Frederick Augustus Bennett 		May 23
Te Matamua o nga Pihopa Maori
The first Maori Bishop
In 1886 General Synod was held in Auckland. On his way back from there, Bishop Suter of Nelson went to see the Pink and White Terraces, and, while in the area, conducted a service at Te Wairoa, a village that was later destroyed by the eruption of Mount Tarawera on 9 June that year. During the service he noticed a young Maori sitting on the edge of the stage and was struck by his sincere and devout bearing. According to one source Bishop Suter was also impressed with the boy’s singing of the traditional Maori hymn, “Whakarongo ki te kupu”, with its repeated refrain, “Oti rawa!” The hymn was a favourite of Bishop Bennett’s and was sung at both his consecration and his funeral. The boy was Frederick Augustus Bennett. Suter invited him to accompany him to Nelson to be educated and train for the ministry. The boy walked to Ohinemutu, obtained permission from his parents, and went to Nelson. 
Frederick Bennett was the son of Dr John Bennett, the first registrar-general of New Zealand, and his mother was a Te Arawa chieftainess. The future bishop was born in Ohinemutu in 1871 and was a member of the Ngati Whakaue tribe of Te Arawa. He had already received some schooling at St Stephen’s School in Parnell. In Nelson he attended Nelson College and then studied theology and gained his L.Th. from the college run by Bishop Suter at his residence, “Bishopdale”. He was ordained deacon in 1896 and priest in 1897. He served first under F.W. Chatterton in All Saints’ parish, Nelson. Because of Chatterton’s interest in ministry to the Maori people, Bennett was encouraged to extend his ministry to the Maori people of the Nelson district.
In 1899 Samuel Williams of Te Aute made funds available to provide for a renewal of ministry among the Maori people in South Taranaki, and asked Bishop Suter to release Frederick Bennett for this work. Bennett worked in the Wanganui area until becoming chaplain to the bishop of Auckland in 1903. Then in 1905 he was appointed Maori missioner in Rotorua and superintendent of the mission work in that area. He threw himself into the work with great determination and enthusiasm. Bennett was vicar of the Ohinemutu pastorate. It was during his time that the present Church of St Faith’s was built to replace the first church, which had been blown down in a gale.
While at Ohinemutu, Frederick Bennett did much to encourage the cultural activities of the Arawa people. He also became well-known as a vigorous missioner around the whole diocese. He not only made an impact on the faith of the church, but won the respect of many outside it. In 1917 he was appointed superintendent of the Hawke’s Bay Maori mission and moved to Kohupatiki near Clive. He was a member of the diocesan Standing Committee and edited a monthly Maori paper.
After several years of appeal and negotiation, General Synod finally met a widespread and deep desire amongst the Maori people to have a Maori bishop. On 2 December 1928 in Waiapu Cathedral, Frederick Augustus Bennett was consecrated as the first bishop of Aotearoa, at that time suffragan bishop of Waiapu. It was a position he was to hold for 22 years. He became the spiritual representative of the generation of Ngata, Pomare, and Buck, with whom he had earlier played an important part in the development of the Young Maori Party. He continued to give unstinting service to the welfare of the Maori people. At a time when many of the Maori people were dispirited, he brought “faith and belief in the future”. In 1938 he was part of an important delegation to the government of the day on the damaging effects of alcohol abuse on the Maori people - a problem which Bennett described as imported by Europeans. In 1948 he was awarded the CMG, and in the same year attended the Lambeth Conference and the opening of the World Council of Churches in Amsterdam.
Renowned for his skills in oratory in both Maori and English, he was able to speak to both races “in a language which they understood and appreciated”. He could speak for the Maori to the pakeha and for the pakeha to the Maori. In a tribute to him at the time of his death on 16 September 1950, he was acknowledged as a great leader:
An essentially kindly and approachable man, the Bishop in bearing was a rangatira of the old school - the personification of simple dignity. The melodious voice that entranced many a congregation was, undoubtedly, a gift from his Polynesian forbears. In English his speech was slow and deliberate. But in Maori, words often poured torrentially from his lips. He loved to take an old Maori saying and use it as a text. There were few men, in a generation of orators, who could equal him. 
A man of deep humility of spirit and infinite courage, he will be remembered as one of the most revered and loved leaders the Maori people have ever known.
His grave in the chancel of St Faith’s Church, Ohinemutu, bears the following inscription, chosen by Archbishop Norman Lesser: “Here lies all that could die of Frederick Augustus Bennett.”
Frederick Bennett’s son Manuhuia became the third bishop of Aotearoa on 18 October 1968, St Luke’s Day. Frederick Augustus Bennett, the first Maori bishop, is commemorated on the day following the commemoration of Rota Waitoa, the first Maori priest.
The following is an excerpt from the Poroporoaki to Frederick Augustus Bennett by Kepa Ehau, September 1950:
Te Matua i roto i te Ariki. . . . 	
Our revered elder in Christ. . . .
Nga totara haemata, 
(You were all1 like) the strong totara,
nga totara whakahihi o te wao tapu nui a Tane Mahuta, 
the lofty totara from the great sacred forest of Tane Mahuta,
nga tangata hautu, nga haumi, nga whakatakere o nga waka.
the tangata hautu, the haumi, the whakatakere of the canoes2.
Nga toka tu moana akinga a tai, 
(You were all like) the sentinel rocks defying the tides,
akinga a hau, akinga a ngaru tuatea. 	
defying the winds, defying the ocean waves.
Aku parepare, aku whakaruruhau,	
(You were all like) my parepare3, my windbreak
“te murau a te tini, te wenerau a te mano, aku manu tioriori”, 
“the guiding star of the multitudes, the envy of thousands,
	my manu tioriori”,
aku manu honenga, nga kaka waha nui o te pae, 
my manu honenga, my strong-voiced kaka of the threshold4, 
nga kaka haetara ki te iwi i ana ra.	
you were the greatly admired kaka of your time.
Nga tamariki o nga whare tapu, nga whare wananga,		
O sons of the whare tapu, the whare wananga,
nga whare maire, nga whare whakairo, nga whare korero,
the whare maire, the whare whakairo, the whare korero5,
haere koutou ki te wa kainga.	
go forward to the final home.
Te Pihopa Maori tuatahi o te Hahi o Ingarangi	
(You), the first Maori Bishop of the Church of England,
i whanau, i nanatia, i whakatupuria koe i te wa kainga,
were born, nurtured and grew up here, in this place
i whakatangatatia atu koe ki Te Wai Pounamu.	
and you reached manhood in Te Wai Pounamu.
No reira, ka tapaea a koe tou tinana ki te para 
There, you wrapped yourself in the vestments (of the Church)
ki te ngaki i te mara a to tatou Matua.	
to till the fields of our Father.
Nou ka hoki mai, 
Soon after your return, 
ka uhia ki runga ki a koe te Pihopatanga o Aotearoa.	
you were vested with the office of Bishop of Aotearoa.
Kua whawhaitia e koe te whawhai pai, 
You have fought the good fight,
kua omakia e koe te oma pai.		
you have run the good race.
Kua moai koa a Taupiri, a Te Rewarewa, e tu tai ana raa,
Taupiri is desolate, also Te Rewarewa, and trimmed too,
te kauika taramea i te matarae i waho o Muruika.
are the moored red ochred canoes off the headland,
	outside of Muruika.
. . . 
Te pononga a Te Atua, 
Servant of God, 
haere, e hoe i runga i to waka i te whakapono.
go, sail on your canoe of faith.
E tae koe ki nga rire o nga rangi, ki te tauranga i to Atua,	
And when you reach the highest of the heavens, 
	the resting place of the Lord,
tena te reo powhiri whakatau i a koe:
there a voice will be welcoming you:
“Haere mai e te hunga whakapai a toku Matua; 	
“Come, the faithful people of my Lord,
nohoia te rangatiratanga o te rangi,	
and dwell in the kingdom of heaven,
kua rite noa atu mo koutou 
a place has been prepared for you
no te orokohanganga mai ra ano o te ao”.
since the beginning of the world”.	
For further reading:
W.J.W. Rosevear, Waiapu: The Story of a Diocese, Auckland, Paul’s Book Arcade, 1960.
For Liturgical Use
Frederick Augustus Bennett was born in 1871 and, after service in Maori mission work mainly in Rotorua and Hawke’s Bay, was consecrated bishop of Aotearoa on 2 December 1928. Renowned for his skills in oratory in both Maori and English, he was able to speak for the Maori to the pakeha and for the pakeha to the Maori. Remembered as an essentially kindly and approachable man, the bishop in bearing was a rangatira of the old school - the personification of simple dignity. He died in 1950.
Sentence
E kore rawa ahau e wareware ki au ako, e Ihowa, he mea whakahauora hoki nau ena i ahau.	
				Waiata 119:93
I will never forget your precepts, O God, for by them you have given me life.
			Psalm 119:93
Collects
Ano ka tutuki te wa 
ka kakahuria te korowai o te Wairua Tapu 
e Te Atua ora tonu 
ki runga ki a Frederick Augustus Bennett 
hei matua i roto ia a koe 
hei arahi i te iwi Maori; 
nana i kauwhau to kupu i riri te he,
 i whakapau te manawanui mo te whakaako; 
tukua mai ki a matou taua wairua o te kaha, 
o te aroha, o te ngakau mahara, 
kia manakohia ai matou e koe, 
ko Ihu Karaiti hoki to matou Ariki. Amine.
Living God, in the fullness of time,
the mantle of your Holy Spirit 
clothed Frederick Augustus Bennett 
as a father in your whanau, 
to lead the Maori people 
by preaching your word, rebuking error, 
and teaching with unfailing patience;
grant us the same spirit of power, 
love, and self control, 
that we may do what pleases you; 
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Blessed are you, God of all mana and authority,
in Frederick, the first Maori bishop;
for it is your will that every race
will have its part to direct the church.
Psalms:	101	122	
Readings
1 Samuel 3:1-10		The call of Samuel
2 Corinthians 3:1-6		Ministers of a new covenant
Matthew 9:35-38		Proclaiming the good news
Post Communion Sentence
Kia mahara ki te hunga e tohutohu ana i a koutou, kua korero nei i te kupu a te Atua ki a koutou: tirohia te tukunga iho o ta ratou whakahaere, kia rite to koutou ki to ratou whakapono.
				Hiperu 13:7 
Remember your leaders, those who spoke the word of God to you; consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.	Hebrews 13:7