Adapted from Anglican Communion News Service
The Most Rev. Brown Turei, one of three archbishops of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa New Zealand and Polynesia, died peacefully Jan. 9, surrounded by his family and loved ones. He was 92.
Archbishop Brown, who had Ngati Porou and Te Whanau-a-Apanui ties, had indicated his intention to retire from ordained ministry earlier last year.
He had planned to step down as Bishop of Tairawhiti, and to resign as Archbishop and Pihopa o Aotearoa — or leader of Te Pihopatanga o Aotearoa, the Maori arm of the Anglican Church — this March.
“Maoridom and the Anglican Church have lost a leader of enormous stature,” said the Most Rev. Philip Richardson. “Archbishop Brown was a gentle and wise leader who brought grace, compassion, and insight to all that he did and said.”
Archbishops Richardson and Winston Halapua, who have shared the leadership of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand, and Polynesia with Archbishop Brown, say they have lost not only a colleague but also a dear friend.
Archbishop Brown was ordained a deacon in 1949 and a priest the next year. He was chosen as Archdeacon of Tairawhiti in 1982. He became chaplain of Hukarere Maori Girls’ College in 1984, and he served as chaplain of the Napier Prison for four years.
His election as Te Pihopa ki Te Tai Rawhiti in 1992 followed reforms of the Anglican church in 1990.
In 2005 he was elected Te Pihopa o Aotearoa, and in 2006 he was installed as Primate and Archbishop of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa-New Zealand and Polynesia. Last year Archbishop Brown was made on Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his services to the church.