Faaimata Hiliau
Faaimata (Mata) Havea Hiliau | |
|---|---|
| Moderator of the Uniting Church in Australia, Synod of New South Wales and the ACT | |
| Assumed office 14 September 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Simon Hansford |
| Personal details | |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Occupation | Minister |
Rev. Faaimata (Mata) Havea Hiliau is an Australian religious leader. She currently serves as the moderator of the NSW/ACT Synod of the Uniting Church in Australia.[1] Rev Hiliau is the first Tongan-Australian to fill the role.[1][2][3]
At the time of her election, Hiliau said she wanted to focus on vaccine hesitancy in Pacific Islander communities and climate change in her tenure as moderator.[4] She was featured on ABC TV's Compass in an episode examining change at the Uniting Church, watched by 166,000 viewers on 24 August 2023.[5][6]
In October 2023, Hiliau spoke at a gathering of Pasifika leaders, Uniting Church members and others at Sydney Olympic Park to raise awareness for the disproportionate impact of climate change on Pasifika, First Nations, and Western Sydney communities.[7] In November 2023, she joined other religious leaders representing the Christian, Muslim and Buddhist faiths in visiting government ministers and MPs in Canberra to call for an end fossil fuel projects in Australia.[8]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Uniting the Tongan Way". Compass. Season 37. Episode 24. 27 August 2023. ABC. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
- ^ Jonathan Foye (4 August 2021). "Voting begins for Moderator Elect". Insights Magazine. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
- ^ Jonathan Foye (1 September 2021). "Rev. Faaimata (Mata) Havea Hiliau, Moderator Elect begins in 2023". Insights Magazine. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
- ^ Patty, Anna (11 August 2021). "Uniting Church leader targets vaccine hesitancy and climate change". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 6 February 2024.
- ^ Anabel, Anita (28 August 2023). "TV Ratings August 27, 2023: The Work from Home Room Reveals were overshadowed by a downpour disaster on The Block". MediaWeek. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
- ^ "Coming up on Compass: Uniting the Tongan Way". ABC.net.au. 24 August 2023. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
- ^ Pepper, Miriam (7 November 2023). "Pasifika leaders call for a just and fair transition to a safer climate future". The South Sydney Herald. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
- ^ "Faith leaders call for no new coal or gas and urgent action on climate". The South Sydney Herald. 20 November 2023. Retrieved 27 May 2024.