The Anglican Church of Aotearoa New Zealand and Polynesia has a new archbishop.
The General Synod of the church, meeting in Gisborne, has announced that the Right Reverend Winston Halapua, of Tonga, will be one of the church's three archbishops.
The 64-year-old succeeds the Right Rev. Jaybez Bryce who died in February, after leading the Diocese of Polynesia for 35 years.
In 2005 Winston Halapua was made one of three assistant bishops for the diocese, which covers Fiji, Tonga, Samoa and the Cook Islands.
His nomination as the Bishop of Polynesia follows an electoral process in Fiji by about 100 clergy and lay people.
The General Synod's decision to endorse the nomination means that Bishop Halapua automatically joins the Right Reverends David Moxon and Brown Turei as an Archbishop.
Archbishop Halapua will be ordained and installed in August at the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Suva.
He says one of his priorities will be articulating the voices of people in Polynesia who are suppressed.
