The Bishop of Taranaki, the Rt Rev Philip Richardson, was confirmed as archbishop-elect in Wellington on Saturday at a meeting of the seven Tikanga Pakeha dioceses.
The Anglican Bishop of Dunedin, the Rt Rev Dr Kelvin Wright, who was involved in the meeting, said yesterday he was ''very pleased'' with the selection.
''He's a very innovative man. He went to Taranaki when the diocese had just formed and he built it up through sheer ingenuity, really. He is a very lateralthinking man, who is very hard-working and has excellent management skills.''
Bishop Richardson was warden of Selwyn College from 1992 to 1999, when he was elected Bishop of Taranaki.
''He was a very popular warden at Selwyn, with staff and students. He made it more disciplined, improved the buildings and brought in a programme for study. He worked hard on the community of the college and making it a safer place,'' Dr Wright said.
''He was also instrumental in laying the historic grievances to rest with Maori in the New Plymouth area. He is a quiet, hard-working fellow who really gets things done.''
Bishop Richardson (55) replaces Archbishop David Moxon, who leaves next month to become the chief Anglican representative to the Catholic Church in Rome.
Bishop Richardson, who will become one of three arch-bishops leading the Anglican Church of Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia, was born in Devonport and completed a BA and BTheol at the University of Otago, before being ordained a priest in 1982.
He served as an assistant priest in Whangarei, before returning to Dunedin in 1988 for further theological study.
Bishop Richardson said in a statement one of his main priorities as archbishop would be helping the Church ''deepen its discipleship''.
''We're not a club. We are people who are committed to building communities which are healthy, life-giving, just communities where everyone has a place, where every individual has the ability to live full and meaningful lives,'' he said.
''The second thing we need to do is build credibility. Credibility is based on what we do. We are not saved by good works.''
The third requirement was for the Church ''to engage where we can make the most difference; where there is the greatest need'', he said.
Bishop Richardson and his wife, Belinda Holmes, who have two adult children, Josh and Clare, will continue to live in New Plymouth.
