Maoris to be ordained

Press, 21 February 1987, Page 9

Maoris to be ordained

Up to 600 Maori people from several South Island tribal areas will attend an ordination service at Christchurch Cathedral this morning for seven Maoris who have been chosen by their people to serve as priests and deacons.

The seven, aged from 31 to 64, include an elder from the Chatham Islands. They will be ordained by the Bishop of Aotearoa, the Right Rev. Hui Vercoe, of Rotorua, at 10 a.m. The Bishop of Christchurch, the Rt Rev. Maurice Goodall, will also take part in the ordination.

It is the first time priests and deacons have been chosen by the people first, and then trained, instead of going through

the normal process of theological training or a university degree, according to the associate missioner of the Anglican Maori Mission in Christchurch, the Rev. John Gray.

The new priests and deacons are non-stipen-dary ministers, which means they are not paid for their work, i

The two priests to be ordained are Mr Maurice Gray, aged 31, of the Ngati Porou and Ngai Tabu tribes (East Coast, Gisborne, and the South Island), a university student studying for a bachelor of arts degree in Maori, and Mr Roger Maaka, of Ngati-KahanH-ngunu (Hastings, Napier, and Masterton area), the owner of a rufcbish-dis-

posal business, who spent 20 years in the New Zealand Army.

Two elders to be ordained deacons are Mr George Pahau, of Te Huatahi (Invercargill), who will work with the Anglican Maori Mission in the Dunedin diocese, and Mr Richard Preece, of Wharekauri, Chatham islands, who will train at St John’s Theological College in Auckland before returning to the Chathams.

Chatham islanders will finally have their own Anglican vicar on the islands when Mr Preece returns after his training. Previously, the islanders had to make do with twice-yeariy calls for Communion by the Lyttel*.

ton priest. The other deacons being ordained are Messrs Peter Tauwhare, of Ngai Tahu (South Island), a chaplain at Paparua Prison; Richard Wallace, of Ngai Tahu, a structural engineer, who will work at the mission in Christchurch; and Ned Pohatu, of Ngati Porou (East Coast, Gisborne), a former teacher ‘of Maori at the Christchurch Polytechnic now studying for a bachelor of arts degree in Maori.

Some of those being ordained would spend their "apprenticeship” year working with the Anglican Maori Mission, which had branches throughout the South Mr Gray said.