On Saturday, the Rt Rev Anne van Gend was ordained and installed as the Anglican Bishop of Dunedin at St Paul’s Cathedral.
She succeeded the Rt Rev Steven Benford who has moved back to England after seven years in the role.
Dr van Gend has been with the Anglican Diocese of Dunedin since 2021, first as community ministry enabler and more recently as the diocesan ministry educator.
"I’m really, really happy, very happy, and quite at peace, and at home."
She said on Saturday she would be prayed over and anointed with oil.
The second half of the service was the installation during which she was officially made a bishop.
"What that means is I’m made a bishop — I’m a bishop everywhere, all over the world — but this particular diocese has to accept me as their bishop, and so that’s the installation."
At that point, she "whacked on the door and asked for permission to come in" then put herself in the bishop’s chair.
"As the bishop you’re there to care for and co-ordinate and facilitate and encourage and just help that ministry of the people to happen.
"So you’re kind of a pastor. You’re kind of an administrator and you’re on far too many boards," she said.
Dr van Gend said she would be "praying a lot, studying a lot" and hopefully working out what God wanted her to do.
"Within the church, we believe that everyone has a mission and a ministry, all part of what we call the body of Christ."
Dr van Gend was born in South Africa, before moving to New Zealand at 4 years old.
She then moved to Australia where she attended high school and university.
Prior to her ordination as a deacon in 1997 and to the priesthood in 1998, she worked as a music therapist and English and music teacher in Australia, Zambia and South Africa.
Changing from teaching to joining the church was "very easy".
"The joy of teaching for me was being able to communicate something that I loved in such a way that somebody else loved it ... it was just a kind of shift of what it was that I was trying to communicate and teach."
