Te Pīhopatanga o Aotearoa


Te Pīhopatanga o Aotearoa is home to Māori Anglicans across Aotearoa, and one of the three Tikanga of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia. The first Māori Bishop was appointed in 1928, and the Pīhopatanga itself was established by General Synod as an autonomous body in 1978. According to the 2001 census there are approximately 75,000 Māori Anglicans in Aotearoa which makes it the largest Māori denomination. The Māori tikanga of the church is headed by Don Tamihere, Te Pīhopa o Aotearoa / Bishop of Aotearoa and Te Pīhopa o Te Tairāwhiti / Bishop of Tairāwhiti; Tamihere is the sixth Pīhopa o Aotearoa, succeeding the late Archbishop Brown Turei.

Episcopal Units

The 1992 constitution of the church enabled Te Rūnanga o Te Pīhopatanga to create sub-units called Hui Amorangi and to provide bishops for these. From an original position where these hui were mere divisions of Te Pīhopatanga, they have developed to "Episcopal Unit" status not incomparable to the "New Zealand dioceses", and have come to each be called Pīhopatanga in themselves., Te Pīhopatanga o Aotearoa is made up of five pīhopatanga / regional bishoprics: