Nominations for 2026 are now open
Please read the information below and take time to consider nominating someone for Assembly Council, Mission Council, Carey Board or Women’s Board.
Note: For all nominations, the nominee must give consent to being nominated. The church of which the nominee is a member must also give its support. The nominee and church will be sent this information following the submission of a nomination form.
All nomination forms need to be submitted by 5pm, Thursday 10 September 2026.
Nominations for Vice-President are now closed.
National Council
| National Council are the governance group who act on behalf of our 240 faith communities between each National Hui of the Baptist Union. The National Council is responsible for the strategic direction of our movement and establishing policies and procedures that give effect to the decisions of the National Hui. They meet at least six times a year (typically on a Saturday) with subcommittees and other meetings between. The National Council comprises eight elected members, the President, Vice-President, National Leader, a representative from Mission Council and up to three co-opted members. Elected members serve a two-year term. Elected members are members of Baptist churches and may be pastors or lay people with wide ranging professional expertise. |
- Christian people with a passion for the Kingdom.
- Strategic and clear thinking with the ability to thoughtfully participate in robust discussion on matters pertaining to our common vision.
- Diversity. Balance in terms of gender, ethnicity and Treaty partnership.
- Members with commercial experience in the areas of finance and law. i.e. commercial, legal, finance, property, problem solving.
- People who understand and have experience in Baptist ecclesiology.
- Experience in a governance setting of a significant organisation.
Making contact with the Chair of the Assembly Council, Rod Robson, in advance would be welcomed if you have questions about the role, the skills and gifts we need, the time commitment required, and what you might bring to the role.
Mission Council
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We are seeking to fill places for four Mission Council members.
We have a number of Mission Council members making themselves available for re-election. If you also know of someone who may be able to contribute at this time to the life of Arotahi (NZBMS) please nominate them or contact the chair, Debbie Cunningham, for more information.
Carey Baptist College Board
| Carey Baptist College belongs to the Baptist family of churches and is committed to offering the best possible training for a wide range of pastoral leadership roles. In addition to this, a full range of courses are offered to a student body that extends beyond the Baptist constituency and beyond the college’s Auckland location.
Membership of the Carey Baptist College Board includes the President of the Baptist Union, the Vice-President, the National Leader, the Principal, six elected members, and up to three co-opted members. Elected members are expected to:
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We are seeking four Carey Baptist College Board members with:
- A proven ability to think strategically at a governance level. The Carey Board is responsible for governance of the College. We need members who will help the College align its life and programmes with its mission and strategic plan.
- The capacity to broaden and enrich the Board’s perspective. We would value the appointment of members with Māori, Pasifika and Asian perspectives.
- The skills to help Carey fulfil its financial and legal obligations.We currently have considerable pastoral ministry experience on the Board. We would also value additional members with business or legal expertise.
- Mature Christian character and who are a member in good standing of a constituent Baptist church of the Union.
- Experience in the provision of education services. Carey is a Private Training Establishment (PTE), registered with the New Zealand Qualifications Authority. The Education Act 1989 requires that its Board include some members who have experience in the provision of education.
Please see the below linked document for more information about the criteria that nominees to the Carey Board must meet. This document must be read in full by anyone thinking about nomination to the Carey Board.
Given the statutory requirements, and the complex regulatory environment in which Carey operates as a PTE, it is imperative that anyone thinking of standing – or nominating someone – for the Board should first contact the Board Chair, Chris Beales-White to discuss whether they comply with the legislative criteria, and whether they bring the balance of attributes required by the Board over the next two years. If this is determined in the positive, the nomination may then proceed.
Baptist Women's Board
| The Women’s Board seeks to support and develop women in ministries throughout our churches and advocate for women to have full and equal opportunities in the Baptist Churches of New Zealand. It does this through creating awareness of women’s issues, supporting women training for ministry, communication, education, and pastoral care for women in ministry. |
To encourage geographic representation on the Women’s Board, we are seeking nominations for two members from Waikato or Bay of Plenty Eastlands regions, two members from the Lower North Island region and one member from the Otago and Southland region, however all nominations will be accepted.
We are looking for women and men who are passionate about seeing women grow in leadership skills and about changing structures so that women have equal opportunities serve in their calling on a local church and national level.
We are also seeking candidates who want to see women in local churches grow in their understanding of who God has made them to be and grow in their gifting.
If you or someone you know would like to be part of the women’s board, please feel free to email the Chair, Tanya Lameta.