The state should set aside places in government for Maori representatives, the Diocese of Auckland heard last week at its annual synod, as white majority rule does not always serve the best interests of minorities.

“We are not simply all New Zealanders. We are one nation, made up of a number of differing peoples,” Bishop John Paterson told the synod meeting at Holy Trinity Cathedral on Sept 3, urging the government to make provision for Maori representation in a reorganized Auckland regional council.

“One of the keys to a successful future for this region of the nation lies in its ability to be inclusive of all its citizens, and not in supposing that the majority will always know what is best for the minority groups,” Bishop Paterson said.

In his last synod before retirement in March, Bishop Paterson called on the government to honour the provisions of the Local Government Act 2002 that requires for Maori to “contribute to decision-making processes.”

Until his election as Bishop of Auckland in 1995, Bishop Paterson had served the majority of his ordained ministry in Maori congregations and schools. In 1986 he was appointed provincial secretary, helping oversee the adoption of A New Zealand Prayer Book/He Karakia Mihinare o Aotearoa and the 1992 church constitution which divided the Church of New Zealand into three racial/cultural streams for Maori, Pacific Islanders and New Zealanders of European heritage: Tikanga Maori, Tikanga Pakeha and Tikanga Pasefika.