Alarmist Predictions

In our letter-box this week came a 28-page booklet Stop Co-governance by Julian Batchelor.

It contains much misinformation and alarmist predictions of Maori dominance and
apartheid, ignoring the fact that the prefix “co-“ means together rather than apart.
The Anglican Church in Aotearoa has been successfully co-governed for 31 years.

The constitutional change came about because it was recognised that while one person/one
vote is a sound principle, yet in an assembly minorities will always be outvoted by the
Pakeha majority.

Funding usually favours the majority so that Maori are doubly
disadvantaged.

The 1992 change in Anglicanism recognised three tikanga (cultures) –Maori, Pakeha and
Pasifika.

In the General Synod (national council) of the Church any decision is now reached
by consensus between the three tikanga. This reflects Te Tiriti o Waitangi which was agreed
in 1840 by consensus between Maori and the Crown, not by majority vote (which favoured
Maori).

Since 1991 Anglican resources have also been more equitably shared.

Stop Co-governance will doubtless have the support of wealthy financial backers. It is
essentially an exercise in white supremacy and quite contrary to Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

The Dominion Post, 9 September 2023 Letter to the Editor.

The Rt Rev Richard Randerson is a retired Anglican Bishop and former Social Justice Commissioner living in Hataitai.