Archbishop Brown Turei a ‘gentle and wise’ man,Much-loved Anglican leader dies at 92

THE MOST REVEREND BROWN TUREI: File picture by Liam Clayton.

ARCHBISHOP Brown Turei, one of the leaders of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa New Zealand and Polynesia has died.

The Archbishop, aged 92, signalled his intention to retire from ordained ministry last year.

He was to resign as Bishop of Tairawhiti and as Archbishop, leader of the Maori arm of the Anglican Church – Te Pihopatanga o Aotearoa – in March this year.

“Maoridom and the Anglican Church have lost a leader of enormous stature. A gentle and wise leader, who brought grace, compassion and insight to all that he did and said.” said Archbishop Philip Richardson.

Archbishops Philip Richardson and Winston Halapua, who have shared the leadership of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia with Archbishop Turei, say they have lost not only a colleague but also a dear friend.

Archbishop Turei was ordained a deacon in 1949 and a priest the following year.

He was elected as the Bishop of Aotearoa and was the first Ngati Porou person to hold this position. He was consecrated as Primate and Archbishop of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia in 2006 .

Archbishop Turei was highly respected for his ability to relate to people across all races and cultures and was the oldest Primate in the Anglican Communion.

Prayers for whanauThe church is being asked to pray for Archbishop Turei’s wife Mihi, and his children, grandchildren and extended whanau. Funeral arrangements are yet to be finalised.

In the 2016 New Year honours list, he was recognised for his long service to the church and community by being named as an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM).

Humble about the honour, Archbishop Turei told the Gisborne Herald it was a surprise to receive the letter from the Prime Minister and asked if the award could be played down.

“Don’t make it too flowery,” he said.

“It’s really the people around me who deserve it more than I do because I don’t think I have done enough for it.”

Born in Opotiki in 1924, Archbishop Turei was not expected to survive.

Two doctors wrote him off, he said.

“When I survived, my adopted parents actually said, ‘this one’s for the church’.

“I just can’t put a finger on it but right through my life I was directed. It didn’t matter what I did or who I was associating with.

“I wasn’t wrapped in cotton wool or anything, I was always part of the team and part of the community.

He credited meeting the right woman, his wife Mihi of 48 years, as a big part of his life. The couple met when he was a vicar in Gisborne and she was in training college.

They had three children, losing their eldest in 1989.