THE MAORI DIOCESE.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LI, Issue 16870, 27 October 1925, Page 2

THE MAORI DIOCESE.

APPROVAL OF PROPOSAL. AUCKLAND SYNOD PASSES RESOLUTION. NO FINANCIAL DIFFICULTY. Reference to the proposed' new Maori diocese was made by Archbishop 4y er >N in his charge lo (lie Auckland Diocesan • Synod. k ‘ The chief difficulty, lie said, was the constitutional one of the creation of an imperium in imperio. On this point he had asked the Archbishop Of Canterbury to submit the matter to the consultative body of the Lambeth Conference. He had every hope of a'favorable reply front that body of exhorts inasmuch as several Lambeth Conferences had anticipated tho possibility of some such action as it was proposed to take. ' ' Although the General Synod might not agrees to the present proposal it was interesting to bear it) mind that 48 years ago there was a desire on 'the part' of the Maoris for some separate church orvanhatinn. Tt would probably be decided bv the General Synod to assign to the Maori diocese a definite' area, so that the bishop would lie a' territorial bishop, a'nd at the same time, with the concurrence of the other bishops of the province, exercise spiritual jurisdiction over the Maori people wherever they . might be situated. It was.- probable that the Church schools for the Maoris would, for tho present at least, remain under the same control as in the past, except that "the bishop would have some official position in connection witli them. There seemed lo be little cause'for anxiety coriternitig the financial position and there should be nmole funds for the working of tho , new diocese. T(. could hardly he expected that the new diocese, if created, would

jbf permanent, fhr the t imo" riltiflt romp / when the two races would become so united and intermingled that there would be no further need for a separate church organisation. The establishment of a Maori diocese would not make two churches, for Maori and pakeha alike would still- he fellow Chris! ians and fellow eliurcKmctf'in" the one church of the province, and the fact that the bishop of the Maoris, with clerical and lav representatives would sit in General fivnod would ensure and safeguard the unity of the church. At a later stage Archdeacon Hawkins moved a resolution to be forwarded to . the General Synod, expressing approval of the proposal to form a Maori 1 diocese. ■ .The subject, ho said, w/mof .particular • importance td’tlie Auckland diocese, bo- . cause neatly half the 1 Maori population of Now Zealand was"contained" irf it. If fortned the new diocese would have 35 clergy to begin with. The wisdom of the proposal was doubted by some. It 'Sva s felt there might be a division-of the unitv now supposed" to exist" between' ythe Maori and. tlje fturopenn. This i unity was, however, far more theoretical ■ 'than real. -, -One of the advantages of the proposed diocese was that it- would give the Maoris greater opportunities for self-expression in their religion. Many Maoris now felt that the Church was a pakeha one in which* a few Maoris worked; There was also growing a strong feeling of ■ nationalism among the Maoris. In regard to the territory of the new bishop, Ht had been suggested that the Te Aute ■ College estate of some 7COO acres might be given to him. The method of appointment of the Maori bishop would have to be different from that employed at presc'nt. If the Maori bishop should lip, time come to be the senior bishop he •might on the death of'the Archbishop ■ and Primate at (he time become Acting i Primate of New Zealand. It was therefore necessary that-" he should be appointed bv the Bishops in con'snltatio.n with the Maoris. ; . The motion was" secondid'hy, Mr. C. J; Tunfos and the synod'then odjoUrned. §§fe| . .