Wayne Hughes

Who is Wayne Hughes?

Wayne Hughes was a New Zealand Pentecostal minister. Until early 2005, he was the Senior Pastor of the Takapuna Assembly of God in Auckland. A photographer by training, Hughes became Pastor of the Takapuna Assembly of God in 1975. Under his leadership spanning three decades, it grew from 25 members to about 1600 adherents as of 2005. About a third of these are formal members.

As well as pastoring the Takapuna Assembly of God, Hughes also served as General Superintendent of the Assemblies of God in New Zealand from 1985 to 2003, when he resigned to give undivided attention to building his local church, which has set a goal of ten thousand members, and to care for his wife, Glenice, who has long suffered from Parkinson's Disease.

In March 2005, Hughes entered the media spotlight with accusations that he had sexually abused a teenager in the 1980s. In April 2005, he opted to retire early, citing health reasons plus a desire to protect the church from negative media publicity, and in May he surrendered his credentials as a minister and withdrew from all ministry in the church. In public statements, he has denied the charges, but on legal advice has refrained from giving specifics.