The Venerable Susan Wallace has been elected Bishop of Te Hui Amorangi ki te Waipounamu, the Māori Anglican Church in the South Island of Aotearoa, New Zealand. She will be the first woman to have been appointed to the role.

The Diocese of Te Hui Amorangi ki te Waipounamu nominated Susan Wallace as their new bishop, following two days of prayer and discernment at an electoral college held between April 17 and 18 at Te Tōimairangi Māori Anglican Centre in Christchurch. The Primates of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia have since announced her election on April 30.

Bishop-elect Susan Wallace, who is currently Vicar General and Registrar General Manager of Te Hui Amorangi ki Te Waipounamu, will become the first woman to lead the diocese and only the second Indigenous woman to be elected bishop in the whole of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand & Polynesia.

Bishop-elect Susan will lead Te Hāhi Mihinare across the South Island of Aotearoa, New Zealand, where Māori Anglican churches serve in communities across Whakatū (Nelson) Te Arapai, Motueka, Ōtautahi (Christchurch), Te Toko Toru Tapu at Arowhenua, Ōtepoti (Dunedin) and Murihiku (Invercargill).

Speaking about her election and call to serving the Church, Bishop-elect Susan said, ‘My calling has always been to serve — shaped by whakapapa (genealogy) that grounds me, whakapono (faith) that guides me, and a lifelong commitment to Te Hāhi Mihinare (The Anglican Church)’.

‘At the heart of my ministry is a commitment to nurturing emerging leaders, supporting clergy, communities and whānau (families), upholding kotahitanga (unity), activating Te Oranga Ake (human flourishing) and ensuring our Church remains courageous, compassionate and relevant, faithful to God, responsive to the needs of our people and resolute in the pursuit of justice.

‘I see the shape of our mission from God through Te Oranga Ake — a commitment to flourishing life for all,’ said Bishop-elect Susan after the announcement. ‘Looking ahead, I want to see a hāhi (church) that is united and thriving — grounded and deeply connected to the people and places where it serves, and known in our communities not only as a source of aroha (love) and compassion but of hope.’

Bishop of Aotearoa, Archbishop Don Tamihere, gave thanks and praise for Bishop-elect Susan's election and highlighted what she uniquely brings to the role. ‘Te Hui Amorangi ki Te Waipounamu has discerned and made a profound choice in Archdeacon Susan as their bishop-elect,’ he said.

‘Susan has vast experience as a leader and governor among both iwi (Māori tribal organisations) and the Church, nationally and internationally. She is beloved among her people and has proven to be a person of great faith, servanthood, wisdom and grace. Moreover, Susan is a good person with a good heart, and has the humility and temperament required to be a uniting force among Church and Iwi.

Reflecting on the ways Bishop-elect Susan's gifts will help her navigate the future for the Māori Anglican Church, Archbishop Don said, ‘The task of a modern Māori Bishop has changed from what it was 20 years ago, or even 10 years ago. Susan is well-suited and prepared not only to meet the unique challenges of today’s mission and ministry but to set the foundations for the future flourishing of our Hāhi (church) in the decades to come.

‘I am thrilled at her appointment, historic as it is for Māori and indigenous women in our global communion, and I look forward to learning from her and serving alongside her.’

A joint message from the Archbishops of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand & Polynesia, reads: ‘All throughout the ages God has called women and men to serve in the Church. From those in the bible such as Deborah, a prophet, judge and leader of Israel, to Phoebe, entrusted with ministry in the earliest Christian communities, the people of God have always been uplifted, empowered and enhanced when the gifts of women are received with aroha, thanksgiving and joy.’

About Bishop-elect Susan Wallace

Over the last nine years, Bishop-elect Susan has served in church leadership as General Manager and Education Director for the Māori Anglican Church in the South Island, working to build up the Amorangi's educational, governance and organisational foundations to foster a healthy, mission-focused culture grounded in discipleship, service and Te Oranga Ake (human flourishing).

Bishop-elect Susan will become the fourth female bishop serving in the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand & Polynesia at present, joining Bishop Waitohiariki Quayle, Bishop of Te Hui Amorangi ki te Upoko o Te Ika (Māori Anglican Church in the lower North Island), Bishop Anashuya Fletcher (Asst. Bishop of Wellington) and Bishop Anne van Gend (Bishop of Dunedin).

Bishop-elect Susan is already well-known for her leadership on a number of high-level commissions and governing bodies in the province of Aotearoa, New Zealand & Polynesia. Over the last decade, she has undertaken leadership and governance roles, representing her Amorangi and Te Pīhopatanga o Aotearoa at Te Rūnanganui, Te Rūnanga Whāiti (The national governing bodies of the Māori Anglican Church) and on Te Hīnota Whānui - General Synod.

For five years, she has chaired the National Kāhui Wāhine (Māori Anglican Women's Organisation) Executive Committee and served for nine years on this Church's higher educational taskforce, Te Kotahitanga Commission, including six years as its Chair.

Before moving to Christchurch to support the Māori Anglican Church across the South Island, Bishop-elect Susan served her iwi (tribe) for 15 years as General Manager of Te Rūnanga o Makaawhio, supporting the subtribe in cultural revitalisation and infrastructure development, while improving organisation and governance to support their goals.

Bishop-elect Susan brings her wide experience of the Māori world into the episcopal role and carries with her strong relationships formed through years of positive working across nationwide Māori organisations, including the Māori Women's Welfare League. She also brings wide tribal connections to her new role, not only through her colleagues in governance in many fields, but through her own ancestral ties, which anchor her from the far north to deep south.

Bishop-elect Susan has iwi links with Ngā Puhi, Ngāti Wai, Ngāti Hine, Ngāti Whātua, and Te Roroa tribes and subtribes in the north through her mother Archdeacon Ngahere Mere Wallace (née Paniora) and to Ngāti Tama, Ngāti Rārua, Ngāti Apa, Waitaha, Kāti Mamoe, and Kai Tahu through her father, the late Bishop of Te Waipounamu, the Rt Rev Richard Wallace.

Learn about the election of Susan Wallace on Taonga News.

See a short interview with Bishop-elect Susan shortly after her election.

See the joint statement from the Archbishops of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia.