Alfred Walter Averill (7 October 18656 July 1957) was the second Anglican

Archbishop of New Zealand Primate of New Zealand is a title held by a bishop who leads the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia. Since 2006, the Senior Bishop of each '' tikanga'' ( Māori, Pākehā, Pasefika) serves automatically as one of three co-eq ...

, from 1925 to 1940. He was also the fifth Anglican Bishop of Auckland whose

episcopate A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

spanned a 25-year period during the first half of the 20th century.

Biography

Born in Castle Church, Staffordshire he was educated at King Edward VI School, Stafford and St John's College, Oxford, where his course of study was Honour Theology. He rowed for his College and got his

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for playing both

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and

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(soccer). He graduated in 1887, then he attended the

Ely Theological College Ely Theological College was a college in Ely, Cambridgeshire, for training clergy in the Church of England. Founded in 1876 by James Woodford, Anglican Bishop of Ely, the college had a strong Anglo-Catholic tradition. Ely's "ritualistic" (i.e. ...

. He was made deacon in St Paul's Cathedral by

Frederick Temple Frederick Temple (30 November 1821 – 23 December 1902) was an English academic, teacher and churchman, who served as Bishop of Exeter (1869–1885), Bishop of London (1885–1896) and Archbishop of Canterbury (1896–1902). Early life ...

Bishop of London A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

, on the Fourth Sunday in Advent 1888; and

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform ...

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in partic ...

on 22 December 1889 in London;Blain, Michael. ''Blain Biographical Directory of Anglican clergy in the South Pacific — ordained before 1932'' (2019) pp. 52–3 (Accessed a
Project Canterbury
25 June 2019) before embarking on an ecclesiastical career with a

curacy A curate () is a person who is invested with the ''care'' or ''cure'' (''cura'') ''of souls'' of a parish. In this sense, "curate" means a parish priest; but in English-speaking countries the term ''curate'' is commonly used to describe clergy w ...

at St George's, Hanover Square. In 1891 he accepted a position as an assistant curate from the vicar of Holy Trinity parish,

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in the north-east of London. He married Mary Weir on 30 November 1893 at Christ Church

Lancaster Gate Lancaster Gate is a mid-19th century development in the Bayswater district of central London, immediately to the north of Kensington Gardens. It consists of two long terraces of houses overlooking the park, with a wide gap between them openi ...

, London. Emigrating to New Zealand in 1894, he became

Vicar A vicar (; Latin: '' vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English pre ...

of St Michael and All Angels in

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon Rive ...

on 2 March 1894, remaining in that post until his consecration as bishop. Additionally, he was a

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(13 November 19021909), Archdeacon of Akaroa (13 November 19021909) and

Archdeacon of Christchurch The Diocese of Christchurch is one of the thirteen dioceses and hui amorangi of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia. The Diocese covers the area between the Conway River and the Waitaki River in the South Island of New Ze ...

(7 April 1909 'til consecration). Elected

Bishop of Waiapu The Diocese of Waiapu is one of the thirteen dioceses and hui amorangi of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia. The Diocese covers the area around the East Coast of the North Island of New Zealand, including Tauranga, Taup ...

in 1909, Averill was consecrated a bishop on 16 January 1910, by

Samuel Nevill Samuel Tarratt Nevill (13 May 183729 October 1921), was the first Anglican Bishop of Dunedin, before becoming Primate of New Zealand. Life A scion of the ancient Nevilles, he was educated at Nottingham High School, before attending St Aidan's ...

Bishop of Dunedin The Diocese of Dunedin is one of the thirteen dioceses and ''hui amorangi'' (Māori bishoprics) of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia. The diocese covers the same area as the provinces of Otago and Southland in the South ...

and

Primate of New Zealand Primate of New Zealand is a title held by a bishop who leads the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia. Since 2006, the Senior Bishop of each '' tikanga'' (Māori, Pākehā, Pasefika) serves automatically as one of three co-equal ...

, and other bishops, at Napier Cathedral. Elected on 30 September 1913, he was

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Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about ...

on 31 January 1914, and he was further promoted to be

effective 21 April 1925. At the 1925 Synod, he supported amendment of the constitution of the Anglican Church of New Zealand so that it would enjoy full autonomy from the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...

. He supported the creation of the bishopric of Aotearoa in 1928, which resulted in the appointment of Frederick Bennett as the Bishop of Aotearoa and the

Spiritual Leader Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...

of the

Māori people The Māori (, ) are the indigenous Polynesian people of mainland New Zealand (). Māori originated with settlers from East Polynesia, who arrived in New Zealand in several waves of canoe voyages between roughly 1320 and 1350. Over several c ...

. He engaged in dialogue with Bishop James Liston of the Roman Catholic Church and the ministers of the

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and non-episcopal Churches. Early in his episcopate in Auckland, he was appointed the first chairman of the Council of Christian Congregations. He served as second Archbishop and

until 1939, resigned his See (Auckland) effective 31 March 1940 and retired to

. He was buried at Purewa Cemetery in the Auckland suburb of Meadowbank.

Support of education

Before being appointed as the Bishop of Waiapu, he was a member of the governing body Christ's College, Christchurch. After his appointment as Bishop on Auckland in 1914, he became a member of the board of

King's College, Auckland King's College (Latin: ''Collegium Regis''; mi, Kīngi Kāreti), often informally referred to simply as King's, is an independent secondary boarding and day school in New Zealand. It educates over 1000 pupils, aged 13 to 18 years. King's was o ...

during the time the School moved from Remuera to its present location in Otahuhu. Averill House, which was founded in 1961, was named in his honour.

Associations with organisations

He supported the

St John Ambulance St John Ambulance is the name of a number of affiliated organisations in different countries which teach and provide first aid and emergency medical services, and are primarily staffed by volunteers. The associations are overseen by the internat ...

Association and Brigade, the

New Zealand Red Cross New Zealand Red Cross or Ripeka Whero Aotearoa is a humanitarian organisation, which has more than 15,000 members and volunteers. In New Zealand, Red Cross delivers core community services, such as Meals on Wheels, Community Transport, Refugee ...

, serving as a vice-president of the Auckland Branch. He was the first honorary member of the Rotary Club of Auckland. He also supported the Bible in State Schools League of New Zealand, the New Zealand Society for the Protection of Women and Children, the

Royal Society of St George The Royal Society of St George is an English patriotic society established in 1894 to encourage interest in the English way of life, and English customs and traditions. History In 1415 St. George became the Patron Saint of England after the En ...

and the

Royal Empire Society The Royal Commonwealth Society (RCS) is a non-governmental organisation with a mission to promote the value of the Commonwealth and the values upon which it is based. The Society upholds the values of the Commonwealth Charter, promoting conf ...

Honours and awards

He was made an honorary doctor of divinity of Oxford University (1912), a sub-prelate of the Order of St John (1924), and an episcopal canon of St George's Collegiate Church, Jerusalem. In 1935, he was awarded the King George V Silver Jubilee Medal. Shortly before his death in 1957, he was appointed a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George in the 1957 Queen's Birthday Honours.

Family

Alfred was married to Mary (née Weir). Alfred's eldest son, Walter Averill, became a priest and served as Archdeacon of Timaru; a second son, Leslie Averill, served with the New Zealand Expeditionary Force towards the end of the First World War, and played a key role in the capture of Le Quesnoy in France. He later became a prominent medical administrator and community leader in Christchurch.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Averill, Alfred Walter 1865 births People from the Borough of Stafford Alumni of St John's College, Oxford 19th-century English Anglican priests Archdeacons of Akaroa Archdeacons of Christchurch Anglican bishops of Waiapu Anglican bishops of Auckland Primates of New Zealand Religious leaders from Auckland 1957 deaths English emigrants to New Zealand Burials at Purewa Cemetery