The Anglican Church of Melanesia has elected the Rt. Rev. George Takeli to be its sixth primate and archbishop, overseeing Anglican churches in the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and New Caledonia.

The Anglican Church of Melanesia has elected the Bishop of Temotu, the Rt. Rev. George Takeli to be its sixth primate and archbishop, overseeing Anglican churches in the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and New Caledonia. Meeting outside of the capital Honiara on the island of Guadalcanal on 12 Feb 2016, an Electoral Board consisting of eight diocesan bishops, 13 clergy and 13 laymen elected Bishop Takeli to succeed the Most Rev. David Vunagi, who retired in September. The new archbishop will be enthroned Bishop Takeli will be enthroned on 17 April 2016 at the Saint Barnabas Cathedral in Honiara as archbishop and will also be translated to the metropolitan see diocese of Central Melanesia. Born in 1959 on the island of Ulawa in the province of Makira Ulawa in the Solomon Islands, Archbishop-elect Takeli was educated in the Solomon Islands and trained from the ministry at Auckland University where he earned a Master of Theology degree. He also undertook doctoral studies in theology at Charles Stuart University in Australia. Ordained to the priesthood in 1995, he was elected Bishop of Temotu in 2011. The archbishop-elect’s wife, Lillian, died in 2014 and in December he was married to his second wife, June Mole. According to a statement released by the province, the new archbishop said: “There are three priority areas which I believe will drive the Anglican Church forward:” An active missionary church; A strong and effective administration; and A strong investment division.