Congregation misled on sex abuse claim

The Takapuna Assembly of God has misled its congregation about allegations that its head pastor, Wayne Hughes, sexually abused a teenager.

A statement read out during a service on Good Friday claimed that police had looked into the sexual abuse allegation against Mr Hughes and "they found no basis to substantiate those claims whatsoever".

But the victim, who was abused about 20 years ago, has never laid a complaint with police.

Asked whether the statement he read was inaccurate, Pastor Duane Newport said: "It's just too premature for us to make any comment. We are looking into all the issues."

After the Herald published the allegations last week, the church board and pastors agreed, based on medical and spiritual advice, that Mr Hughes should "take a timely break".

The AOG general superintendent, Ken Harrison, also issued a statement saying the church sought legal advice on the allegations last November and began an investigation.

Mr Harrison, general secretary Neil Hetrick and assistant general superintendent Iliafi Esera would not answer questions about the accuracy of the Takapuna church's statement that police had investigated the matter.

A former national general secretary of the Assembly of God in Australia, Philip Powell, said Mr Harrison's claim to have consulted the AOG lawyer was "a lame excuse" and typical of how AOG officials acted when challenged.

"They institute a smoke screen," said Mr Powell, who left the church in 1992 to found Christian Witness Ministries. " There is a culture of cover-up of sexual immorality within AOG in both Australia and New Zealand."

Christian Witness Ministries publishes a quarterly magazine called Contending Earnestly for the Faith.

"We have long since published articles about the moral failure of two former general superintendents of AOG New Zealand," said Mr Powell, in reference to material on his website.

The Herald received no response from the AOG hierarchy to further written questions asking why the investigation had taken more than five months and whether all members of the AOG executive - the overall governing body - had been fully informed and shown the evidence.

The Herald also asked why the church had not suspended Mr Hughes while it completed its investigation, when the general superintendent had information showing that both Mr Hughes and his victim had admitted that some form of abuse took place.