Announcement of the resignation of The Reverend Tony Kippax

E te whānau a te Karaiti / Dear friends in Christ,

I write to you with the news that The Reverend Tony Kippax has advised me that he has accepted an offer by The Right Reverend Ross Bay, Bishop of Auckland, to take up the role of Canon Precentor at the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, in Auckland.

We welcomed Tony and Christine to the Parish of Ōtūmoetai in August 2023, and they quickly made their home among us here in the parish and in the Diocese of Waiapu. We will miss their presence among us after a relatively short time but want to offer our congratulations and prayers of blessing as they enter a new opportunity for ministry and life in the Cathedral Parish of the Diocese of Auckland. Tony will be ministering in the team led by the Dean, The Very Reverend Anne Mills, under whom Tony trained during his time at St John’s Theological College in Auckland.

Tony will conclude his responsibilities in the Parish of Ōtūmoetai on Sunday 15 March 2026 at a service of liturgical farewell followed by an opportunity for hospitality to share in a farewell from this community and the Diocese.

In the meantime, Tony will continue to lead this Parish alongside the Wardens, Vestry and Ministry Team. In the early part of 2026 members of the Bishop’s Leadership Team will meet with the Wardens to plan ahead for an interregnum and to consider the potential for future stipendiary ministry. Information on the progress of any of these developments will be shared with members of the parish in due course.

I invite you to join with me in offering our congratulations to Tony, and prayers for Tony and Christine as they look to a new season of life in Auckland.

Yours in Christ’s service,

The Right Reverend Andrew Hedge

Bishop of Waiapu