This has been another good year for Tui Motu InterIslands magazine. We published 11 issues, eight in 2019, with each exploring as a theme one of the Wellington Archdiocesan Synod goals. The three issues in 2020 were composed around the L'Arche movement's principles of growing in humanity. Underpinning the issues is the theological perspective that we are all participating in God’s mission in the world.
As well as the print magazine we have developed further Tui Motu’s digital extensions for the purposes of offering the treasures of the magazine to a wider community — our website and social media, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. We have a modest but increasing number of domestic and international followers.
I thank my Tui Motu colleagues — a mighty team — for this year of successful publishing. Ann Hassan, talented and thoughtful, kept our administration and finances in order and contributed to the editorial polish of each issue. Greg Hings sat quietly at the computer and transformed a collection of files into a visual feast each month.
We are the heart of the Tui Motu enterprise and we relied on and received arterial support. As well as the writers and artists, our volunteers proofread, labelled envelopes and packed the magazine and many others promoted it around the country. Each contribution was essential for the continuation of Tui Motu and we accepted each gratefully.
The magazine received two awards from the Australasian Catholic Press Association (ACPA) in 2019 — both first place awards. This was especially pleasing as they were in an area of our mandate — discussion about Church and Interfaith dialogue.
The magazine also received two awards from the Australasian Religious Press Association (ARPA) in 2019. One was a silver award for Best New Writer and the other highly commended as Publication of the Year 2019.
We are most grateful for the generous financial donations we received which, together with income derived from subscriptions, kept us in the black.
We acknowledge with gratitude our readers’ feedback and encouragement. Each month we received many affirming messages from readers telling us their view of the issue and ideas for further articles — these were additional to “Letters to the Editor”.
The Tui Motu Board has supported us with governance, guidance and advice. We are fortunate in having directors who have had the interests of the magazine and the health of the Company at heart for many years.
I am very grateful and appreciative of all committed to Tui Motu — shareholders, Board, subscribers and readers, volunteers, staff, Foundation — whose valuing of the magazine and its digital extension will be needed even more as we move into the uncertain future of our COVID-19 world.