Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia

Media Release – February 28 2014

Visit to New Zealand by the Archbishop of York

The Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, is to visit New Zealand from the 9th to the 29th of March for a time of study and public engagements.

The Archbishop, with his wife Margaret Sentamu, will be based in Dunedin at the University of Otago as the Harold Turner Visiting Fellow at the Centre for Theology and Public Issues. The Archbishop will present keynote addresses at the symposium entitled, ‘Poverty, Global and Local’ on 17th March.

Archbishop Sentamu is also to visit New Plymouth, Christchurch, Wellington and Auckland. The visit occurs as the Anglican Church prepares to celebrate the bi-centennial of the beginnings of the Christian gospel in Aotearoa, New Zealand. Dr Sentamu will also join the 3 Tikanga Youth Synod in Wellington with youth from across New Zealand and Polynesia.

The Archbishop of York will renew connections at St Mary’s Cathedral in Taranaki. He attended its consecration as a Cathedral in 2010. Then, Dr Sentamu spoke passionately about Maori and Pakeha relationships and the need for reconciliation. On this visit, the Archbishop will attend the liturgical welcome for the 7th Bishop of Waikato, the Rt Rev’d Dr Helen-Ann Hartley.

Speaking ahead of his visit the Archbishop of York said: “During my last visit to New Zealand, I was deeply moved by the traditional welcome of hongi in which the breath of life from God is shared, and our common humanity is affirmed. I am greatly looking forward to returning to New Zealand, for this opportunity to study, worship and witness together”.

The Archbishop of York, the Most Reverend and Right Honourable Dr John Sentamu, is Primate of England, a member of the House of Lords and a Privy Councillor. He was a High Court Judge in Uganda during the time of President Idi Amin, and his outspokenness led to him being jailed. Whilst he escaped and fled, others also jailed with him were killed. Once in England he trained for the ordained ministry and after serving in parishes and in prison ministry served as Bishop first in Stepney in the London Diocese, then as Bishop of Birmingham, before being made Archbishop of York in 2005. The Archbishop of York is the highest ranked bishop in the Church of England, next to the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Archbishop of the New Zealand Dioceses, Philip Richardson, says the work and leadership of Archbishop Sentamu brings passion to issues facing societies across the globe including inequality, indigenous rights, and the need to provide for the younger generations.

“His visit is a taonga to us as it was last time when he attended the tangi of Sir Paul Reeves. I look forward to the engagement Archbishop Sentamu and Margaret will bring to issues that face us as society and as a church in Aotearoa, New Zealand as we strive for the common good for all.”

The Bishop of Dunedin is doing a pilgrimage throughout Otago and Southland to mark 200 years of the gospel in New Zealand. Archbishop Sentamu will join Bishop Kelvin Wright for a day of that journey.

Public engagements:

Sunday 9th March New Plymouth: Welcome to the 7th Bishop of Waikato at St Mary’s Cathedral, 4pm.
Monday 17th March Dunedin Symposium: Poverty - Global and Local
Public Conversation on wider issues 5pm
Saturday 22nd March Queenstown Joining the Bishop of Dunedin on pilgrimage
through Otago and Southland marking the
bi-centennial of the Christian Gospel in NZ
Thursday 27th March Visit to Christchurch

Saturday 29th March Visit to Auckland for a service at Holy Trinity Cathedral marking progress towards its completion project and the bi-centennial.

ENDS

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