David Moxon

Sir David John Moxon, KNZM (born 6 September 1951) is a New Zealand Anglican bishop. He is currently the Archbishop of Canterbury's representative to the Holy See and Director of the Anglican Centre in Rome. He was previously the Bishop of Waikato in the Diocese of Waikato and Taranaki, the archbishop of the New Zealand dioceses and one of the three primates of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia. In the New Year Honours for 2014 he was appointed a Knights Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to the Anglican Church.^[1]

Biography

Education

David Moxon was born in Palmerston North, New Zealand in 1951. He was educated at Freyberg High School where he was head boy. After one year at Massey University Palmerston North in 1971, he then attended the University of Canterbury/College House, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in education and psychology in 1974, before studying again at Massey University, where he graduated with a master's degree with honours in education and sociology in 1976. In 1975, as an ordinand for the Diocese of Waiapu, he studied theology at the University of Oxford Honours School, based at St Peter's College. He graduated from Oxford with a bachelor's degree with honours in 1978 and a master's degree in 1982. He also gained a Certificate in Maori Studies from Waikato University and a Licentiate in Theology from the Bishopric of Aotearoa.

Ministry as priest

Before training to become a priest, in 1970 Moxon served a term as a youth worker with Volunteer Service Abroad in Fiji, and then worked as a tutor in the Education Department at Massey University during 1974-75. In 1978 Moxon was appointed a deacon curate at Havelock North, and in 1979 he was ordained as a priest in the Diocese of Waiapu. He remained at Havelock North until 1981, and was then appointed Vicar at Gate Pa, Tauranga, where he served for six years. In 1987 Moxon was appointed Director of Theological Education by Extension for the Anglican Church in Aotearoa New Zealand and Polynesia, a position he held until 1993. During this time he edited "An Education for Liturgy Kit", a Christian Initiation Resource Kit and a Bi-cultural Education Resource Kit. He was also a member of the Commission which produced A New Zealand Prayer Book: He Karakia Mihinare o Aotearoa.

Ministry as bishop

On 13 August 1993, Moxon was consecrated a diocesan bishop in Hamilton, the youngest New Zealand bishop, replacing Roger Herft as Bishop of Waikato.

In 2006 Moxon was appointed as the archbishop of the New Zealand dioceses and in 2008, a primate of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and the Pacific, as part of New Zealand's new tripartite model of Anglican episcopacy. As a primate he worked alongside William Brown Turei (Maori) and Winston Halapua (Polynesia).

He was invited to contribute to the Church House Publishing series “Reflections for Daily Prayer”. He is the author of A Once and Future Myth (an applied theology of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings) and The Waikato Cathedral of St Peter: a prayerful walk on a sacred hill as well as author of Wings of the Morning: Messages of hope from Aotearoa in a new millennium.

Moxon is the Anglican chair of the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC III). He was chair of “The Bible in the Life of the Church” project for the Anglican Communion, a project endorsed by the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC 15)in November 2012; was convenor of the Conference of Anglican Religious Orders in Aotearoa New Zealand (CAROANZ); a patron of A Rocha, New Zealand, the Christian environment action group; a president of the New Zealand Bible society, and the chair of the Hamilton-based Mahi Mihinare Anglican Action, a "justice through service" agency. Moxon is a fellow of St Margaret’s College in the University of Otago; and an honorary fellow of St Peter’s College in the University of Oxford. He was the liaison bishop for Anglican religious orders in Aotearoa New Zealand and Polynesia and also represented the bishops on the Tikanga Pakeha Anglican Care Network.

It was announced on 4 December 2012 that Moxon was to resign his Aotearoa New Zealand and Polynesia posts following his appointment as the Archbishop of Canterbury's Representative to the Holy See and director of the Anglican Centre in Rome. Moxon was named an archbishop emeritus of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa New Zealand and Polynesia on 16 April 2013 by the General Synod / Te Hinota Whanui. He began his ministry in Rome on 10 May 2013 and attended the first meeting between the new Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Reverend Justin Welby, and Pope Francis, in Rome on 14 June 2013.

Family

Moxon is married to Tureiti, who has Ngati Kahungunu and Ngati Tahu links. She was trained in early childhood education and then in law and is currently the director of Hamilton primary health provider Te Kohao Health. They have four adult children; Kirihimete, Te Aro, Tureia and Awatea. The family commute between Rome and Aotearoa New Zealand.

References

External links

• Profile on diocesan website