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Chapter 11: Te Aka Puaho
11.1 Preamble
Kei hopu to ringa ki te Aka Taepa | Beware lest you take hold of the loose vine |
Engari kia mau ki te Aka Matua | Instead, hold fast to that which is firmly rooted. |
I am the Vine, you are the Branches.
He that abideth in me, and I in him
The same shall bring forth much fruit.
John 15 v 5
11.2 Introduction
1. The Church commenced relationships with Maori after the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi. The work and mission which had been established soon spread.
2. This work and mission, beginning with home missions and having developed an identity of its own, was recognised by the establishment of the Maori Synod that later became known as Te Aka Puaho. The relationship of Te Aka Puaho with the courts of the Church therefore paralleled the relationship between the Crown and Maori begun with Te Tiriti o Waitangi and gives rise to similar obligations and responsibilities between those involved.
3. Te Aka Puaho is that part of the Church within which Maori, and those others who choose to associate within and under the maru of that part of the Church, can carry out the mission of God from a Maori cultural perspective.
4. Te Aka Puaho is a court of the Church that provides and maintains its maru throughout Aotearoa New Zealand . Although Te Aka Puaho has many characteristics of a presbytery, it does not have the territorial boundaries that define the jurisdiction of a presbytery, and those who come within and under its maru do so from all parts of Aotearoa New Zealand .
5. In this chapter, “ maru” means shelter and authority and embraces both senses. It conveys the Wairua of Te Aka Puaho.
Defined terms: Church, court, presbytery, Te Aka Puaho.
11.3 Functions of Te Aka Puaho
1. Te Aka Puaho has executive and administrative powers and duties but no legislative powers.
2. The duties of Te Aka Puaho are
a) to ensure that the Word of God is read and proclaimed, divine ordinances regularly observed, and the various duties of ministry discharged in the pastorates within and under the maru of Te Aka Puaho,
b) to receive and decide on proposals from church councils, hear and determine appeals from church councils and consider and adjudicate on complaints,
c) to originate, recognise, close or otherwise deal with pastorates within and under the maru of Te Aka Puaho,
d) to appoint and transfer members of staff and authorise study leave,
e) after seeking and having regard to the advice of the General Assembly’s Church Architecture Reference Group, to approve the building and to approve the sites and plans of new churches, manses, school rooms, or halls,
f) to provide for supply to meet vacancies, ordain licentiates to the office of the ministry, induct ministers into their pastoral charges and release them from their charges,
g) to liaise with schools and hostels and to engage in social service work,
h) to hold Te Aka Puaho visitations of pastorates within and under its maru at least once in 5 years,
i) to oversee all matters relating to the condition of pastorates within and under its maru,
j) to assess students for the ministry and license them on completion of their course of training,
k) to set apart ministers and others for service,
l) to discuss proposals sent to Te Aka Puaho by the General Assembly and to send proposals to the General Assembly,
m) to exercise executive and administrative authority generally over its own members, sessions, pastorates, students, licentiates and other workers, and over all matters which the General Assembly may from time to time commit to its charge and supervision,
n) to report to the General Assembly, and
o) to appoint a suitably qualified person at each annual meeting to review or audit the accounts of Te Aka Puaho for the following year in accordance with the Financial Reporting Act.
Defined terms: Church Architecture Reference Group, church council, General Assembly, licentiate, minister, pastorate, session, Te Aka Puaho.
11.4 Power to appoint committees
Te Aka Puaho may appoint and delegate to a committee any of its functions set out in section 3.
11.5 Responsibilities of ministers
Ministers within and under the maru of Te Aka Puaho are responsible for the discharge of their duties to Te Aka Puaho and not to the church council of any pastorate.
Defined terms: church council, minister, pastorate, Te Aka Puaho.
11.6 Members of Te Aka Puaho
1. Te Aka Puaho consists of
a) all ministers called or appointed to minister within and under the maru of Te Aka Puaho,
b) other ministers, including ministers of other denominations, associated by Te Aka Puaho with Te Aka Puaho, except that the General Assembly may determine in a particular case that a particular minister should not be so included,
c) a representative elder from each church council within and under the maru of Te Aka Puaho,
d) associate members appointed by Te Aka Puaho or by the General Assembly, except that the General Assembly may determine in a particular case that a particular person should not be so appointed, and
e) a number of elders appointed by Te Aka Puaho from any church council within and under the maru of Te Aka Puaho sufficient to ensure that there are other members of Te Aka Puaho equal in number to the number of members who are ministers, but no more than two such elders may be appointed from any one church council.
Defined terms: church council, elder, General Assembly, minister, Te Aka Puaho
11.7 Associates of Te Aka Puaho
Te Aka Puaho may associate temporarily in its deliberations with a member of any presbytery, and such a person may be present and may be given the right to speak or to vote, or both.
Defined terms: presbytery, Te Aka Puaho.
11.8 Meetings
1. Te Aka Puaho must hold
a) an annual meeting at a time and place fixed by it at the previous annual meeting, and
b) at least 3 other meetings each year at times and places fixed by it.
2. The Moderator or the secretary of Te Aka Puaho may call a special meeting of Te Aka Puaho at any time.
3. Five members, including at least 3 ministers, constitute a quorum at any meeting of Te Aka Puaho.
4. Members or associate members of pastorates or parishes within and under the maru of Te Aka Puaho may attend meetings of Te Aka Puaho and may speak and, if Te Aka Puaho agrees, vote on business before the meeting, except that in relation to particular matters Te Aka Puaho may resolve to meet in the absence of members or associate members of pastorates or parishes.
Defined terms: associate member, member, minister, Moderator, parish, pastorate, Te Aka Puaho
11.9 Officials
1. The officials of Te Aka Puaho are the Moderator and the secretary.
2. Te Aka Puaho must appoint a treasurer.
3. The functions of the officials are such as are delegated to them respectively by Te Aka Puaho.
4. The Moderator must be elected from among the ministers and elders for a term of 3 years, except that in the case of an elder who wishes to be appointed for a term of one year, Te Aka Puaho may agree to such a term and in that case the intention to seek a one year term must be notified to pastorates before the election takes place.
5. Te Aka Puaho may extend the term of a Moderator for one further term of 3 years.
6. Nominations for election as Moderator may be made by parishes or pastorates and must be made to the annual meeting of Te Aka Puaho preceding the expiry of the term of the previous Moderator or, in case of the death or resignation of a Moderator, to the first meeting of Te Aka Puaho after such death or resignation.
7. The secretary must give notice calling for nominations for election as Moderator at least 2 months before a meeting at which an election is to be held and nominations must be received at least one month before such a meeting.
8. A pastorate may nominate one or 2 persons for election as Moderator and if nominating 2 must indicate their order of preference.
9. Te Aka Puaho must appoint a nominating committee which must consider the nominations received and inform all parishes and pastorates of the names of the 3 persons who have received the greatest number of nominations and each parish or pastorate may then propose one of those persons as its choice for Moderator.
10. At the meeting at which the election of Moderator is to take place, the nominating committee must inform Te Aka Puaho which name received the greatest number of proposals and Te Aka Puaho must then consider the appointment of Moderator. Te Aka Puaho is not bound to appoint the person who has received the greatest number of proposals or any person nominated and may call for further nominations before making an appointment.
11. If the Moderator is an elder, Te Aka Puaho:
a) may authorise the Moderator to administer the sacrament of Holy Communion and officiate at ordinations and inductions including the laying on of hands during his or her tenure of office, and
b) must ensure that the Moderator receives assistance and training as required, and
c) must ensure that provision is made in its budget for the support of the Moderator equivalent to and including the allowances which would be made in the case of a Minister.
Defined terms: elder, induction, minister, Moderator, ordination, parish, pastorate, support, Te Aka Puaho
11.10 Role and responsibilities of Moderator
1. The role of the Moderator of Te Aka Puaho is to
a) exercise spiritual leadership,
b) be responsible for pastoral care of those who are within and under the maru of Te Aka Puaho,
c) represent and promote Te Aka Puaho in meetings with other denominations and across society as a whole,
d) visit pastorates at least annually by arrangement and in accordance with preparations made by pastorates,
e) officiate at ordinations and inductions,
f) preside at Te Aka Puaho meetings,
g) represent and on appropriate occasions to speak on behalf of Te Aka Puaho, but any pronouncement so made by the Moderator, whether in a representative capacity or not, does not bind Te Aka Puaho or the Church or any General Assembly,
h) encourage continuing education for Ministers and elders.
Defined terms: Church, General Assembly, elder, Induction, minister, Moderator, ordination, pastorate, Te Aka Puaho.
11.11 The Secretary
1. Te Aka Puaho must appoint a secretary and set out the duties of the office at the time of appointment.
2. The secretary is responsible to Te Aka Puaho.
11.12 Relation of Te Aka Puaho to presbyteries and the General Assembly
1. Any overlapping of function and responsibility that may occur in consequence of Te Aka Puaho being a court of the Church which provides and maintains its maru throughout Aotearoa New Zealand, and accordingly within the territorial jurisdiction of presbyteries throughout Aotearoa New Zealand, must be dealt with by presbyteries and Te Aka Puaho alike with goodwill and sympathetic consideration .
2. Any dispute which Te Aka Puaho and a presbytery cannot resolve must be determined by the General Assembly.
3. Ministers and elders within and under the maru of Te Aka Puaho have, in accordance with chapter 8, a right to membership of presbyteries within which their pastorate or sphere of activity is located.
Defined terms: Church, court, elder, General Assembly, minister, presbytery, Te Aka Puaho
11.13 Membership of Pastorates
Membership of pastorates within and under the maru of Te Aka Puaho is not confined to Maori and any member of a congregation may become a member of any such pastorate and have the rights of membership.
Defined terms: congregation, member, pastorate, Te Aka Puaho
11.14 Te Komiti Takawaenga o Te Haahi
1. The General Assembly must establish a committee to be called Te Komiti Takawaenga which is to have the following functions:
a) to facilitate effective communication between Te Aka Puaho and the wider Church,
b) in consultation with Te Aka Puaho, to promote education within the Church in order to further partnership commitments and to observe the life and processes of the courts of the Church and the committees of the General Assembly in the light of the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and to provide advice to those courts and committees on matters that affect the relations of Te Aka Puaho and the wider Church,
c) to make recommendations to the General Assembly and the Council of Assembly as to the appropriate uses of the resources of the Church in the light of the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, and
d) to review, if and when it considers it appropriate to do so, the Book of Order and the supplementary provisions of the Church in the light of the commitment of the Church to the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
2. The committee is to consist of:
a) ten appointed members, 5 of whom are to be appointed by the General Assembly and 5 by Te Aka Puaho, and
b) four ex officio members, being the Moderator and Assembly Executive Secretary of the Church and the Moderator and secretary of Te Aka Puaho.
3. Members of the committee are to be appointed for the period between one General Assembly and the next.
4. The committee may at any time appoint persons to be associate members of the committee for such periods as the committee considers appropriate.
5. Associate members of the committee may speak at any meeting of the committee but not vote unless the committee has resolved to give an associate member the right to vote.
Defined terms: Assembly Executive Secretary, Book of Order, Church, Council of Assembly, court, General Assembly, Moderator, supplementary provisions, Te Aka Puaho
11.15 Procedure
Te Aka Puaho may adopt standing orders for the proper conduct of its regular business.
11.16 Appeal
All decisions of Te Aka Puaho are subject to appeal to the General Assembly.
Defined terms: General Assembly, Te Aka Puaho
11.17 Ministry Training
In receiving and licensing students for the ministry, Te Aka Puaho and the principal of the training institution approved by the General Assembly are to be guided by the regulations for students as approved from time to time by the General Assembly.
Defined terms: General Assembly, Te Aka Puaho