Our Vision
The Diocese through this decade is working on Regeneration. We dream of each of our ministry units being populated with new generations of believers. We pray for each of our churches to have a spread of generations in its congregations.
Our focus is on making disciples, strengthening families and building communities.
Come and join us!
Our Story
In 1850 Christchurch and the Canterbury plains and foothills were settled with migrants from Great Britain, many of whom were members of the Church of England. Anglican churches were founded. Anglican missioners shared the Good News with local Māori.
In 1856 the Diocese of Christchurch was established, Christchurch was declared a city by Queen Victoria, and Bishop Henry Harper arrived as our first bishop.
Nearly 170 years later we are onto our ninth bishop. The Diocese incorporates all of Canterbury, Westland and the Chatham Islands, divided into 54 parishes and one Cathedral ministry unit in the centre of Christchurch.
Safeguarding and Complaint Process
Safeguarding is about prevention of harm and early intervention to minimise the opportunity for the child, young person or vulnerable adult to be harmed.
If you wish to make a complaint about an office bearer in the Anglican Church (for example, a priest, deacon, bishop, licenced lay minister, trustee, etc) we encourage you to put it in writing and send it directly to the independent Registrar, either by email or post.
What is faith?
Is Christianity true?
What happens when I die?
Finding faith in a busy world.
Coming soon: We talk to 5 people with fresh stories of finding faith & community.
News and Announcements
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Read more: The Archbishops’ 2025 Easter Message
The Archbishops’ 2025 Easter Message
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Read more: Statement of Condolence on the Passing of Pope Francis
Statement of Condolence on the Passing of Pope Francis
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Read more: Palm Sunday at Christ Church Cathedral
Palm Sunday at Christ Church Cathedral
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Read more: The Archbishops’ Statement of Solidarity Following the Strike on the Anglican Ahli Arab Hospital, Gaza
The Archbishops’ Statement of Solidarity Following the Strike on the Anglican Ahli Arab Hospital, Gaza
Anglican e-Life
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Read more: Anglican e-Life | 23 April 2025
Anglican e-Life | 23 April 2025
Dear Friends,
Pope Francis has died and many deserved tributes are being made about him as a disciple of Christ who made an impact on our world with the message of the love of God for all.
My own small, additional reflection is to observe that it seemed natural to speak about “Francis” without any sense that not calling him “Pope Francis” was being disrespectful, and with confidence that everyone in the conversation knew exactly to whom reference was being made. Francis was humble, open-hearted and always “for others” so that I and others felt we knew him though not having met him, and that he was our friend and fellow disciple rather than the humanly-speaking most powerful church leader on our planet. Our Archbishops have made a Primatial Statement of Condolences here.
This Friday at 12.05pm at St. Mary’s Pro Cathedral, Manchester Street, Christchurch, Bishop Michael Gielen will preside at a Requiem Mass for Pope Francis. Teresa and I plan to be present at this service in order to honour Francis and to support our Catholic brothers and sisters in Christ. A special food collection will take place at the Mass for the St Vincent de Paul Society, in memory of Pope Francis and in support of the poor.
Our experience of services from Maundy Thursday to Easter Sunday, including services at St. Bartholomew’s, Kaiapoi and the Transitional Cathedral, prompts me to thank everyone – clergy, laity, musicians, actors, etc – who put a great deal of time, energy and sheer hard work into ensuring that services across our Diocese through these special, holy days were well prepared, apt for the occasion and focused on the suffering, death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you!
I also draw your attention to a Primatial Statement by our Archbishops on Holy Week and Easter here. Included in that statement is this pertinent message:
“In a world that can feel chaotic and led by power-driven leadership, Easter cuts through with a radically different message: a God who empties himself in love, whose power is shown in humility and grace. This story of redemption, of death overcome by life, could not be more relevant today. While some may claim to declare their own version of “Liberation Day,” Easter has always been, and will always be, the true day of liberation.”
Simultaneously with the ministry offered across the Diocese in our ministry units, many young people, their leaders and camp parents were at Easter Camp at Spencer Park, engaging with plenary speakers, seminar leaders and various activities in miserable weather conditions. I thank all those involved for your commitment, resilience and good humour. It was a privilege to visit the Camp on Good Friday afternoon.
Inevitably Easter attracts media interest, some of which reiterates familiar doubts about the reality of the resurrection of Jesus. Thus, readers of The Press on Saturday were treated to the continuing convictions of New Zealand’s most controversial theologian, Sir Lloyd Geering. For contrasting media coverage, readers here may be interested in interviews with Wellington Anglican church leaders, Dean Katie Lawrence and Bishop Ana Fletcher.
Finally, in good news at Easter, I am delighted to share the news that the new building at All Saints’, Burwood, in the Parish of Shirley, has achieved building compliance and the first services were held in it over this past weekend. This build which enlarges the worship space available for one of our largest congregations has been years in the making and I congratulate the Reverend Dr Carolyn Robertson, the Shirley vestry and the many people within the parish and in the design and construction teams on achieving this success.
We have received news that Bishop ‘Afa Vaka, former Assistant Bishop in the Diocese of Polynesia, based in Tonga, has died. Anglican Taonga shares his life story and news of his death.
This ANZAC Day (Friday 25 April), Christ Church Cathedral will be illuminated in red to commemorate New Zealand’s fallen during service. The Dawn Service, held in the Square itself, at 6.15am, will be an excellent opportunity to see the Cathedral in this poignant “poppy” shade of red. I remind readers that all are also welcome to a service later that morning, in the Transitional Cathedral, at 10am.
Last Wednesday I said this about Gaza’s Al Ahli Hospital: “This includes a further attack this week on Gaza’s Al Ahli Hospital (a Baptist owned, Anglican run hospital)”. The hospital is not owned by the Baptists. It was opened in 1882 by CMS. In 1954 it was bought by the Baptist Church but then returned to CMS in 1979 and has been Anglican-owned and operated ever since.
This coming Sunday, 27 April is Easter 2. The Gospel reading is John 20:19-31. There are two major themes in this passage. Jesus confirms that belief in him is possible without direct sight of him in his risen form. Jesus commissions his disciples: they are now sent into the world with the Good News as he himself has been sent by the Father. Many generations later, we are believers in Jesus Christ, with faith founded on the witness of Scripture to his resurrection, and his mission in the world continues through us upon whom he has breathed the Holy Spirit.
Arohanui,
+Peter.
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Read more: Anglican e-Life | 16 April 2025
Anglican e-Life | 16 April 2025
Dear Friends,
This week is the most solemn and significant week in the Christian calendar and is rightly known as Holy Week. At the heart of our faith is the death of Jesus Christ, cruelly executed on a cross, for our sakes, that we might have abundant, eternal life in communion with the God of Jesus Christ. May we identify ever more deeply with the suffering of Jesus through these days, especially through services on Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday. Then, on Sunday, may our hearts lift as we rejoice that the power of death has been defeated by God in raising Jesus from the dead.
Please pray for Easter Camp – for all campers, staff and contributors: may the life-changing Good News of Christ be heard clearly and responded to joyfully. I look forward to visiting the camp on Friday. Some seriously bad weather is heading towards parts of NZ in the next few days, but at the time of writing the weather for Spencer Park is looking ok – some rain but also sunshine!
The situation in Gaza is, in many ways, worse than ever. The Israeli government is bent on destroying people and infrastructure. This includes a further attack this week on Gaza’s Al Ahli Hospital (a Baptist owned, Anglican run hospital). Our Archbishops “… strongly denounce the missile attacks on the Anglican Al Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza, carried out in the early hours of Palm Sunday, 13 April 2025. Run by the Anglican Diocese of Jerusalem, this hospital has long stood as a place of refuge, healing and hope — and was the last fully operational hospital in Gaza City. … We stand with the Diocese of Jerusalem and “call upon all governments and people of goodwill to intervene to stop all kinds of attacks on medical and humanitarian institutions. We pray and call for the end of this horrific war and suffering of so many.”” Here is the direct link to their full statement.
Also, from Israel/West Bank, one of our young adults reports, “Jerusalem’s Palm Sunday procession was beautiful, joyous, and fitting as ever in this hopelessly oppressive context of military occupation. Thousands of Christians in a wonderful smorgasbord of cultures and faith traditions, celebrating and lamenting in various languages and intensities despite the heaviness and despair. …In the tens of thousands, West Bank Christians were once again denied entry by Israeli authorities. …Hosanna; save us.” For his full report, head to Palm Sunday in Jerusalem.
On Saturday morning Teresa and I were present for celebrations of Buddha’s birthday at the Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Temple, Riccarton Road, Christchurch, hosted by Abbess Manshin (MNZM). We are grateful for the opportunity to gain insight into the Buddhist faith and to learn about its connections into various communities in our nation (see further here).
We then travelled to St. David’s Union Church, Ashburton for a service of thanksgiving for the life of John Wallis, husband of the Reverend Helen Wallis, one of our priests in Mid Canterbury. John was buried in Lawrence, South Otago earlier this week. I thank God for John’s faithful support of Helen in her ministry and for his own ministry to many people in the parishes in which they have served, in both the Presbyterian and Anglican churches.
On Sunday morning we were at Te Tōmairangi o Ihu Karaiti, Ferry Road, Christchurch for confirmations, commissionings and ordinations in a service led by Archbishop Don Tamihere. It was a privilege to share with Bishop Anne van Gend, Diocese of Dunedin, in assisting Archbishop Don with the ordinations. Those being ordained will serve within Te Hui Amorangi o Te Waipounamu, in districts ranging from Christchurch through to Invercargill.
As Warden of St. Michael’s Church School, I am very pleased to announce that Ms Liz Coster will be the new Principal of the school, beginning in Term 3, 2025. As Warden of St. Mark’s School, Opawa, where Liz has served as Deputy Principal and Assistant Chaplain, I share in the loss the school will feel when Liz leaves to take up her new role!
This ANZAC Day (Friday, 25 April), Christ Church Cathedral will be illuminated in red to commemorate New Zealand’s fallen during service. From dusk to dawn, for the week preceding and including Anzac Day, the western façade of the Cathedral will shine poppy-red as a commemorative tribute to this important day. On ANZAC Day itself, people will gather again – for the third time since the 2011 quakes – in Cathedral Square for the Dawn Service (6.15am) to honour fallen and returned servicemen and women, a tradition passed down the generations over the last 109 years.
Social Housing is a critical issue in respect of housing New Zealanders and their families. An important opportunity to hear from one of our key local leaders on development of social housing in Christchurch is coming up, 6pm Thursday 1 May 2025 at the Knox Centre, corner Bealey Ave and Victoria St: refreshments from 5.30pm, Koha please. This Forum is organised by EcuAction (contacts, Marilyn 021 061 3940; Brian 021 129 4305). At this Forum, Jill Hawkey, Executive Director, Christchurch Methodist Mission will speak on “Social Housing: Where are we going with it?“
This coming Sunday, 20 April is Easter Day or Pascha. The Gospel reading is Luke 24:1-12 or John 20:1-18. In each reading, the tomb is emptied of the corpse of Jesus and the rising of Jesus is proclaimed (Luke; appearances are recounted in the next part of the chapter) or revealed (John 20:11-18). Mary’s cry at the end of the John reading, “I have seen the Lord” is a paramount Christian confession. Jesus has died for us and he has risen for us.
Arohanui,
+Peter.
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Read more: Anglican e-Life | 9 April 2025
Anglican e-Life | 9 April 2025
Dear Friends,
It was good to be with God’s people at the church of St. Philip and All Saints, Marchwiel, Timaru on Sunday morning. Today I am writing this message from Palmerston North where I am participating in three days of meetings with the bishops of our church.
This coming weekend I will be present for an interfaith event at the Christchurch Buddhist Temple on Saturday morning commemorating the birth of Buddha and praying for world peace. On Sunday morning Teresa and I will be at Ordinations and Commissionings for clergy and kai karakia for Te Hui Amorangi o Te Waipounamu. These will take place at Te Tōmairangi o Ihu Karaiti at Te Pā o Te Waipounamu, 290 Ferry Road, Phillipstown, Christchurch. Archbishop Don Tamihere will be the ordaining bishop.
Planning for our annual Synod in September is underway. In respect of Diocesan youth representatives for the Synod we would like to invite parishes / ministry units with young people aged between 16-24 years old who would be interested in attending synod as a Diocesan Youth Rep to send in nominations. It’s super simple – just fill in the form here. Diocesan youth reps have voice and vote at Synod. Nominations need to be made by Friday, 2 May. If you have any questions, please contact Rev’d Sammy Mould by email or phone.
A week or so ago we learned of terrible, destructive quakes in Myanmar.
Ian McInnes of Tearfund writes, “We’re moving fast together with our local Christian partner, who has been working in Myanmar since 1995 and has a trusted relationship with communities there. Your church’s financial support could put faith into action and… Provide life’s essentials, such as food, safe drinking water, hygiene items, emergency shelter supplies, mosquito nets, bedding, and more! … From my experience responding to disasters, every second matters when lives are at stake. So, your community’s support this Sunday will make a tangible difference in getting the right supplies and people to communities in serious need. You can donate your church’s offering online or via bank transfer. We’ve also created a PowerPoint slide you could download and use.”
Thank you for being a community that puts your faith in action and for holding the people of Myanmar in your prayers. We pray that God would use his people far and wide to bring relief to our brothers and sisters in Myanmar right now:
Account Name: The Evangelical Alliance Relief Fund T/A Tearfund
Account number: 12-3024-0505787-01
Code: 236-25
Ref: 1041628Cole Yeoman, a parishioner in the Parish of Bryndwr, is currently living in the West Bank. From time to time in e-Life we will be bringing Cole’s reports of life in the West Bank where immense pressure is being exerted by Israel on Palestinians – on their lives, their residences and their livelihoods – in a 21st century version of colonisation.
Meanwhile the terrible suffering and unnecessary deaths all wars unleash on the innocent continue in Gaza, Ukraine and Sudan: we continue to pray to the God of peace for peace – a real, lasting and just peace.
This coming Sunday, 13 April is Lent 6 – Palm Sunday. The Gospel reading is (at least) Luke 19:28-40. If our service includes both the Liturgy of the Palms and the Liturgy of the Passion then there is an additional gospel reading, Luke 22:14-23:56 or Luke 23:1-49. An appropriate focus for Palm Sunday is to ask the question, “What kind of king is Jesus, who comes into Jerusalem in peace and humility”, and who will die “King of the Jews” in a few days’ time?
Incidentally, Ian Paul offers the observation that in Luke 19:28-40 there is no mention of ‘palms’, only of ‘cloaks’.
Palm Sunday is the beginning of Holy Week. Throughout our Diocese there will be extra services and special services through Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Maundy (or Holy) Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter Sunday. On Tuesday, in Avonhead in the morning and in Temuka in the early evening there will be our annual Chrism Eucharists with opportunity for clergy present to renew their ordination vows and for oils for rites of our church to be blessed. May we all, across the ministry units of our Diocese grow closer to Jesus Christ, deepen our solidarity with him in his sufferings and experience afresh the power of his resurrection (Philippians 3:10-11).
Arohanui,
+Peter.
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Read more: Anglican e-Life | 2 April 2025
Anglican e-Life | 2 April 2025
Dear Friends,
The proximity of Timaru to Dunedin meant that on Friday and Sunday morning, Teresa and I were able to be in South Canterbury, spending time with clergy, visiting Craighead Diocesan School and participating in Mothering Sunday services at St. Mary’s, Timaru, with Archdeacon Ben Randall. In between, we had a lovely day trip on Saturday to Dunedin for Bishop Anne van Gend’s ordination and installation as Bishop of Dunedin. The whole weekend was blessed with plentiful sunshine and many happy conversations.
Taonga has a report on Bishop Anne’s service in St. Paul’s Cathedral.
On Sunday evening, back in Christchurch, we were at St. Michael’s and All Angels with Reverend Jordan Greatbatch for a special Evensong service to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Benjamin Mountfort (1825-1898), Canterbury’s leading architect in the first fifty years of the European settlement). The particular connection with St. Michael and All Angels is that Mountfort designed the bell tower and the lychgate there. The service was put together by Fr Jordan and Dean Ben Truman, with the Cathedral Choir leading the music – the Cathedral’s role recognising that Benjamin Mountfort, from 1874, was the local, supervising architect for Christ Church Cathedral in the Square (the presiding architect, George Gilbert Scott, London based and never visiting Christchurch). Members of the Mountfort family were present and Archdeacon Nick Mountfort led the prayers. Our preach was Dr Ian Lochhead, art historian and author of A Dream of Spires: Benjamin Mountfort and the Gothic revival. My thanks go to all who planned and delivered this service and to Haydn Rawstron whose prompting led to the service happening. For more about Benjamin Mountfort, read here.
Last Wednesday, Te Kotahitanga (or advisory board to the St. John’s College Trust Board, of which I am a member), the St. John’s College Trust Board (including the Reverend Dr Carolyn Robertson) and General Synod Standing Committee (including our Diocesan representative, the Reverend Toby Behan) met in Auckland – the first time these three groups have met together in a very long time. Our shared deliberations were focused on how we may best distribute the income of the Trust Board (which is purposed for education and training according to Christian principles in the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia) with particular respect to matters of financial equity between the Three Tikanga, each of which is differently resourced in respect of trusts and endowments from the past. It will take us a couple of years to reach a new agreement on the most just way forward.
This Friday, 4 April, is Principal Penny Tattershaw’s last day with students at St. Michael’s Church School. Her time as Principal of the school will conclude during the April holidays. I am grateful to Penny for her sustained work through the past seven and a half years to grow the school roll and to develop the educational opportunities available to students at the school. Thank you, Penny for your strong leadership through a challenging period in the history of one of our oldest Anglican schools!
Bishop Ngarahu Katene, Pihopa o Te Hui Amorangi o Te Manawa Te Wheke (i.e. a region including Waikato, Northern Taranaki, Western Bay of Plenty, King Country) retires this month from his role. Please give thanks to God for Bishop Ngarahu’s ministry and pray for him to enjoy a restful and long retirement.
I am pleased to hear news that the Alpine Presbytery has extended a call to the Reverend Pauline Hampshire to be the minister at the Community Church of Akaroa Banks Peninsula (that is, the combining of the Anglican and Presbyterian parishes of these districts). The Ordination and Induction service will be at 3.30pm on Sunday 29 June. We are looking to include the inauguration of the new parish at this service. Presbyterian and Anglican traditions of the parish will be reflected in the service. In the meantime, I am very grateful to Anglican clergy who are regularly leading services in Akaroa and other parts of the bays, pending Pauline’s arrival.
Thanks be to God, the Reverend Patrick Chrisp has begun his Interim Priestly ministry in the Parish of Hornby, Templeton and West Melton. Please pray for him and Trusella, his wife, as they settle into this ministry, after many years’ service on the African continent.
This coming Sunday, 6 April is Lent 5. The Gospel reading is John 12:1-8. What moves us most emotionally in this story?
Arohanui,
+Peter.
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Our Purpose
To proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom
To teach, baptise and nurture new believers
To respond to human need by loving service
To pursue peace and reconciliation
Protect the integrity of creation, sustain and renew the life of the earth