Central Administration Rose Amidst Strains of Controversy

Touchstone May 2005

"Central Administration Rose Amidst Strains of Controversy"

By Yvonne Wilkie

The role and work of the General Assembly Clerk and General Treasurer became the first focus for the establishment of a Presbyterian Church central office. For the four years after Union the Rev. Dr. David Sidey carried out this joint role from his home in Napier. He highlights in his first report the inconvenience of retaining two separate ledgers for the recording of funds from the Northern and Southern Churches and writes a personal letter reflecting the need for an assistant.

As the numerous funds of the two churches were drawn together, the addition of managing the funds of a new overseas mission field in South China , of the new residential College in Dunedin along with the General Assembly Clerkship duties, Sidey's workload became impossible. His request for extra clerical and accounting assistance over two Assemblies no doubt sent a warning that changes to structure would be imperative for a successful financial programme.

The Assembly accepted the challenge to restructure the administration function in 1905. An agreement to split the position of Assembly Clerk and Treasurer was reached and a full time position of Treasurer which included the role of secretary to the Church Property Trustees and Church Extension Committee of the Northern Church approved. This linked two significant financial functions which up until then had been independent of one another: that of property and investment, and the managing of the daily income and expenditure to carry out the Church's overall mission.

An Office of two rooms and a strong room in Lambton Quay next to the old Bank of New Zealand became the new administrative offices of the Presbyterian Church. Its location in Wellington and continuing running costs have held a significant focus, both positive and negative, in the Church's sense for a national identity throughout its ‘modern' history.

The steady increase in administrative functions over the next 20 years accompanied by the increasing financial outlay created unease among members and parishes as much then as it does today. Debates around the parish levy to cover costs for central administration resulted in letters to ‘Outlook”, overtures from presbyteries, and heated debates in Assembly. The levies fluctuated from 3.5% to 6% of parish income over the next 20 years with small reductions during the war years. Evidence of the perceived increase in work is found in clerical assistant salaries where they rose from £63 in 1909 to £720 in 1923. How many employees this amount represents is no where at hand but murmurs about the cramped environment in which they worked rose to the surface by the early 1920s.

Confidence in the Church's financial well-being is apparent at the 1926 Assembly when the Church Property Trustees announced that a Commission of the General Assembly had purchased a new building for £9000 to house the Church Offices at 114 the Terrace. A minister when writing to the Treasurer noted that the ‘small rented rooms were no credit to the PC nor were they adequate'. He believed that the offices should be housed in ‘something more in accord with the dignity and mana of the Presbyterian Church and more conducive to the comfort, health and convenience of the splendid staff'.

Several doors up from St. Andrew's, the Terrace, 114 The Terrace was built of heart totara with internal fittings of polished cedar and a grand staircase; it was an impressive building. Initially owned by Sir Walter Buller, it was built in 1884. Prior to purchase the building was owned by Miss Malcolm who converted it into a ‘superior boarding house favoured by members of Parliament'.

114 The Terrace, c.1960

The Church used three rooms and had a large secure safe installed. An attached flat, the previous owner leased, and several other rooms were set aside for a caretaker. The YMCA, several doctors and the Bible Society rented space. The Church Property Trustees assured the Assembly that the Church would benefit ‘considerably through owning its own property' and that the building would always pay for itself.

The lack of reaction by church members to the purchase of such a grand building may suggest a sense of ambivalence from within. The comment made by a missionary in a private letter suggesting the Presbyterian Church was stepping beyond its ‘humble leader' probably was a reflection of many.

114 The Terrace served as the Church Office for the next forty or so years, in which time it developed a welcome site for many. Through these years the Church administration grew into a substantial business that ebbed and flowed with the financial booms and busts of New Zealand economy. By the 1960s 114 The Terrace had become prime real estate and future investment possibilities for the Church Property Trustees required investigation. Central to the debate was the issues of centralisation of all Presbyterian administration. and the need to further restructure. A new era would emerge as the Church entered the ‘think big' mentality that hit all New Zealanders.

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