CHURCH AND MAORIS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21935, 19 October 1934, Page 12

CHURCH AND MAORIS

BISHOP BENNETT'S WORK HIGHER STATUS SUGGESTED The work that is being carried on among the Maoris by the Church of England was referred to by Bishop West-Watson in his address to the Christchurch .Synod this week. The bishop said that the Bishop of Aotea-roa was doing excellent work, but was in a very difficult position which hampered and limited him—"and further, the status assigned to him in the general synod is hardly worthy of the dignity of the office," The work among the Maori people was not really be inn unified The matter was primarily one for the North Island, the speaker said, in discussing the statute passed by the committee of the general synod that an Aotoa-roa Church Board should be created, to come into existence when two dioceses had accepted its jurisdiction. But the care of the Maori people was a responsibility of the whole Church of New Zealand, and a responsibility that must take precedence of all other missionary responsibilities. If things had Rone rightly, the Maori work should have long, ago passed out of the missionary stage, but there had been difficulties -and disappointments and the attempt of the Church to incorporate the Maori work in its parochial system had not met the actual situation. The desire for special arrangements for the Maori Church came from the Maoris themselves "I am not satisfied with what we are doing for our Maori felfpw-churchmen in the Christchurch dioeeso," said the bishop. "1 think .we should feel a greater concern in the matter." Ho suggested the forming of a small council of representatives of the various pas which could be consulted on the interests of Maoris.