MAORI MISSIONS

Auckland Star, Volume XXXV, Issue 35, 10 February 1904, Page 3

MAORI MISSIONS

j EXTENSION OF IHE WORK. SYNOD BOARD TO DIRECTThe Anglican Synod was occupied the whole of la-.i evening discussing a new scheme for maintenance of the Maori Missions providing for the raising of if.nds to replace the lapsed grant from the Church Missionary Society, and for the general supervision of the work. The proposals were contained in a bill introduced by His Lordship | Bishop Julius (Christchurch), the chief provisions of which were: —1. Tn order j that the General Synod may exercise :i j general supervision of the work of the Church among the Maori population of New Zealand a Board is hereby consti- j tuted. to be known as the Maori Mis- ! sion Board. 2. The Board shall consist j of v i the Bishops vi the Chureli of the j Province of New Zealand, (bi one . . lergyman in priest's orders from each; diocese, (c) one layman from each diocese. 3. The Board shall ask the several dioceses oi the province to assist in raising the sum required, in such ! proportions as shall be determined by j the General Synod. The Board shall j further request that all sums contribut- j ed on behalf of the mission shall be paid ! to its account. Provided that' any! sum raised in any diocese in excess of the amount asked for may be earmarked by the authorities of that diocese for any special Maori Mission work. 4- The Board shall distribute the money paid into its funds in block grants among the several dioceses, regard bein.;' had in making these grants to the numbers, circumstances, and religious condition of the Maori population, to the efficiency of the work done amongst them, and tn endowments for Maori Mission purposes in each diocese. 7. Until the next session of the General Synod. the Board hereby constituted "iha.ll discharge nil the duties herein allotted to the General Synod. In moving the second reading of the bill. Bishop Julius said that it was introduced on behalf of the committee appointed at last General Synod. He felt that he had the full sympathy of the House in proposing a bill with the object of extending mission work among the Maoris. The grants made for many years by the C.M.S. _iad ceased, and they were now left to their own resources, which he fell to be a good and not an evil. For the time being they had been placed in a difficult position, bur the "Maori Mission Trust Board had raised sufficient funds to continue the mission up to the present session of the Synod- The existing condition could remain no longer, and the manner in which the work was to be carried forward must be immediately determined. The matter was as important to the Soni.ii Island, where there were fewMaoris as in the North Island, where the bulk of the Maoris lived, and the South Island was willing to take its full share of responsibility. But if the missions were to be carried on in the old diocesan way. then the South Island would be isolated ;n a work which should be carried forward with entire unanimity throughout New Zealand. The mision must be entirely one throughout the colony, and the only body which could supervise such a mission was the General Synod. The bill proposed that the church of the whole eolonv should constitute the basis of the Board of Control, and this Board must be formed and set to work at once. His Lordship went on to detail the duties of the Board and to explain the main features of the bill. The bill was a new departure, but it was quite time that a new departure wa-. made. A bigger and grander movement must be undertaken if the mission was to have the enthusiastic support of the South Island. Canon Mac-Murray seconded. The Rev. Coffey 'did not think that anybody could be satisfied with the results to date of the mission work- The great weakness seemed to be that the Maoris did not evince any enthusiasm themselves. Seventy-live per cent, of the Maoris were Christians —some of them onh nominally—but this large percentage did nothing for the maintenance of its own ministry. It was a very sad thing thai after 90 years' work in New Zealand the Maori Church was not self-supporting. He stated that the total contributions in the Wellington Diocese at religious services for natives was but £1 15/. and expressed the hopa that the Maoris would contribute liberally and systematically to the fund for the maintenance of Maori Missions. Archdeacon Grace said that in many districts the natives gave as freely as I the Europeans at the Sunday services, j In other districts they would have to ! edticalt. the natives in this branch of church work. The Maoris certainly appreciated what was done for them. Archdeacon Williams expressed his pleasure at the introduction of the bill. He referred to the grant of .€2OOO v year formerly given by the C.M.S.. and said that this was given not to support the mi-.-ion. but to assist in its maintenance. The idea of £2000 a year for carrying on the mission in New Zealand in the deplorable condition existing liter the war —an unjust war. as was admitted on all sides —was preposterous. It was not surprising that many parts of New Zealand became a moral wilderness after the war. for the natives taunted the missionaries with having drawn them into a trap through having persuaded them to place themselves under the protection of the Crown. The natives believed that the missionaries had been sent to New Zealand to pave the way for the troops to cut them (the natives") down. In 1860 services were held in every village in the country. Now one could hardiy get two Maoris to attend a service, because of the bitter feeling engendered through the war. The address of the Bishop of Christchurch gave him more hope than anything he had heard. He had advised the Church Missionary Society to grant no further assistance to the Maori Mission when the General Synod had last asked for the continuance of the subsidy, believing that the sooner the work was entirely taken up by the Church of the Province the better, lie believed that the natives would loyally respond to appeals for assistance." and that the Board would do much to dissipate the old bitter feeling. Rev. George Mac-Murray believed that the proposals contained in the bill would do something worthy of its objects, and of the Church of New Zealand. He wished to contradict the impression gathered from Mr Coffey's speech, that the object of the Board was to make good the lapsed grant from the C.M.S The Board's object would be to super vise the work of Maori missions wherever carried on, and to advise the dio 1 eeses as to how the work should be

continued. He declared that the present stipend of i:SO to Maori clergy was insufficient to keep them in decency. It was a shame, a scandal, and a disgrace to the Church that Maori clergy should have to grow kumar&s or dig gum in half their time in order to support themselves and their families. He denied that the Maoris were not helping themselves, saying that the Maoris of Auckland and Waiapu had contributed £1000 a year for the past three years. The Rev. Sprott did not wish to throw cold water on the scheme, but said that the diocese of Wellington would not tolerate any interference with the work of its missions by the Board which it was proposed to set up. He believed tliat lhe scheme would be the cause of infinite friction, and regarded the bill as one intended to relieve the diocese of Auckland. The Primate (L_shop Xevill) felt grateful to the committee for the distance it bad travelled in attaining the object of reaching the Maori people. The second reading of the bill wa.s then agreed To uiianinjously. and the bill was then taken in committee. Its details were discussed at great length, several minor amendments being made. During the course of the di.'.cus.-.ioii Bishop Julius said that the Board would meet and begin its work before lhe close of the present session. The bill was reported with amendments at 10.30 p.m., the Ihird reading being set down for to-morrow.