Bishop Vercoe Has Died
Whakahuihui (Hui) Vercoe, Anglican Bishop of Aotearoa from 1981 to 2004 and Archbishop of the Anglican Church of Aotearoa New Zealand and Polynesia from 2004 to 2006, has died in Rotorua after a struggle with brain cancer.
Vercoe will be remembered as a radical, for his advocacy for the Maori people, speaking out in front Queen Elizabeth in 1990 over the honouring of the Treaty of Waitangi, and supporting the rights of Maori Vietnam veterans affected by Agent Orange. He was one of the leaders behind the development of three tikanga in the Anglican Church in 1992, providing space for Maori and Polynesian people to develop their own expressions of church without the imposition and control of the Pakeha wing.
Hui will also be remembered as a conservative. In his first speech as Archbishop Vercoe was touted in the New Zealand media as a bishop with a vision for a world ‘without gays’.
I remember Vercoe mostly for his role in the CCANZ (Conference of Churches of Aotearoa New Zealand), tirelessly working with other church leaders for social justice and peace.
There’s an excellent biographical feature on Vercoe in the Spring 2006 edition of Taonga.
