Governance

GENERAL SYNOD

General Synod meets biannually and is the governing body for the whole Anglican Church in New Zealand. General Synod is made up of delegations of bishops, clergy and laity drawn from each of the five hui amorangi of Te Pīhopatanga o Aotearoa, from each of the seven dioceses in New Zealand, and the Diocese of Polynesia. Between sessions of General Synod, members from the dioceses of Tikanga Pākehā meet at the Interdiocesan Conference. There are three major tasks to be attended to at both General and Diocesan Synod meetings:

1. To receive reports from the many commissions, agencies and organisations of the church’s life and witness

2. To elect persons to the many bodies that carry out specialist and ongoing support work for the life of the church

3. To pass laws that will regulate the common life of the church as a whole.

DIOCESAN SYNOD

In the diocese, synod is a representative body of the whole diocese gathered under the leadership of the bishop and working within the constraints of General Synod canons. It is a place where licensed clergy, elected laity and other members of synod come together to worship, sing, work, debate and plan for the future. The triennial synod meets annually.
                                                                                                           

The composition of Diocesan Synod:

• The diocesan bishop

• Any assistant bishop of the diocese

• Every ordained minister licensed by the bishop to an ecclesiastical office in the diocese except that of local priest/deacon

• Any lay person holding a licence as a diocesan lay minister or an appointment as archdeacon for so long as they are active in such ministry and such licence subsists

• Two lay synod representatives elected by each parish and mission district

• Up to six representatives elected by the Youth Hui

• Two synod representatives elected by the Association of Anglican Women

• Two synod representatives elected by the Mothers’ Union

• Synod representatives (either clergy or laity) elected by each Local Shared Ministry Unit

• CEOs  of  Auckland City Mission, Selwyn Foundation, Anglican Trust for Women & Children

• The Chancellor, or Chancellor locum tenens, ex officio.

YOUTH HUI

The Youth Hui works in co-operation and partnership with other synods, hui and youth work agencies. It meets annually prior to Diocesan Synod. The Youth Hui may include unlimited representatives from each ministry unit, mission venture and the Anglican secondary schools.   

The purpose of the Youth Hui is to:

• engage young people in the decision-making processes of the diocese

• encourage youth participation in the life of the dioceses in a safe and friendly environment 

• elect youth representatives to Diocesan Synod and other bodies as necessary.

NEXT DIOCESAN SYNOD MEETING

A special session of the fifty-sixth synod of the Anglican Diocese of Auckland will be held online on Saturday 5 September 2020, due to COVID-19 alert level restrictions.
                                                                                                                           

DIOCESAN SYNOD DOCUMENTS

Documents for Diocesan Synod can be found here.

The function and responsibilities of Diocesan Council are to coordinate the diverse mission emphases of the diocese by providing policies and decision-making processes which will enable the diocese to fulfil its mission through various agencies.

The Diocesan Council looks after the responsibilities of Synod between sessions with the exception of specified Standing Orders/Resolutions and Statutes of the Synod.  The council has authority to further delegate its powers to individuals, committees or boards, with particular reference to the sector councils. Diocesan Council members serve a 3-year term, and one third of members must retire each year.

                                                                                           ____

Diocesan Council Members

The Right Reverend Ross Bay – Bishop of Auckland

The Reverend Gendi Burwell – Albany Greenhithe Mission District

The Reverend Rebecca Conolly – Northwest Anglican

The Reverend Nyasha Gumbeze – Parish of Henderson

The Reverend Peter Jenkins – Parish of Warkworth

The Reverend Megan Means – Enabling Coordinator

The Reverend Grant Robertson – Parish of Milford

Megan Bowden – Parish of Milford

Grant Hodgson – Parish of Hibiscus Coast

David Howe – St Paul’s Symonds Street

Susan Lewis-O’Halloran – Parish of Thames

Andrew Maclean – St Aidan, Remuera

Nathan McDougall – Parish of Hillsborough

Jessica Newton – St Augustine Mission Venture

Elizabeth Witton – Parish of Takapuna

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Minutes/Summaries 
Below you can find the minutes/summaries from each meeting.

2021

April

March

February

January

2020

November

October

September

August

July

June

May

April

March

February

January

For a full description please refer to the Ministry Unit Statute in our resources section or by clicking here.

Parish, LSM and Mission District (referred to as ministry units) governing bodies are responsible for:

• promoting the worship of God 

• enabling ministry to be provided to members of the ministry unit

• working together to foster spiritual growth within the ministry unit

• all matters affecting the governance, finance, administration and property of the ministry unit

Vestry as the governing body of a parish comprises:

• the vicar

• the churchwardens

• the synod representatives

• persons who have been appointed by a resolution of a general meeting – applies to:

  • ordained ministers licensed to the parish

  • employees of the parish

• elected members

Mission District governing body comprises:

• the priest in charge

• the churchwardens

• the synod representatives

• elected members

Council as governing body of a Local Shared Ministry unit comprises:

• the synod representatives

• elected members