Three lay preachers who claim they were stripped of their roles with the Tuingapapai Free Wesleyan Church of Tonga New Zealand in Otahuhu will officially launch the Siasi Uesiliana Tau’ataina ‘o Tonga (SUTT) in New Zealand tomorrow.
Sione Fono Latu, ‘Isileli Tonga and Siulolo Malamala are reported to have claimed the Church’s board of trustees was dissatisfied when it learned they had obtained the sole official right to make, use or sell the name SUTT.
The acronym is Tongan for FWCTNZ or Free Wesleyan Church of Tonga New Zealand.
Tonga said they were told by the church their roles had been removed pending a decision at the church’s September quarterly meeting.
He said since then nothing had happened and no one from the church had visited them.
Tonga told Kakalu ‘O Tonga newspaper the first service for the SUTT church in New Zealand would be held tomorrow Sunday July 31.
He reportedly said they registered the name SUTT because Tuingapapai superintendent Rev. Lopini Filise and the church’s lawyer had re-registered the church as the FWCTNZ.
When the change was made it left no SUTT churches in New Zealand.
Tonga is reported to have said he and his partners feared someone else might register for the name so they decided to do it first.
He said their intension was to keep the name for the church, but they did not know their action would infuriate the Tuingapapai authority.
Tuingapapai Superintendent Minister Rev. Lopini Filise told the paper the Tuingapapai church was still available and open to the disgruntled lay preachers.
The SUTT church’s general secretary in Tonga, Dr. Tevita Koloaʻia Havea, told Kaniva News if some people from the Tuingapapai church had left and established a new church that was a brilliant idea.
“They will be happy with it and free to do their prayers according to what they want”, Dr. Havea said.
Dr. Havea said he wished the lay preachers well.
Kaniva News was unable to contact Tonga for comment this evening.
The new church came after hundreds of members of the SUTT church in Sydney split last August after three pastors of the Pulela’a SUTT church refused to obey the Tongan conference and return to Tonga to work under the control of the President.
The Free Wesleyan Church of Tonga New Zealand’s official website still uses the abbreviation SUTT.
In 2013 hundreds of the Tokaikolo congregants in Auckland defected and started the Mo‘ui Fo‘ou ‘Ia Kalaisi Fellowship.
The new church now operates in Otahuhu in South Auckland.
The main points
- Three lay preachers who claim they were stripped of their roles with the Tuingapapai Free Wesleyan Church of Tonga New Zealand in Otahuhu will officially launch the Siasi Uesiliana Tau’ataina ‘o Tonga (SUTT) in New Zealand tomorrow.
- Sione Fono Latu, ‘Isileli Tonga and Siulolo Malamala are reported to have claimed the Church’s board of trustees was dissatisfied when it learned they hadobtained the sole right to make, use or sell the name SUTT.
- The acronym is Tongan for FWCTNZ or Free Wesleyan Church of Tonga New Zealand.
- The new church came after hundreds of members of the SUTT church in Sydney broke away split last August.
For more information
Free Wesleyan Church of Tonga New Zealand
Scuffle breaks out during ‘fakakuata’ meeting in Australia (Kaniva News)
Correction
In the original version of this story Kaniva News described Latu, Tonga and Malamala as ministers. They are in fact members of the congregation who are authorised to preach from the pulpit. Kaniva News is happy to make this clarification.
