The report upheld the "traditional doctrine of marriage", which defined marriage as being "between a man and a woman ... life-long and monogamous".

However it proposed a compromise solution which would allow the blessing of same gender couples who are already civilly married.

While both Tikanga Maori and Tikanga Polynesian agreed they could adopt provisions of the A Way Forward report, the seven New Zealand dioceses asked for more time to address misgivings about the two services of blessing posed.

The Synod moved into conference mode, and requested space to operate with only members and those with speaking rights present.

After the discussion, the Synod appointed a new working group to draft an alternate response to the A Way Forward report.

It consisted of seven members - two from each tikanga and a legal adviser.

This working party presented its proposal on Wednesday.

Agreement could still not be reached.

And so the report "lies on the table" with the Synod coming back to it after further work in two years time.

Church spokesman Rev Jayson Rhodes said the synod decided that "it needs more work and time to create a structure that can allow for blessing of committed life-long monogamous same-sex relationships".

"The synod has asked for a working group to ensure there is a structure that can safeguard different views concerning the blessing of same-gender relationships, and that will be considered in two years' time at the next General Synod," he said.

The the original working group said that the proposed new rites of blessing are "additional formularies" rather than doctrinal changes.

"It is the view of the majority of the group that the proposed liturgies do not represent a departure from the Doctrine and Sacraments of Christ, and are therefore not prohibited by [the Church's constitution]"

The proposal was modelled on what happened in France, where "everybody gets married in the town hall and comes to church the next day".

On Monday, Bishop Jim White, who was part of the working group, told the Synod that blessings would require the legal union to take place elsewhere at an earlier time, then the couple themselves would be blessed by the Church, not their marriage.

This provided an opportunity for blessings but kept the Church's understanding of marriage intact.

Some church members think the proposed blessing ceremonies looked too much like a marriage, he said.

Others have criticised the report saying it creates a second class ceremony for same gender couples.

Bishop Kito Pikaahu, also one of the report writers, said different groups inside the Church must learn to be tolerant, particularly when disagreeing with others.

Other working group members said the report was designed to spark discussion and was not a final solution.

They said there was not unanimous agreement within the working group and the report offered recommendations to be debated.

Prior to the presentation of the report two dioceses had already intervened.

The Christchurch Diocesan Synod proposed a motion that states that the General Synod "does not adopt any recommendations without first referring the report to the Synods . . . of this Church for discussion, and resources a significant period of education, discussion and discernment throughout this Church."

The Nelson Diocesan Synod have tabled a motion calling for "at least four years of intentional theological reflection, education and discussion across our Church on the substance and impact of the [proposed changes]."

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"In fact, only a small proportion of its sample spent more than a few years living in a household headed by a same-sex couple," says Nathaniel Frank.

"Indeed, the study acknowledges that what it's really comparing with heterosexual families is not families headed by a same-sex couple but households in which parents broke up. 'A failed heterosexual union,'" he says.

Franks says it is not news to conclude "that when families endure a shattering separation, it is likely to shatter the lives of those in them."

"The trouble is that no scholarly research, including the Regnerus paper, has ever compared children of stable same-sex couples to children of stable different-sex couples, in part because an adequate sample size is hard to come by, " he says.

Read Nathaniel Frank's Op-Ed in the Los Angeles Times

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Dr Nathaniel Franks is a Senior Research Fellow at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and an adjunct professor of history at New York University.

The Church hopes the appointment of the committee is a step that will lead it out of the impasse over questions involving in same gender relationships.

The committee met for the first time on 9 June to begin the task of clarifying the choices the church faces - and identifying the implications of those choices.

The commission was instituted by the Standing Committee of the General Synod, which resolved at its November 2011 meeting to ask a small group of eminent people "with ability, credibility and a commitment to work in prayerful collegiality" to convene to do this work.

The commission's task is to summarise the Biblical and theological work done by the church over 30 years on these matters - and to present a final report which outlines the various options, and suggests the implications of each of those options, to the 2014 General Synod.

The members of the commission are:

Sir Anand Satyanand, who was a lawyer, judge and ombudsman before he was chosen as New Zealand's 19th Governor General.

Ms Mele Tuilotolava, a Tongan New Zealander lawyer who is also involved in a wide range of health, legal and Pacific Island advocacy work.

Professor Paul Trebilco, head of the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at the University of Otago.

Justice Judith Potter, a High Court judge, and former president of both the Auckland District and New Zealand Law Societies.

Sir Tamati Reedy, an educationalist who was the founding Professor of the University of Waikato's School of Maori and Pacific Development, and who has also served as the head of the Maori Affairs Department.

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