Factional fight over Otara church continues

Press, 14 March 1984, Page 37

Factional fight over Otara church continues

PA Auckland The High Court will again be asked to take action to try to resolve differences between two factions of the Cook Islands Christian Church in South Auckland, says a lawyer acting for one group. A dispute developed within the Church late last year when seven members of the trust board, from Mangere, installed their own minister, the Rev. Ta Williams, of Porirua, to replace the Rev. Teariki vaerua. The Mangere trustees intended to open a new $200,000 church in Otara in December. However, the six other members of the trust board, from Otara, including the

chairman, Mr Vaerua, applied to the High Court for an injunction to prevent the new church being opened until the groups had settled their differences. Mr Justice Barker declined to grant the injunction. Instead he asked the two groups to meet and cooperate with the standing committee of the Church general assembly in Rarotonga. However, this was to no avail It was next suggested that either the Mangere and Otara groups could each retain their own minister and hold services in the new church at different times or that the Mangere group find a building closer to its own area. However, the trustees could still not agree.

One of the trustees from Mangere, Mr Tepure Tapaitau, said his group had worked hard to raise funds for the new church, which has not yet been used, and it would not be fair to allow only people from Otara to use the new building. Mr Tapaitau said that at the recent meeting Mr Vaerau refused to put either of the suggestions to the vote. “Now there is only one course of action left, and that is to go back to the Court,” said Mr Tapaitau. Asked why he had not allowed trustees to vote, Mr Vaerua said, “There is no point. They want to vote because they have seven and we have only six.”