About
Faithfully Christian
St Thomas Tāmaki is a faithfully Christian church in Auckland that is committed to loving and serving God and neighbour. We offer a classically Anglican style of worship: liturgical, weekly communion complemented by traditional hymns, and altogether inspired by a deep devotion to the Word. We seek to renew and transform the lives of people through the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
We regularly make use of both the unique A New Zealand Prayer Book and the rich 1662 Book of Common Prayer in our services. Our worship features usage of one of the few operating pipe organs in Auckland.
As we come together weekly to partake in the most blessed Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, we are renewed and strengthened in our faith.
Our faith is shaped by our Anglican heritage: reformed & catholic. Guided by Scripture, Reason, and Tradition, we regularly affirm our faith with the Creed. The Anglican identity is shaped by Scripture above all, and upheld by our formularies of the Book of Common Prayer, Ordinal, Homilies, and Thirty Nine Articles. We believe in the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church and the life offered by the Anglican tradition within it.
Our Vicar
Our vicar is the Rev'd Dr Noel Cox. Noel was ordained deacon in 2012 and priest in 2013 with the Church in Wales. In addition to his church ministry, he has worked both as a lawyer and enjoyed a long career as a scholar in constitutional law.
He began practising as a barrister in Auckland in 1988, and later served as AUT's first Professor of Law in 2006. He subsequently served as Professor of Law and Head of Criminology at Aberystwyth University in Wales. Noel retired as a lawyer in 2019, but remains an active writer on constitutional law. His publications include works on constitutional monarchy, the royal prerogative, church-state relations, Anglican ecclesiology, and coronation law.
Noel currently serves on the advisory board of CANZUK International, is a fellow of the Royal Historical Society, serves as the Port Chaplain for the Auckland Mission to Seafarers, and is the Regional Chaplain for the Northern Region of Hato Hone St John Aotearoa New Zealand. He has previously served as Chairman of Monarchy New Zealand.
Noel is married to Katy. Together, they have a son Christopher, as well as a small dog, Teddy, and a cat, Clara, who rules them all.
Our History
St Thomas Tāmaki traces its beginnings to 1843, when the then-small community of Tāmaki sought a place of worship. Supported by Bishop Selwyn who helped match donations pound-for-pound, and aided by Andrew Shepherd, Colonial Treasurer who gave a six-acre site, construction began using volcanic rock with the foundation stone being placed on St Thomas' Day - 21 December 1843, by acting Governor Willoughby Shortland.
The first services were held on 22 December 1844 before the building was fully completed. It quickly became the centre of worship for the Protestant community, with Bishop Selwyn often preaching.
However, the original building was abandoned due to deterioration in 1859. Worship shifted to St John's College, and the ruins were demolished in 1954.
After much growth in Kohimarama and St Heliers, the need for a new church became apparent. On St Thomas's Day in 1957, the foundation stone for the current church was laid by Bishop Simkin, with our church becoming a separate parish in 1966.
Since then, St Thomas Tāmaki has proudly continued both as a place of worship and community centre. The church’s gifts and features include stained glass windows donated by Sir William Stevenson, a classical organ given in 1970, and a bell tower dedicated in 1990.
Get in touch
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