emotional support contributes to people’s overall wellbeing, and our chaplains work to ensure that every person we connect with can achieve a sense of spiritual contentment that brings meaning to life – whatever their belief, background or cultural identity.

Our chaplains Reverends Wendi Tiedt, Saluni Tonga and Kirsten Willenberg play an active role within the village community. Working alongside staff across both residential care and independent living, they offer spiritual and pastoral support to residents and their families, as well as to staff and volunteers. People may purposely seek out the chaplain or make the most of a casual meeting in the village.

The chaplains also provide a range of opportunities for contemplation and reflection, with a focus on spiritual wellbeing and fostering a sense of meaning, purpose and connectedness. While they are ordained ministers of the Anglican Church and are involved in offering sacramental and liturgical presence in the Anglican tradition, they are available to offer support to everyone – of all faiths and none – and their approach is entirely responsive to a person’s specific preference and individual needs.

The chaplaincy team is also available to offer support in times of challenge such as illness, disability, grief, life changes or the breakdown of relationships.

Importantly, through one-to-one interaction, they contribute to our wider understanding of the general spiritual wellbeing of our care residents. This can lead to appropriate referral for additional support from diversional therapy or from other counselling, thus enabling us to offer an effective and comprehensive response to improving overall wellbeing.

The chaplaincy team plays a leading part in village events, special celebrations, fundraisers and commemorative ceremonies, also working alongside the Village Chapel Spiritual Life Group, a long-standing consultative monthly meeting of the chapel volunteers and chaplains. The group helps ensure that spirituality and worship remain responsive to the needs of residents and also invites the wider village community to participate in the chapel’s various missional projects over the year.

Underpinned by our Christian faith and Anglican identity, our work in providing spiritual care to people of all cultures, values and beliefs embraces the diversity that is present within our village community and in Aotearoa New Zealand as a whole.

Our Selwyn Village Chaplains

Reverends Wendi, Saluni and Kirsten make up the chaplaincy team who lead weekly worship services in the Chapel of Christ the King as well as in our Sarah Selwyn and Ivan Ward care homes. They are often present at village social gatherings and commemorative celebrations, so are well known when more chaplaincy support is needed, such as at times of illness, crises or end of life.

Selwyn Village Website Image Template - Chaplain Wendi in Circle 1280 x 624

Revd Wendi Tiedt

Wendi is an ordained Anglican Priest in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia and has been a chaplain at Selwyn Village since 2020. She brings to her ministry at the village her South African upbringing and ministry experiences amongst women, children and older people. Wendi journeys alongside our independent living and residential care communities, focusing on fostering wellbeing and community engagement through careful listening and talking deeply, especially in times of crisis, grief and loss. She integrates creativity into her ministry to facilitate meaning-making and connection, valuing learning from diverse backgrounds. Wendi desires to see people thrive through every phase of life.

Selwyn Village Website Image Template - Chaplain Saluni in Circle 1280 x 624

Revd Saluni Tonga

Saluni is an ordained Anglican Priest in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia and has been a chaplain at Selwyn Village since 2022. He has served as a non-stipendiary Priest Assistant at St George the Martyr, Papatoetoe, and in Tongan parishes in Auckland. Saluni was also a social worker for many years and was employed as a senior youth justice social worker with Oranga Tamariki in South Auckland. He spent his childhood and teenage years in Tonga with his grandparents and appreciates those cultural values which are built on the ‘four golden pillars’ of respect, humility, cultivating healthy relationships, and loyalty and passion. These values are essential to Saluni in working with older people, with 'ofa’ (love) as their foundational principle.

Selwyn Village Website Image Template - Chaplain Kirsten in Circle 1280 x 624

Revd Kirsten Willenberg

Kirsten is an ordained Anglican Priest in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia and was appointed as a part-time chaplain at Selwyn Village in 2024. Kirsten has ministry experience in both South Africa and New Zealand and has been part of the Diocese of Auckland’s post-ordination training, studying at Laidlaw College. He also ministers at St Mark’s, Swanson, one of the churches in the Parish of Henderson. Kirsten brings a breadth of skills to our chaplaincy team as he strives to reflect Christ’s love, and he enjoys working with people of all faiths and all ages, as well as with those with no faith.

Our chaplains play an active part in all aspects of village life, and the availability of chaplaincy services is much appreciated by all. Working across both residential care and independent living, the chaplains provide spiritual and pastoral support to residents, their families and our staff members. A range of weekly worship services and opportunities for spiritual support, contemplation and reflection are offered according to residents’ preference and particular needs and interests.

John Smith

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Chaplaincy | Ratonga Kaiārahi Wairua