Diocese of Waikato and Taranaki

Diocese of Waikato and Taranaki
Bishopric
Arms of the Diocese of Waikato and Taranaki
Incumbent:
Philip Richardson
StyleThe Most Reverend
Location
CountryNew Zealand
TerritoryNorth Island
Ecclesiastical provinceAotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia
HeadquartersTaranaki
Coordinates37°47′31″S 175°17′11″E / 37.791901°S 175.286484°E / -37.791901; 175.286484
Statistics
Parishes8 (as of 2023)
Schools5 (as of 2023)
Information
First holderCecil Arthur Cherrington
(as Bishop of Waikato)
Formation1926
DenominationAnglican
Cathedral
Current leadership
Parent churchAnglican Communion
Major Archbishop
BishopPhilip Richardson
Website
www.wtanglican.nz

The Diocese of Waikato and Taranaki is one of the thirteen dioceses and hui amorangi (Māori bishoprics) of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia.[1] The diocese covers the area from the Waikato to the area surrounding Mount Taranaki in the North Island of New Zealand.

History

[edit]

The diocese was established in 1926 as the Diocese of Waikato, with Cecil Arthur Cherrington being the first bishop. In 2010, the name of the diocese was changed to the Diocese of Waikato and Taranaki. This reflects the structure of the diocese (since the passage of the Shared Diocesan Episcopacy Statute 2007),[2] with two bishoprics and two co-ordinary (presiding) bishops.[3] That statute was amended in 2017 (before Hartley's translation) to clarify that when one See is vacant, the other bishop also holds that See as sole diocesan bishop[4] — as has been the case since 2018. With the diocese unable to afford two bishops, Richardson established a commission in December 2018 to review the dual-episcopacy arrangement.[5]

Cathedra

[edit]

When resident in Hamilton, the seat of the Bishop of Waikato and Taranaki is at St Peter's Cathedral; and when resident in Taranaki, the seat of the Bishop is at the Taranaki Cathedral.

The incumbent Bishop of Waikato and Taranaki is Philip Richardson (who has been the archbishop of the New Zealand dioceses since 1 May 2013).[6] Richardson had previously been the only suffragan Bishop in Taranaki in the Waikato diocese from 1999 until the co-diocesan arrangement started in 2008.[7] Since Hartley's translation in 2018, Richardson has been sole diocesan bishop, called Bishop of Waikato and Taranaki.[8][9][10]

List of bishops

[edit]

The following individuals have served as the Bishop of Waikato and Taranaki, or any precursor title:

Bishops of Waikato and Taranaki
Ordinal Officeholder Term start Term end Notes
Bishops of Waikato
1 Cecil Cherrington 1926 1951
2 John Holland 1951 1968
3 Allen Johnston 1968 1980 Also Archbishop of New Zealand from 1972
4 Brian Davis 1980 1986 Also Archbishop of New Zealand from 1986; translated to Wellington
5 Roger Herft 1986 1993
6 David Moxon 1993 2013 Co-equal diocesan after 2008; senior bishop of the "New Zealand dioceses" from 2006; Co-Presiding Bishop / Pīhopa Aporei, 2006–2008 then Primate / Pīhopa Mātāmua and Archbishop, 2008 onwards.
7 Helen-Ann Hartley 2014 2018 Co-equal diocesan[11]
Bishops of Waikato and Taranaki
8 Philip Richardson 2018 incumbent Co-equal diocesan 2008–present; previously suffragan Bishop in Taranaki, 1999–2008; senior diocese of the New Zealand dioceses, Primate / Pīhopa Mātāmua and Archbishop since 2013.[12]

Parishes

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ About from Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia, 8 September 2011
  2. ^ "Statute No. 39 — The Shared Diocesan Episcopacy Statute 2007" (PDF). Diocese of Waikato and Taranaki. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 November 2022. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
  3. ^ Welcome from Anglican Diocese of Waikato and Taranaki, retrieved 8 September 2011
  4. ^ "Minutes of the first session of the Thirty-Ninth Synod" (PDF). Diocese of Waikato and Taranaki. October 2017. p. 25. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 November 2022. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
  5. ^ "The Establishment of the Bishop's Commission". Waikato & Taranaki Anglicans. 18 December 2018. Archived from the original on 22 December 2019. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
  6. ^ About Archived 2015-01-13 at the Wayback Machine from WaikatoTaranakiAnglican.org.nz, retrieved 19 December 2014
  7. ^ The Bishop's Action Foundation — The beginning of the story... Archived 2016-01-22 at the Wayback Machine (Accessed 27 July 2016)
  8. ^ "Bishop Philip and Staff". Waikato & Taranaki Anglicans. Archived from the original on 18 September 2020. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
  9. ^ "Tairawhiti Bishop, Don Tamihere, elected as Primate of Aotearoa, New Zealand & Polynesia". Anglican Communion News Service. 7 March 2018. Archived from the original on 7 March 2018. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
  10. ^ "Tiki Raumati: the challenge for us". Anglican Taonga. 3 September 2018. Archived from the original on 7 October 2018. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
  11. ^ Furrow, Gary (8 December 2017). "Bishop of Waikato says concluding her role 'a happy-sad time'". Retrieved 30 May 2018.
  12. ^ Wilson, Libby (9 February 2018). "No new Anglican Bishop for the Waikato - Taranaki takes on the job". Retrieved 30 May 2018.
[edit]