Our Story

The Anglican faith in Te Tairāwhiti has deep roots in the history of Māori Christianity.

In the early nineteenth century Māori leaders encountered the Christian faith through the northern Anglican mission. One of the first to bring this faith to the East Coast was Piripi Taumata-a-Kura, a Ngāti Porou leader who had learned about Christianity in the Bay of Islands.

When he returned home in the 1830s he began teaching the Gospel among his own people, preparing the way for Anglican missionaries and helping establish the foundations of the church in Te Tairāwhiti.

From that time the Gospel spread through Māori teachers, evangelists, and local leaders who embraced the faith and built churches across the East Coast and Hawke’s Bay.

Many of those churches remain today as places of worship and gathering for whānau and communities.

Te Pīhopatanga o Te Tairāwhiti

The bishopric of Te Tairāwhiti serves Māori Anglican communities across the East Coast and Hawke’s Bay.

The first Bishop of Te Tairāwhiti was Archbishop Brown Tūrei, who was elected in 1992 following constitutional changes in the Anglican Church that recognised Māori leadership through Te Pīhopatanga o Aotearoa.

He served the church with distinction for many years and played a key role in shaping the life of the Māori Anglican Church.

Today the bishopric is led by The Most Reverend Don Tamihere, who was installed as Bishop of Te Tairāwhiti in 2017 and later became Te Pīhopa o Aotearoa and Archbishop of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia.

Under his leadership the Hui Amorangi continues to renew its mission through the vision of Ka Tipu Ka Hua.