Restrictions OK
Jurisdiction Employment Relations Authority - Wellington
Reference No WA 14A/05
Hearing date 2 Feb 2005
Determination date 09 March 2005
Member D Asher
Representation S Brown ; G Ogilvie
Location Wellington
Parties Allen v The Congregational Christian Church of American Samoa in New Zealand (Porirua) Trust Board
Summary JURISDICTION - Whether employee - Applicant became church's minister and lived in church house with his family - Church was incorporated as respondent - Property transferred to respondent - Church split into two congregations - High Court decision gave control of respondent to congregation dissatisfied with applicant - Alleged unjustified dismissal - Respondent alleged applicant not an employee - Applicant's relationship was with church and not respondent - Money paid to applicant was alofa (love offerings") from congregation not conventional wages - Respondent a separate legal entity from church - No history of dealings between respondent and applicant to support claim of contract of service - References by respondent to employing applicant were not evidence of true intention of parties - No evidence to support applicant's fundamental claim that parties intended to be legally bound - No jurisdiction - Church minister/reverend"
Result Question answered in favoured of respondent ; Costs reserved
Statutes ERA s3(2)(a);ERA s6(1)(a);ERA s6(2);ERA s6(3)
Cases Cited Apineru v The Board of Trustees of the Congregational Christian Church of American Samoa in New Zealand (Porirua) Trust unreported, Wild J, 16 September 2004, CIV-2003-485-713;Conference of the Methodist Church of NZ v Gray [1996] 1 ERNZ 48;Gray v Nelson Methodist Presbyterian Hospital Chaplaincy Committee [1995] 1 ERNZ 672;Mabon v Conference of the Methodist Church of New Zealand [1997] ERNZ 690
Number of Pages 10
PDF File Link: PDF file not available for download, please contact us to request a copy.