Wellington diocese

Tuesday 20 June 2023 marked 175 years since the Diocese of Wellington was formally established in 1848, when Pope Pius IX divided New Zealand into two dioceses – Auckland and Port Nicholson (Wellington). Because all Bishop Pompallier’s priests were to move south, it took time to recruit replacements and bring them across the world. It was not until 1 May 1850 the new southern diocese was able to be implemented, when Bishop Viard and his Society of Mary clergy arrived in Wellington.