First Wahine Elected Pīhopa Ki Te Hui Amorangi Ki Te Waipounamu

The Venerable Susan Wallace [Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Whātua, Ngāti Wai] has been elected as the third Pīhopa ki Te Hui Amorangi ki Te Waipounamu, becoming the first wahine to hold the role.

Bishop-elect Susan will succeed her father, the late Right Reverend Richard Wallace, who died suddenly in 2024. Her election was confirmed following nomination by the Electoral College of Te Hui Amorangi ki Te Waipounamu in Christchurch earlier this month.

“I would never, ever have thought that I would be closely following in his footsteps. I thought he would be around a bit longer, that he would get to retire — but that wasn’t to be. God was ready to call him home,” she said.

“I don’t take lightly what it means to step into that legacy, or the responsibility I carry to our people, our whenua, and to speak into injustices happening here at home and around the world,” Bishop-elect Susan said.

The Primates of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia are thrilled with the election of Bishop-elect Susan.

The Most Reverend Dr Donald Tamihere said Te Hui Amorangi ki Te Waipounamu has discerned and made a profound choice in Archdeacon Susan as their Bishop-elect

“Susan has vast experience as a leader and governor among both iwi and the Church, nationally and internationally. She is beloved among her people and has the humility and temperament required to be a uniting force among Church and Iwi.

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

The Most Reverend Justin Duckworth says Susan has demonstrated her leadership capabilities for a long time, both within and outside of the hāhi, and is a welcome addition to the House of Bishops.

“Drawing on many years of service to the Church, her iwi, and local communities, Bishop-elect Susan brings deep experience, strong relationships, and a steady commitment to the people of Te Waipounamu.”

The Most Reverend Sione Ulu’ikalepa has praised the bishop-elect’s work across all Tikanga of the church, notably her work leading and facilitating workshops in Fiji, and awaits with anticipation the flourishing relationship between Susan and the rest of the Province.

“I have seen first-hand the commitment and passion Bishop-elect Susan has for her faith, the Church, and to God here in the Diocese of Polynesia, and across the Three Tikanga. I look forward to continuing that relationship and work with her.”

Bishop-elect Susan becomes just the second wahine Māori elected to the office of Pīhopa. Te Pīhopa o Te Upoko o te Ika, Waitohiariki Quayle, ordained in 2019, is the first.

She will join Bishop Waitohiariki, Bishop Anne van Gend of Dunedin, and Assistant Bishop of Wellington Anashuya Fletcher in the House of Bishops of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia.

“I also look forward to wānanga and to sitting alongside other women, shaping a pathway for what wāhine can bring to the role of pīhopa and to service within our hapori, including what it means for wāhine behind the altar,” says Bishop-elect Susan.

Bishop-elect Susan also acknowledges those who have gone before her, and all wāhine who have stood for election in previous Colleges, particularly the Venerable Hannah Pomare.

Notes:

• Bishop-elect denotes an elected but not yet ordained bishop. Following the ordination and installation of Susan Wallace in June 2026, she may be referred to as Bishop Susan Wallace or the Bishop of Te Hui Amorangi ki Te Waipounamu.

• Her formal honorific style will be The Right Reverend Susan Wallace, or The Right Reverend Susan Wallace, Bishop of Te Waipounamu following ordination and installation.

• The date for the installation and ordination of Bishop-elect Susan Wallace has been set for the 6th of June at Christchurch.

• Te Hui Amorangi ki Te Waipounamu is the episcopal unit within Te Pīhopatanga o Aotearoa (The Māori bishopric of Aotearoa) that covers Te Waipounamu (the South Island), Wharekauri/Rēkohu (Chatham Islands) and Rakiura (Stewart Island).

• The Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia (ACANZP) operates under three tikanga (cultural streams): Tikanga Māori, Tikanga Pākehā, and Tikanga Pasefika.

• Bishop-elect Susan Wallace is only the second wahine Māori to be elected Pīhopa under Tikanga Māori and second NZ-born female pīhopa in the ACANZP. • Te Hīnota Whānui / General Synod is the governing body of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia.

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