Symbol of Bicultural Journey Discovered

Symbol of Bicultural Journey Discovered

A bishop’s crozier, carved to celebrate a centenary, will be returned to Maori 100 years later at a church service in Auckland this evening.

The discovery of the 100-year-old crozier, kept in a strong room in the Auckland Diocesan Offices, has meant it can be a strong symbol of the bicultural journey between Maori and Pakeha during upcoming bicentennial celebrations of the Christian gospel in New Zealand.

A crozier, also known as a pastoral staff, is carried by bishops in the Anglican Church as a sign of office and is shaped like a shepherd’s crook. (See picture below)

In 1914 the crozier was given to the then Anglican Bishop of Auckland, Bishop Averill. It marked 100 years since Samuel Marsden and other Anglican missionaries, alongside Maori chief Ruatara, arrived in New Zealand and the first permanent European settlement was established with Maori at Oihi in the Bay of Islands.

The gift of the crozier to mark the centennial was reported in the Church Gazette of 1914.

The Pastoral Staff, presented to the Bishop of Auckland by the four Northern Maori Tribes, will be cherished in the Diocese as a memento of an interesting and historic occasion.

By accident it was discovered earlier this year by the Anglican Bishop of Auckland, the Rt. Rev’d. Ross Bay. Tonight he will give it back to Maori at a celebration of the bicentennial at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Khyber Pass at 6pm. The crozier will be presented to the Rt. Rev’d. Kito Pikaahu, Bishop of Te Tai Tokerau.

Bishop Ross Bay says the crozier is a Taonga of the church and he is glad it now is amongst the people rather than being safely stored.

“The crozier is a strong symbol of the bicultural relationship that has existed between Maori and Pakeha since the missionaries arrived at Oihi in 1814. I’m glad as we mark 200 years of that relationship to be able to return it those who gifted it to Bishop Averill one hundred years ago.”

Very little is known about the crozier including who carved it. The Diocese is asking anyone who knows its history to come forward. One photo has been located of the crozier being held by Bishop Edward Gowing who was bishop from 1960-78.

ENDS

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