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:
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To receive reports from the many commissions, agencies and organisations of the church’s life and witness
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To elect persons to the many bodies that carry out specialist and ongoing support work for the life of the church
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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:
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The diocesan bishop
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Any assistant bishop of the diocese
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Every ordained minister licensed by the bishop to an ecclesiastical office in the diocese except that of local priest/deacon
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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
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Two lay synod representatives elected by each parish and mission district
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Up to six representatives elected by the Youth Hui
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Two synod representatives elected by the Association of Anglican Women
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Two synod representatives elected by the Mothers’ Union
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Synod representatives (either clergy or laity) elected by each Local Shared Ministry Unit
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CEOs of Auckland City Mission, Selwyn Foundation, Anglican Trust for Women & Children
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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 ventre and the Anglican secondary schools.
The purpose of the Youth Hui is to:
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engage young people in the decision-making processes of the diocese
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encourage youth participation in the life of the dioceses in a safe and friendly environment
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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