Diocese of Polynesia


The Diocese of Polynesia, or the Tikanga Pasefika, now headed by Archbishop Fereimi Cama who in March 2019 succeeded Archbishop Winston Halapua, 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

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 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 and three Archdeaconry Units. By 2006 these were: Northern ; Vitu Levu West; and the Archdeaconries of Suva & Ovalau, of Tonga, of Samoa, and of American Samoa. 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, in Viti Levu West, and an Assistant Bishop ; and Gabriel Sharma, Bishop in Viti Levu West.
On 17 September 2017, ʻAka Vaka was consecrated a bishop; he is serving 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.