Consecration of New Bishop of Aotearoa Surrounded by 11 Bishops, and kneeling in front of Archbishop Lesser, Rev. Manu Bennett takes his vows as Bishop of Aotearoa National Publicity Studies On St. Luke's day, Friday, 18 October 1968, the Reverend Manu Augustus Bennett was consecrated Bishop of Aotearoa and Suffragan Bishop to the Bishop of Waiapu in the Cathedra Church of St John the Evangelist at Napier. He is the third man to hold this position, succeeding the Rt Rev. W. A. Panapa, who retired because of ill health, and following in the footsteps of his father, the first Bishop of Aotearoa, who was consecrated in the same spot almost 40 years before. This was the first consecration of a bishop in the new cathedral, which replaced the old building destroyed in the 1931 earthquake. Over 1,800 people packed the cathedral for the two-hour service. The sermon was preached by the Rt Rev. Harry S. Kennedy, Bishop of Honolulu, in whose diocese Dr Bennett served as an assistant priest while studying at the University of Hawaii in 1954. There were moving moments … the colourful procession, including representatives of other churches — one of the Roman Catholic priests present being Father David Bennett, the Bishop's nephew, recently consecrated as a priest … the presentation by Bishop Baines and Bishop Holland of Accompanied by Archbishop Lesser and Rev. Philip Kapa, the new Bishop is challenged at the entrance of Paki Paki marae by Hawea Tomoana