Bishop & Episcopal Team
Bishop
All who are baptised are called to ministry in Christ’s Church.
Bishops are called to “exercise godly leadership in that part of the Church committed to their care, and to maintain wise discipline within its fellowship. The Church looks to them to promote peace and unity among all God’s people and to encourage their obedience to God’s word. They are to keep the Church true to its faith, as found in Scripture and the Creeds, to teach the faith and proclaim it.” (A New Zealand Prayerbook He Karikia Minhinare o Aotearoa)
The Right Reverend Ross Bay, Bishop of Auckland
Ross was ordained and installed as Bishop of Auckland on 17 April 2010.
Ross was raised in Auckland and grew up attending local schools in Papatoetoe. He worked for the Bank of New Zealand before studying at the Bible College of New Zealand (now Laidlaw College) in Henderson, Auckland.
While there, he sensed a call to ordained ministry, entered the selection process and was accepted into St John’s Theological College in 1988. He was ordained deacon in February 1989 and priest in November of the same year.
Ross completed a Bachelor of Theology from the Australian College of Theology in 1990 and then a Postgraduate Diploma in Pastoral Theology from London University in 1993, while on his European ‘OE’.
Ross has served at St Andrew’s Kohimarama (deacon and priest assistant 1989-1990), Holy Trinity Cathedral (priest assistant 1990-1992), St Matthew-in-the-City (priest assistant 1994), Ellerslie/Mount Wellington (vicar 1994-2001), St Mark’s Remuera (vicar 2001-2006), Archdeacon of Auckland (2006-2007), and Dean of Holy Trinity Cathedral and Vicar General of the Diocese (2007-2010).
Ross is married to Jacquie who is a research academic at Auckland University. In his spare time, Ross enjoys squash and is a volunteer with Fire and Emergency NZ.
Bishop Ross Bay can be contacted through the Bishop’s PA, Liz Williams
Episcopal Team
Carole Hughes, Archdeacon for the Central Region, Vicar General
As Archdeacon and Vicar General, Carole’s ministry in the diocese includes offering leadership in the development of mission and ministry, clergy appointment processes, and supporting ministry units particularly in the areas of administration and worship. One of her priorities is to offer advice and pastoral support for those in licensed ministry in her archdeaconry regions. She is a Bishop’s Ministry Advisor for the diocese, and a member of General Synod/Te Hīnota Whānui.
Carole is Chair of the Common Life Liturgical Commission for the Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia, Chair of the International Anglican Women’s Network Steering Group for the Anglican Communion, and a guest lecturer at St John’s Theological College.
Michael Berry, Archdeacon for the Southern Region
Michael has been Archdeacon since September 2016 and is also the Deputy Vicar General. He values the diversity within our Church and enjoys engaging with the variety of experiences and expressions of faith and worship in our diocese.
Ordained in 2003, Michael served as curate at St Mark’s Remuera before becoming vicar of St Philip’s Church in St Heliers where he enjoyed ministry for seven years. In 2013, he became a chaplain with the Royal New Zealand Navy, during which time he completed overseas deployments to the Somali Coast (on counter-piracy operations) and to Fiji (after the devastation of Cyclone Winston). Michael continues to serve as a chaplain with the Royal New Zealand Naval Reserve.
Michael lives in One Tree Hill with his wife, Rebecca, and their two daughters. He likes to support his girls’ school, Royal Oak Primary, where he serves as a member of the Board of Trustees. Michael also enjoys cooking, spending time with family and friends, and sometimes pretends to like running.
Jonathan Gale, Archdeacon for the Northern Region and Ministry Unit Consultation
Jonathan has been Archdeacon since February 2020. He is responsible for the Waimate Archdeaconry, including the Wellsford and Mangawhai Mission Districts, and the ministry units north of there. He also coordinates the Healthy Church Consultation programme.
Ordained in 2008, Jonathan served as curate and priest assistant at Holy Trinity Devonport and as LSM enabler in South Kaipara and Huapai before becoming vicar of St Peter’s Takapuna in 2014. Before ordination, he worked in education and development banking in South Africa, migrating with his family to New Zealand in 1996.
His roles here included working as an investment advisor in the Tertiary Education Commission and an industry manager for Competenz. He has been a member of various education and community advisory boards and was a founding board member of Vanguard Military School, a designated character school in Albany.
Jonathan is a very keen mountain biker and lives in Torbay with his wife, Faith. They have two children and four grandchildren.
Sarah Moss, Ministry Educator
Sarah joined the Episcopal Team in September in September 2016 as an archdeacon with responsibility for facilitating the Healthy Church Consultation process for the ministry units of the diocese. In July 2019, she became Ministry Educator and is now responsible for the discernment process for those exploring ordained ministry, as well as training and formation for lay and ordained leaders in the diocese.
Formerly a teacher, Sarah was ordained in 2002 and spent four years in parish ministry before serving as a chaplain at Diocesan School for Girls for almost ten years. During this time, she stayed connected with the diocese by facilitating the working group on New Ways of Being Church and serving on both Diocesan Council and the Bishop’s Mission and Ministry Oversight Group.
In her spare time Sarah enjoys reading, movies, and catching up with friends and family. She has two adult sons and a renegade cat whose territory includes sunny spots in neighbouring houses.
Sonia Maugham, Diocesan Manager
Sonia reports to the Bishop of Auckland and heads the diocesan Administrative Services Team.
Office: (09) 302 7210
Liz Williams, Bishop’s PA
Liz provides administrative support to the Bishop and the Episcopal Team.
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