A second hui amorangi has come out against the proposed Anglican Covenant.

Te Hui Amorangi o Te Tairawhiti discussed the Covenant at its annual meeting in Gisborne on Saturday, and decided to stand “in solidarity” with Te Manawa o Te Wheke, which stated its opposition in April.

The Tairawhiti motion was moved by the Rev Don Tamihere, and seconded  by the Rev Connie Tuheke-Ferris. It was carried unanimously with acclamation.

Tairawhiti agreed with Manawa o Te Wheke that the Covenant threatens the rangatiratanga of tangata whenua, and that the hui amorangi should instead focus on restoration of justice under Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

The full motion

That for the purposes of providing feedback to Te Hinota Whanui (General Synod) and Te Runanganui o Te Pihopatanga o Aotearoa, Te Hui Amorangi o Te Tairawhiti wishes to express the following:

■ We have carefully considered the text of the Anglican Communion Covenant, and what we know of the context in which it was proposed;

■ In terms of our shared Mihinare and Anglican heritage, our call to communion, and our call to ministry and mission, the Covenant offers us nothing new or more compelling than the Spiritual Covenant that we already have with each other through faith in Jesus Christ;

■ We see that Section Four of the Anglican Communion Covenant propose measures of compliance and discipline – including “relational consequences” and being declared “incompatible with the Covenant” – that go against our Gospel imperative to “love one another” (John 13:34-35).

We note that our sister Amorangi, Te Hui Amorangi o Te Manawa o Te Wheke, has stated its opposition to The Anglican Communion Covenant because:

■ It is a threat to the rangatiratanga of the Tangata Whenua;

■ It does not reflect our understanding of being Anglican in these Islands; and

■ We should instead focus on the restoration of justice for Tangata Whenua under Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

We agree with Te Hui Amorangi o Te Manawa o Te Wheke, and choose here to stand in solidarity with them.

For the reasons expressed above, Te Hui Amorangi o Te Tairawhiti states that it is opposed to the adoption of the Anglican Communion Covenant.

• The Manawa o Te Wheke motion