The Diocese of Waiapu is one of the 13 dioceses and hui amorangi (Māori bishoprics) of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia.[1] The Diocese covers the area around the East Coast of the North IslandofNew Zealand, including Tauranga, Taupō, Gisborne, Hastings and Napier. It is named for the Waiapu River.
Diocese of Waiapu
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| Bishopric | |
Arms of the Diocese of Waiapu
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| Incumbent: Andrew Hedge | |
| Style | The Most Reverend |
| Location | |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Territory | North Island |
| Ecclesiastical province | Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia |
| Headquarters | Napier |
| Coordinates | 39°29′40″S 176°54′59″E / 39.4944°S 176.9165°E / -39.4944; 176.9165 |
| Information | |
| First holder | William Williams |
| Formation | 1858 |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| Cathedral | Saint John's Cathedral |
| Current leadership | |
| Parent church | Anglican Communion |
| Major Archbishop |
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| Bishop | Andrew Hedge |
| Website | |
| www | |
The Diocese was established in 1858. The seat of the Bishop is the Waiapu Cathedral of Saint John the Evangelist, Napier.
Andrew Hedge is the current bishop, having been installed on St Luke's Day, 18 October 2014.
The following individuals have served as the Bishop of Waiapu, or any precursor title:
| Bishops of Waiapu | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ordinal | Officeholder | Term start | Term end | Notes | |
| 1 | William Williams | 1859 | 1876 | [2] | |
| 2 | Edward Stuart | 1877 | 1894 | ||
| 3 | Leonard Williams | 1895 | 1909 | Son of William Williams[3][4] | |
| 4 | Alfred Averill | 1910 | 1914 | ||
| 5 | William Sedgwick | 1914 | 1929 | From 1928 until the 1970s, the Bishop of Aotearoa was a suffragan bishop of Waiapu | |
| 6 | Herbert Williams | 1930 | 1937 | Grandson of William Williams[5] | |
| 7 | George Gerard | 1938 | 1944 | ||
| 8 | George Cruickshank | 1945 | 1946 | ||
| 9 | Norman Lesser | 1947 | 1971 | Also Archbishop of New Zealand from 1961 | |
| 10 | Paul Reeves | 1971 | 1979 | ||
| 11 | Ralph Matthews | 1979 | 1983 | ||
| 12 | Peter Atkins | 1983 | 1990 | ||
| 13 | Murray Mills | 1991 | 2002 | ||
| 14 | John Bluck | 2002 | 2008 | ||
| 15 | David Rice | 2008 | 2014 | TranslatedasBishop of San Joaquin, USA | |
| 16 | Andrew Hedge | 18 October 2014 (2014-10-18) | incumbent | ||
In 1866, there were two archdeaconries: A. N. Brown was Archdeacon of Tauranga and Leonard Williams of Waiapu.[6]