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Diocese of Polynesia
Holy Trinity Cathedral in Suva
Coat of arms of the Diocese of Polynesia
Location
Country	Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, American Samoa
Information
Cathedral	Holy Trinity Cathedral, Suva
Current leadership
Parent church	Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia
Bishop and co-primate	Sione Uluʻilakepa
Assistant bishops	Gabriel Sharma (Viti Levu West) Henry Bull (Vanua Levu and Taveuni)
Dean	Orisi Vuki
Archdeacons	Famausili Chris Solomona Taimalelagi Fagamalama Tuatagaloa-Leota Kensington Fifita Henry Rogo Orisi Vuki Henry Manulevu
Website
www.anglican.org.nz/Directory/Diocese-of-Polynesia/Diocese-of-Polynesia

The Diocese of Polynesia, or the Tikanga Pasefika serves Anglicans in Fiji, Tonga, Samoa and the Cook Islands, within the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia. The diocese's first bishop was consecrated in 1908. The diocese's cathedral is Holy Trinity Cathedral in Suva, Fiji.

Polynesia is a diocese, and its Bishop is automatically accorded the style archbishop and the formal prefix Most Reverend. Under the new model of leadership now adopted by the Anglican Church in New Zealand, the Bishop of Polynesia is automatically one of the three co-presiding bishops and archbishops. Each of these three is metropolitan archbishop to his respective tikanga, and informally they also share the primacy, although in practice they are required to elect one of their number to be the formal Primate, and serve on the international Anglican Communion Primates' Meeting.

Bishops

Bishops of Polynesia

• 1908–1921: Clayton Twitchell
• 1922–1962: Stanley Kempthorne
• 1962–1968: John Vockler
• 1969–1975: John Holland
• 1975–2010: Jabez Bryce (also: Acting Primate of New Zealand, 1997–1998; Co-Presiding Bishop / Pīhopa Aporei (Pasefika), 1998 2008; Primate / Pīhopa Mātāmua and Archbishop, 2008 onwards)
• 2010–2018: Winston Halapua (also Primate / Pīhopa Mātāmua and Archbishop)
• 2019–2021 (d.): Fereimi Cama (also Primate / Pīhopa Mātāmua and Archbishop)
• 2023–present: Sione Uluʻilakepa (also Primate / Pīhopa Mātāmua and Archbishop; nominated November 2022; sanctioned December; and consecrated 11 March 2023)

Suffragan bishops

Anglicanism first came to Samoa around 1890; in 1897, Alfred Willis, Bishop of Honolulu, visited Apia to baptise eight and confirm eleven people; he retired to Tonga in 1902 and was licensed assistant bishop in Tonga by Twitchell in 1913.

On 27 August 1967, Fine Halapua was consecrated a bishop, to serve as an assistant bishop of the diocese and called suffragan Bishop of Nukuʻalofa; he retired at the end of 1977. On Lady Day (25 March) 1994, Viliami Halaʻapiʻapi was consecrated Assistant Bishop of the diocese; called Father Bill, he died in office in early 2003.

Between 2004 and 2006, the diocese created six "units": three Episcopal Units (i.e. led by bishops) and three Archdeaconry Units (i.e. led by archdeacons). By 2006 these were: Northern (the Bishop in Vanua Levu and Taveuni); Vitu Levu West; and the Archdeaconries of Suva & Ovalau, of Tonga, of Samoa, and of American Samoa; the diocese's Episcopal Units Act 2008 founded three units: in Vanua Levu and Taveuni, in Viti Levu West and in New Zealand.

On 10 April 2005, three assistant bishops were consecrated for the diocese: Halapua, who served Polynesians in mainland New Zealand until 2010; Apimeleki Qiliho, Bishop in Vanua Levu and Taveuni (until 2017), in Viti Levu West (2014–2017), and an Assistant Bishop (2017–18); and Gabriel Sharma, Bishop in Viti Levu West (until 2013 and again 2017–present).

On 17 September 2017, ʻAka Vaka was consecrated a bishop; he served as "Bishop in Tonga", overseeing the newly constituted episcopal area; he retired effective 23 July 2019. Henry Bull was consecrated bishop on 3 December 2017 to serve as bishop in Vanua Levu and Taveuni.

Other notable people

• Taimalelagi Fagamalama Tuatagaloa-Leota, also known as Archdeacon Tai

References

1. "Anglican Taonga : New Zealand's Anglican News Leader". www.anglicantaonga.org.nz. Retrieved 2021-10-20.
2. "Anglican Taonga : New Zealand's Anglican News Leader". www.anglicantaonga.org.nz. Retrieved 2021-10-20.
3. "Nine go forward for +Polynesia". Anglican Taonga. 13 March 2023. Archived from the original on 23 January 2023. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
4. "Polynesia elects new Archbishop". Anglican Taonga. 13 March 2023. Archived from the original on 5 February 2023. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
5. "+Sione Polynesia takes the lead". Anglican Taonga. 13 March 2023. Archived from the original on 22 March 2023. Retrieved 16 May 2023.
6. Honoré, Christopher. "The Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia" in The Wiley-Blackwell Companion to the Anglican Communion (2013) (p. 381.)
7. "The Living Church". 1967.
8. "Proceedings of the General Synod: 43rd General Synod, 1978".
9. The episcopal ordination of the Assistant Bishop of the Diocese of Polynesia the Venerable Viliami Lausi'i Maealiuaki Hala'api'api and the celebration of the Silver Jubilee of the Association of Anglican Women, Holy Trinity Cathedral Suva, Fiji on the Feast of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary 25th March, 1994 at 10.00 a.m. 1994.
10. "Proceedings of the General Synod: 56th General Synod, 2004". John Kinder Theological Library. Retrieved 2021-10-20.
11. "Proceedings of the General Synod: 57th General Synod, 2006". John Kinder Theological Library. Retrieved 2021-10-20.
12. "Mission Units - Anglican Diocese of Polynesia". 2016-08-28. Archived from the original on 2016-08-28. Retrieved 2021-10-20.
13. "THE DIOCESAN SYNOD ACT 1997" (PDF). Diocese of Polynesia. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
14. ACANZP Lectionary, 2019 (p. 145)
15. "First Bishop ordained for Anglican Church of Tonga". Matangitonga. 2017-09-19. Retrieved 2021-10-20.
16. "Anglican Diocese of Polynesia on Facebook". Facebook. Archived from the original on 2022-04-27.
17. "NEWS/EVENTS". 2017-11-14. Archived from the original on 2017-11-14. Retrieved 2021-10-20.
18. "Anglican Taonga : New Zealand's Anglican News Leader". anglicantaonga.org.nz. Retrieved 2021-10-20.

18°8′32.61″S 178°25′28.09″E / 18.1423917°S 178.4244694°E / -18.1423917; 178.4244694

• Anglican dioceses in New Zealand
• Anglicanism in Fiji
• Anglicanism in New Zealand
• Anglicanism in Samoa
• Christianity in American Samoa
• Christianity in the Cook Islands
• Anglicanism in Tonga