Announcement of Archdeacon and Ministry Educator Roles

E te whanau a te Karaiti o Waiapu,

Greetings and peace to you all as we enter Holy Week.

I am pleased to announce two new appointments, effective 1 May 2026. These roles are part of our ongoing commitment to strengthening communal life, deepening discipleship, and fostering greater connection across Waiapu.

The Rev’d Christopher Tweddell will serve as Ministry Educator and Archdeacon located in the Bay of Plenty.

The Rev’d Dr Deborah Broome will serve as Ministry Educator and Archdeacon located in Hawke’s Bay and will continue as Priest Associate at Waiapu Cathedral.

Together, Deborah and Christopher will deliver ministry education across the diocese.

As Archdeacons, Deborah will have responsibility for the two Archdeaconries in Hawke’s Bay, and Christopher will have responsibility for the Archdeaconry of Tauranga City and Coast.

Christopher is an experienced priest who has served across the motu and overseas. He brings

strengths as a parish priest, school chaplain, teacher, youth worker, counsellor, and community

leader, and has a heart for forming people in faith and mission.

Deborah brings a wealth of experience in parish leadership, formation, and theological reflection. She is widely known throughout Waiapu for her capacity to develop people, foster vocation, and see the bigger picture.

This shift reflects our desire to build a more connected and responsive diocesan structure. By

bringing the roles of Archdeacon and Ministry Education together, we aim to:

• Strengthen connectivity across parishes and clergy

• Deliver ministry education in a more local, relational, and responsive way

• Be more nimble in how we support formation, leadership, and mission

• Bring complementary gifts and strengths into a shared diocesan approach

We have clearly heard the desire for more accessible, practical, and connected ministry education. In response, we will establish a team dedicated to supporting ministry education to help reimagine how we discern vocation, train leaders, and support both emerging and experienced clergy and laity. This will be a collaborative effort, drawing on the gifts across our Diocese and Te Pīhopatanga, and shaped by our current realities and future needs.

I want to express my sincere thanks to The Venerable Peter Bargh for his faithful service as

Archdeacon. Peter has served Waiapu with wisdom, generosity, and deep commitment. While he now steps fully into his role as Vicar of the Parish of Chartwell, we are grateful that his friendship with Waiapu will continue. We wish Peter, Kahu and their boys every blessing in this new chapter.

My focus on support for the Archdeaconry of Eastland remains constant, with developing

conversations with Ātipīhopa Don about how our relationship between Waiapu and Te Tairāwhiti can be strengthened within the parishes. The Archdeaconry of Eastern Bay of Plenty and Lakes will continue to be supported by the Bishop’s team, including the Vicar General in Taupō.

These changes will strengthen key areas of our common life, helping us to pursue our strategic

priorities of Discipleship, Whakapapa, Koru, Vocation, and Connection, centered on our vision of Faith Giving Life/Oranga Ake o te Iwi.

Please join me in praying for Deborah and Christopher as they step into these roles, and for our

Diocese as we continue this journey together.

Yours in Christ,

Ngā mihi,

The Rt Rev’d Andrew Hedge

Bishop of Waiapu