WATCH warmly congratulates The Revd Dr Helen-Ann Hartley on her appointment as Bishop of Waikato, New Zealand. Helen-Ann will be the first woman ordained in the Church of England to be elected to serve as a Bishop.

Bishop Michael Perham, a Vice President of WATCH, said that Helen-Ann’s appointment comes “as welcome news to all those who desire to see the ministry of women as Bishops accepted across the Anglican church”, adding that, “her appointment will be a great encouragement to those who yearn for the opening of the Episcopate to women in the Church of England.”

Helen-Ann had been teaching at Ripon College Cuddesdon until 2011 when she was called to serve as Dean of St John’s Theological College in Auckland. She is herself a Pauline scholar. For more information, click here.