Electoral College for Te Hui Amorangi ki Te Manawa o Te Wheke
ELECTORAL COLLEGE PROCESS
This page documents the Electoral College process for Te Hui Amorangi ki Te Manawa o Te Wheke in 2026. Below you’ll find the key announcements and timeline for this process. For all official announcements about the Electoral College process, visit the Official Announcements page.
Notice of Vacancy
1 July 2026
With joy and thanksgiving, we announce the vacancy in the office of Bishop of Te Hui Amorangi ki Te Manawa o Te Wheke, following the retirement of the Right Reverend Ngārahu Kātene in 2025.
We honour Bishop Ngārahu, his beloved wife Kāmana, and their whānau for their 19 years of devoted service and ministry. The Electoral College process will guide our discernment as we seek together with Te Wairua Tapu for the next Pīhopa.
Electoral College: 2–3 October 2026
Details on nomination requirements and process to follow.
Ngā tukanga a Te Rūnanga Tohu o Te Hui Amorangi ki Te Waipounamu
Historical Context
An electoral process in currently underway to discern who God is calling as the next Pīhopa (bishop) for Te Hui Amorangi ki Te Manawa o Te Wheke.
Here you will find resources including timelines, articles explaining the process, and the official notices from Te Pīhopa o Aotearoa, the Most Reverend Dr Don Tamihere.
Clergy and laity of Te Manawa o Te Wheke will discern together with Te Wairua Tapu over the next four months a formal call to prayer, formal call for nominations, vetting process, candidate announcement and electoral college on 2nd and 3rd October 2026.
Te Manawa o Te Wheke
Following 19 years of episcopal ministry for Te Hui Amorangi ki Te Manawa o Te Wheke, The Right Reverend Ngarahu Katene resigned from office in 2025.
Te Hui Amorangi ki Te Manawa o Te Wheke is the episcopal heart of Māori Christian mission and ministry across the Central North Island, from Tuakau in the north, across to Hauraki and the Coromandel Peninsula, down into the Waikato and King Country, across to Tūrangi, Taupō into Rotorua and out to the Bay of Plenty from Tauranga Moana all the way to Pōtikirua at the tip of the East Coast.
Te Hui Amorangi ki Te Manawa o Te Wheke encompasses many iwi, waka, maunga, awa and other significant landmarks. It also includes Tūrangawaewae Marae, the seat of the Kiingitanga – and Te Kāhui Ariki o Te Wherowhero, as well as te Whare Ariki o Te Heuheu – the house of Te Heuheu in Ngāti Tūwharetoa.
It has some of the most iconic – and most recognisable – whare karakia in Aotearoa, such as St Faith’s at Ōhinemutu, Rotorua, and Christ Church, Raukokore, at the eastern most reaches of the Hui Amorangi.
It was established in 1992 following the adoption of Te Pouhere, the revised constitution, and is a constituent body of Te Rūnanganui o Te Pīhopatanga o Aotearoa.
The first Pīhopa ki Te Hui Amorangi ki Te Manawa o Te Wheke was the Most Reverend Whakahuihui Vercoe, the 4th Pīhopa o Aotearoa, Archbishop and Primate of New Zealand. Upon his retirement in 2006, Bishop Ngarahu became the first elected Bishop of Te Manawa o Te Wheke, a role he dutifully held for 18 years.
Further information and resources about the process, including how candidates may be nominated for consideration by the Electoral College, will be made available in due course.
Electoral Process Timeline at a Glance
1 July 2026
Formal Notice of Vacancy
20 July – 9 August 2026
Call to Time of Prayer & Reflection
Three weeks of prayer and reflection to support collective discernment. Scripture readings, karakia, and reflections will be made available.
27 July 2026
Nomination & Screening Forms Available
A key change requires nominations to come from local and regional groupings within Te Hui Amorangi ki Te Manawa o Te Wheke. Nominating groups may plan screening criteria in advance, but cannot submit nominations at this stage.
9am 10 August 2026
Formal Call for Nominations
Submissions are open
5pm 19 August 2026
Nominations Close
Nominations close with a hard deadline of 5pm and must include all the information requested.
20 August – 10 September 2026
Vetting and Screening Process
Three-week vetting and screening process by a sub-committee. This does not replace the role of the Electoral College.
11 Spetember 2026
Candidates Publicly Announced. Electoral College Membership Confirmed.
2 – 3 October 2026
Electoral College Convenes
The Electoral College discerns confirmed nominees and elect a new Pīhopa ki Te Manawa o te Wheke.
TBC
Ordination / Installation (dates TBC)
Understanding the Role of Pīhopa
The Calling of a Pīhopa
The calling of a pīhopa is a response to the voice of te Atua, recognised and affirmed by the Hāhi. It is a call to serve through oversight, teaching, pastoral care, and faithful leadership in the way of the Rongopai. This calling builds on their earlier journey in baptism and ordained ministry as a deacon and priest and deepens their lifelong commitment to serve te Atua and the people.
The Order and the Office
Te Pouhere (the Constitution) describes two related but different things: the Order of Pīhopa and the Office of Pīhopa. The Order is the lifelong identity and spiritual authority given through ordination. The Office is the specific leadership role to care for a hui amorangi or other episcopal area. The Order is permanent; the Office is held for a time and carries responsibility for governance, pastoral care, and mission.
The Order of Pīhopa
The Order of Pīhopa is one of the three orders of ordained ministry through which the Hāhi continues in the apostolic faith: rīkona (deacon), pirihi (presbyter or priest), and pīhopa (bishop). A pīhopa enters this order through prayer and the laying on of hands by other pīhopa, receiving authority to serve the whole Church, not just one hui amorangi. When a pīhopa retires or steps down, they remain part of the Order.
The Office of Pīhopa
The Office of Pīhopa is a specific commission to lead and oversee a hui amorangi. It involves caring for doctrine, worship, discipline, and ministry; preaching and teaching the Rongopai; and presiding at Te Hākari Tapu, confirmations, and ordinations. The pīhopa also leads in synods and councils to strengthen unity and the oranga ake of the Church. When a pīhopa retires, moves, or resigns, they leave that office but remain within the Order of Pīhopa.
Ngā tukanga a Te Rūnanga Tohu o Te Hui Amorangi ki Te Waipounamu
A New Zealand Prayer Book/He Karakia Mihinare o Aotearoa sets out both the spiritual character and practical responsibilities of the episcopate:
Bishops are sent to lead by their example
in the total ministry and mission of the Church.
They are to be Christ’s shepherds
in seeking out and caring for those in need.
They are to heal and reconcile,
uphold justice and strive for peace.
Bishops are to exercise godly leadership
in that part of the Church committed to their care,
and to maintain wise discipline within its fellowship.
The Church looks to them to promote peace and unity
among all God’s people,
and to encourage their obedience to God’s word.
They are to keep the Church true to its faith,
as found in Scripture and the Creeds,
to teach this faith and proclaim it.
Bishops are to ensure that an episcopal ministry is maintained.
They are to ordain, send forth and care for the Church’s pastors,
and to preside over its worshipping life.9