Former pastor’s court case fails

A former church pastor who wanted to overthrow his replacement after a 10-year absence has lost his court battle.

Michael Trainer was the original pastor of the Hawke’s Bay Revival Centre when it was set up in Clive, Hawke’s Bay, in 1986.

In January 2007, Trainer relinquished his position as pastor and trustee of the church.

The pastor’s role was taken by then assistant pastor Laurence Leake, known as Adrian Leake.

Years later, in mid-2015 and early 2016, Trainer wrote to the church to say he would be resuming his position as a trustee and pastor. He also wanted Leake removed as a trustee and two other men he knew appointed as trustees.

Leake and others resisted, so Trainer and one of his friends, Craig Rawcliffe, took Leake and two other existing trustees to the High Court.

The matter was heard by Justice Mark Woolford in the High Court at Napier earlier this year.

Trainer and Rawcliffe said that despite resigning as pastor, Trainer had not resigned from the position of ‘‘overseeing pastor’’ and was therefore able to remove Leake as a trustee.

Leake said Trainer left him to undertake all trustee duties effectively as sole trustee and that Trainer had refused or neglected to formalise his resignation by signing a deed to that effect.

In a decision released this week, Justice Woolford said there was no doubt Trainer had intended to give Leake ‘‘the complete reins of the organisation’’ and that Leake had been both the de facto pastor and de facto overseeing pastor.

The judge said Trainer had not attended services at the church since 2007 and members of the parish did not recognise him as having oversight and control of the church – a prerequisite for appointment as pastor.