How Quakers are organised in Aotearoa New Zealand
Quakers use the term Meetings to refer to groups of people who come together regularly for worship, fellowship, and mutual encouragement for living in accordance with Quaker values.
Local Quaker Meetings are also called Worship Groups, and are listed in the Quaker Meeting pages.
There are 29 Quaker Worship Groups throughout New Zealand. They vary in size, and the number present at a Meeting can range from fewer than ten people to about forty. Most meet weekly, usually on a Sunday, but please check with your local group as some meet less frequently.
Local meetings are grouped into regional areas, which we call ‘Monthly Meetings’ (because they meet once a month for matters of business).
The role of the Monthly Meeting is to oversee the business and material and spiritual needs of all the Meetings and Friends in its area. A Meeting that takes on many but not all of the responsibilities of a Monthly Meeting is called a 'Recognised' Meeting. Nelson is a Recognised Meeting.
Young Friends Meeting is a General Meeting, which operates alongside Yearly Meeting.
Yearly Meeting means both the annual general meeting of Quakers, usually held in a different part of the country in May each year, and the national community of Quakers in Aotearoa New Zealand.
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