Te Pouhere Sunday
This Sunday is Te Pouhere Sunday , a day set aside by the General Synod / Te Hinota Whanui to celebrate the adoption of our a revised Constitution / Te Pouhere in May 1992, which established our three-Tikanga Church. Our first constitution was agreed to in June 1857, by a general conference held in Auckland. This allowed the Anglican Church in New Zealand to become an autonomous province with the right to create its own structures and appoint its own bishops. This constitution was a radical piece of work, offering a balance between diocesan and general synods, and establishing a synodical form of government which allowed bishops, clergy and laity equal voice in the decision making processes. It caused a lot of disquiet in the mother church. Sadly no Maori were present at this conference or at the first General Synod in 1859. The Native Church remained under CMS until after the New Zealand Wars when responsibility was handed over to the settler church. Māori continued to strugg...