Commentary – The recent conviction of a Samoan pastor and his church trust for unsafe building practices should serve as a stark warning to Tongan church communities in New Zealand.
The Samoan Congregational Christian Church of New Zealand Māngere Trust and its pastor, Sean Palala, were sentenced in the Auckland District Court this week after being found guilty of 15 charges under the Building Act and Resource Management Act.
The court imposed a total fine of $82,000 for unlawful construction and continued use of a church building despite multiple warnings.
The McKenzie Road church in Māngere had been issued a dangerous building notice, yet gatherings continued in defiance of court orders.
The trust was fined for breaching an abatement notice, failing to comply with a notice to fix, multiple violations of enforcement orders, and failing to comply with dangerous building notices.
Pastor Palala was personally convicted, sentenced to 400 hours of community service, and fined $7,000.
Auckland Council confirmed that the trust had repeatedly ignored an interim enforcement order issued in May 2023, which prohibited the use of the building due to safety risks.
Council’s licensing and compliance field operations manager, David Pawson, said the court’s verdict sent a strong message that ignoring enforcement orders and continuing to use unsafe buildings would not be tolerated, according to a report by RNZ.
“Compliance with building and resource consent laws is essential for the safety of our communities,” he said.
Tongan Church’s Warning
This case comes after a Tongan church in Auckland, the Siasi Uēsiliana Tau‘atāina ‘o Tonga New Zealand (SUTTNZ), faced council action last year over an unsafe makeshift structure.
A church steward, ‘Akuila Hafoka, claimed in a viral video that compliance officers had ordered the demolition of their tent-covered timber building, citing fire hazards and code violations.
Building safety experts warn that many Pacific churches—often operating in temporary or modified structures—may be at risk of similar legal action.
Auckland Council reiterated that no community is exempt from building safety laws.
