Eric Gowing

Who was Eric Gowing?

Eric Austin Gowing was the seventh Anglican Bishop of Auckland. His Episcopate spanned a long period during the second half of the 20th century. Born in Sydney he was educated at North Sydney High School and the universities of Sydney and Oxford, before embarking on an ecclesiastical career with a Curacy at St Mary, Deane Stafford. After an incumbency at St Peter, Norbiton, he emigrated to New Zealand in 1950 where he was Vicar of Merivale and Archdeacon of Christchurch before elevation to the Episcopal See of Auckland in 1960. He was one of the last bishops to wear the traditional frock coat, hose and gaiters. He served as a vice-president of the New Zealand Homosexual Law Reform Society and as a patron of the Society for Promotion of Community Standards.