Penelope Jamieson

New Zealand bishop

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June 29, 2026

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Penelope Jamieson was the first female Anglican bishop to head a diocese in New Zealand. She was consecrated in 1990, serving as bishop for the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand, and Polynesia. This church is an independent member of the Anglican Communion, a global body of churches that evolved from the Church of England. The Anglican Communion is united by loyalty to the Archbishop of Canterbury and adherence to the teachings of Anglicanism. Jamieson's appointment marked a significant step in the ordination of women within the Anglican Church.12

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Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand, and Polynesia
…1990 in Dunedin, New Zealand, Penelope Jamieson became the first female Anglican bishop to head a diocese. The church published its own revised prayer book in 1989, A New Zealand Prayer Book: He Karakia Mihinare o Aotearoa.The seat of the primacy is in Christchurch, even though leadership of the church…
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…1990 in Dunedin, New Zealand, Penelope Jamieson became the first female Anglican bishop to head a diocese. The church published its own revised prayer book in 1989, A New Zealand Prayer Book: He Karakia Mihinare o Aotearoa.The seat of the primacy is in Christchurch, even though leadership of the church…
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Anglicanism
Internal developments
In 1990 New Zealander Penelope Jamieson became the first diocesan bishop, and in 2006 the ECUSA elected Katharine Jefferts Schori as the first woman presiding bishop of any member church of the Anglican Communion. The Church of England formally approved the consecration of women as bishops in 2014. The…
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In 1990 New Zealander Penelope Jamieson became the first diocesan bishop, and in 2006 the ECUSA elected Katharine Jefferts Schori as the first woman presiding bishop of any member church of the Anglican Communion. The Church of England formally approved the consecration of women as bishops in 2014. The…
Read More