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Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand, and Polynesia
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Formerly:
Church of the Province of New Zealand
Areas Of Involvement:
Anglicanism
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Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand, and Polynesia

independent Anglican church
Also known as: Church of the Province of New Zealand
Written and fact-checked by
Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
Britannica Editors
History

Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand, and Polynesia, an independent Anglican church that is part of the Anglican Communion. The Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia is organized into eight dioceses, most of them in New Zealand, with one diocese covering several Pacific island nations, including Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, and American Samoa. In addition, Māori Anglicans are served through three separate regional church bodies (hui amorangi) headed by Māori bishops that operate alongside the dioceses. Overall church leadership is shared by three co-equal archbishops, representing the church’s three cultural branches (tikanga): Māori, European, and Polynesian Anglicans. In 2020 the church claimed a membership of 616,000 parishioners.

The first Anglican missionaries arrived in New Zealand from Australia in 1814. The mision work flourished, and in 1841 George Augustus Selwyn (1809–78) was appointed the first bishop of New Zealand, where he served until 1867. The church grew as white settlers moved to the country, and it also gained converts among the native Maori population. In 1857 it adopted its own constitution and became an independent church.

Although other denominations also established missions in New Zealand, the Anglican church remained the largest church. Women were first ordained as priests in 1977, and in June 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 is now shared.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaThis article was most recently revised and updated by Melissa Petruzzello.