Christianity in New Zealand dates to the arrival of missionaries from the Church Missionary Society who were welcomed onto the beach at Rangihoua Bay in December 1814. It soon became the predominant belief amongst the indigenous people, with over half of Māori regularly attending church services within the first 30 years. Christianity remains New Zealand's largest religious group, but no one denomination is dominant and there is no official state church. According to the 2018 census 38.17% of the population identified as Christian.[1] The largest Christian groups are Anglican, Catholic and Presbyterian. Christian organisations are the leading non-government providers of social services in New Zealand.[2][3]
History
The first Christian service conducted in New Zealand waters was probably to be carried out by Father Paul-Antoine Léonard de Villefeix, the Dominican chaplain on the ship Saint Jean Baptiste commanded by the French navigator and explorer Jean-François-Marie de Surville. Villefeix was the first Christian minister to set foot in New Zealand, and probably said Mass on board the ship near Whatuwhiwhi in Doubtless Bay on Christmas Day in 1769. He is reported to have also led prayers for the sick the previous day and to have conducted Christian burials.[4][5]
New Zealand's religious history after the arrival of Europeans saw substantial missionary activity, with Māori generally converting to Christianity voluntarily (compare forced conversions elsewhere in the world).[6] The AnglicanChurch Missionary Society (CMS) sent missionaries to settle in New Zealand. Samuel Marsden of the Church Missionary Society (chaplain in New South Wales) officiated at its first service on Christmas Day in 1814, at Oihi Bay, a small cove in Rangihoua Bay in the Bay of Islands, at the invitation of chiefs Te Pahi and Ruatara, considered to have been the first preaching of the gospel in New Zealand.[7][8] The CMS founded its first mission at Rangihoua Bay in the Bay of Islands in 1814 and over the next decade established farms and schools in the area. In June 1823 Wesleydale, the first Wesleyan Methodist mission in New Zealand, was established at Kaeo, near Whangaroa Harbour.[9]
The first book published in the Māori language was A Korao no New Zealand; or, the New Zealander's First Book, published by CMS missioner Thomas Kendall in 1815. In 1817 Tītore and Tui (also known as Tuhi or Tupaea (1797?–1824)) sailed to England.[10] They visited Professor Samuel Lee at Cambridge University and assisted him in the preparation of a grammar and vocabulary of Māori. Kendall travelled to London in 1820 with Hongi Hika and Waikato (a lower ranking Ngāpuhi chief) during which time work was done with Professor Samuel Lee, which resulted in the First Grammar and Vocabulary of the New Zealand Language (1820).[11][12]
In 1823, Rev Henry Williams became the leader of the CMS mission in New Zealand. He settled at Paihia, across the bay from Kororāreka (nowadays Russell); then described as "the hell-hole of the South Pacific" because of the abuse of alcohol and prostitution that was the consequence of the sealing ships and whaling ships that visited Kororāreka.[13] Williams concentrated on the salvation of souls.[14] The first baptism occurred in 1825, although it was another 5 years before the second baptism.[15] Schools were established, which addressed religious instruction, reading and writing and practical skills. Williams also stopped the CMS trading muskets for food.[16] Māori eventually came to see that the ban on muskets was the only way to bring an end to the tribal wars.[17]
Williams organised the CMS missionaries into a systematic study of the Māori language and soon started translating the Bible into Māori.[18][19] In July 1827 William Colenso printed the first Māori Bible, comprising three chapters of Genesis, the 20th chapter of Exodus, the first chapter of the Gospel of St John, 30 verses of the fifth chapter of the Gospel of St Matthew, the Lord's Prayer and some hymns.[20][21] It was the first book printed in New Zealand and his 1837 Māori New Testament was the first indigenous language translation of the Bible published in the southern hemisphere.[22] Demand for the Māori New Testament, and for the Prayer Book that followed, grew exponentially, as did Christian Māori leadership and public Christian services, with 33,000 Māori soon attending regularly. Literacy and understanding the Bible increased mana and social and economic benefits, decreased the practices of slavery and intertribal violence, and increased peace and respect for all people in Māori society, including women.[23]
Henry Williams played an important role in the translation of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840. In August 1839 Captain William Hobson was given instructions by the Colonial Office to take the constitutional steps needed to establish a British colony in New Zealand. Hobson was sworn in as Lieutenant-Governor in Sydney on 14 January, finally arriving in the Bay of Islands on 29 January 1840. The Colonial Office did not provide Hobson with a draft treaty, so he was forced to write his own treaty with the help of his secretary, James Freeman, and British Resident James Busby.[24] The entire treaty was prepared in four days.[25] Realising that a treaty in English could be neither understood, debated or agreed to by Māori, Hobson instructed Williams, who worked with his son Edward, who was also proficient in the Māori language, to translate the document into Māori and this was done overnight on 4 February.[26][27] Williams was also involved in explaining the treaty to Māori leaders, firstly at the meetings with William Hobson at Waitangi, but later also when he travelled to Port Nicholson, Queen Charlotte's Sound, Kapiti, Waikanae and Otaki to persuade Māori chiefs to sign the treaty.[28]
In 1845, 64,000 Māori were attending church services, over half of the estimated population of 110,000.[29] By then, there was probably a higher proportion of Māori attending Church in New Zealand than British people in the United Kingdom.[30] The New Zealand Anglican Church, te Hāhi Mihinare (the missionary church), was, and is, the largest Māori denomination. Māori made Christianity their own and spread it throughout the country often before European missionaries arrived.[30][31]
Jean Baptiste Pompallier was the first Catholic bishop to come to New Zealand, arriving in 1838. With a number of Marist Brothers, Pompallier organised the Catholic Church throughout the country.[32]George Augustus Selwyn became the first Anglican Bishop of New Zealand in 1841.[8] Selwyn was criticised by the CMS for being ineffective in training and ordaining New Zealand teachers, deacons and priests—especially Māori. It would be 11 years until the first Māori deacon, Rota Waitoa, would be ordained by the Bishop at St Paul's, Auckland, and 24 years before he ordained a Māori priest.[33] The first Māori bishop in New Zealand's history was Frederick Bennett, who was consecrated Anglican Bishop of Aotearoa, in 1928.[34] The first Catholic Māori priest, Father Wiremu Te Āwhitu was ordained in 1944,[35] and the first Māori bishop, Bishop Max Mariu was ordained in 1988.[36]
The Sisters of Mercy arrived in Auckland in 1850 and were the first order of religious sisters to come to New Zealand and began to work in health care and education.[37] At the direction of Mary MacKillop (St Mary of the Cross), the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart arrived in New Zealand and established schools. In 1892, Suzanne Aubert established the Sisters of Compassion—the first Catholic order established in New Zealand for women.[38] The Anglican Church in New Zealand recognises her as a saintly person and in 1997 the New Zealand Catholic Bishops' Conference agreed to support the "Introduction of the Cause of Suzanne Aubert", to begin the process of consideration for her canonisation as a saint by the Catholic Church.[39]
Although there was some hostility between Catholic and Protestants in the 19th and early 20th centuries, this declined towards the end of the 20th century.[41]
Demographics
The proportion of New Zealanders who identify as Christian is declining—accounting for around 38% of responses to the 2018 census, whereas in the 1991 census it stood at around three-quarters.[42] Christian groups are experiencing mixed trends. Anglicanism and Presbyterianism are both losing adherents at a rapid rate, while smaller Protestant groups and non-denominational churches are growing.[43]
"Anglican" is the largest single Christian religious affiliation in New Zealand, according to the 2018 census, which recorded 314,913 adherents in New Zealand. "Roman Catholic" recorded 295,743. When all "catholic" religious affiliations are added together they total 473,145 people. By the 2023 census Anglicanism had further declined relative to Catholicism.
(Note: All figures are for the census usually resident population. Percentages are based on number of responses rather than total population. These are nominal. The 2011 census was cancelled due to the 2011 Christchurch earthquake In all censuses, up to four responses were collected.)
Geographic distribution
The number of Christians in New Zealand varies slightly across different parts of the country—as of the 2006 census,[needs update] the number of Christians in each territorial authority ranged from a low of 43.7% (in Kawerau) to a high of 63.4% (in Ashburton).[45] In general, the tendency is for rural areas, particularly in the lower South Island, to have somewhat higher numbers of Christians, and urban areas to have lower numbers—of the sixteen designated Cities of New Zealand, fifteen have a smaller proportion of Christians than the country as a whole (the exception being Invercargill).[45] The average proportion of Christians in the sixteen cities is 50.2%.[45][needs update]
Catholicism, associated mostly with New Zealanders of Irish, Polish, descent, is the most evenly distributed of the three main denominations, although it still has noticeable strengths in south and central Taranaki, on the West Coast, and in Kaikōura. It is also the largest denomination in Auckland and Wellington, although not by a great extent. The territorial authorities with the highest proportion of Catholics are Kaikōura (where they are 18.4% of the total population), Westland (18.3%), and Grey (17.8%). The territorial authorities with the lowest proportion of Catholics are Tasman (8.1%), Clutha (8.7%), and Western Bay of Plenty (8.7%).[needs update?]
Anglicanism, associated mostly with New Zealanders of English descent, is common in most parts of the country, but is strongest in Canterbury (the city of Christchurch having been founded as an Anglican settlement) and on the North Island's East Coast. It is the largest denomination in most parts of rural New Zealand, the main exception being the lower South Island. The territorial authorities with the highest proportion of Anglicans are Gisborne (where they are 27.4% of the total population), Wairoa (27.1%), and Hurunui (24.9%). The territorial authorities with the lowest proportion of Anglicans are Invercargill (7.7%), Manukau (8.3%), and Clutha (8.5%).[needs update?]
Presbyterianism, associated mostly with New Zealanders of Scottish descent, is strong in the lower South Island—the city of Dunedin was founded as a Presbyterian settlement, and many of the early settlers in the region were Scottish Presbyterians.[citation needed] Elsewhere, however, Presbyterians are usually outnumbered by both Anglicans and Catholics, making Presbyterianism the most geographically concentrated of the three main denominations. The territorial authorities with the highest proportion of Presbyterians are Gore (where they are 30.9% of the total population), Clutha (30.7%), and Southland (29.8%). The territorial authorities with the lowest proportion of Presbyterians are Far North (4.4%), Kaipara (6.2%), and Wellington (6.7%).[needs update?]
Pentecostalism and non-denominational churches are amongst the highest denominations according to the 2018 census. Examples of these churches are Life Church in Auckland, Curate Church in Mount Maunganui, Arise in Wellington and Harmony Church in Christchurch.
Christian organisations in New Zealand are heavily involved in community activities including education; health services; chaplaincy to prisons, rest homes and hospitals; social justice and human rights advocacy.[46] Approximately 11% of New Zealand students attend Catholic schools;[47] the Anglican Church administers a number of schools;[48] and schools administered by members of the New Zealand Association for Christian Schools educated 13,000 students in 2009.[49]
Christian and Māori choral traditions have been blended in New Zealand to produce a distinct contribution to Christian music, including the popular hymns Whakaria Mai and Tama Ngakau Marie.[54][55]
Christian music festivals
New Zealand once hosted the largest Christian music festival in the Southern Hemisphere, Parachute Music Festival, however in 2014, the music festival was cancelled due to financial difficulties.[56] Large Christian Easter events still occur. Eastercamp, a Christian youth event in South Island, draws 3500 youths from over 50 youth groups and churches.[57]
Media
New Zealand has many media organisations and personalities. Frank Ritchie, is a New Zealand radio broadcaster, Media Chaplain, and ordained Christian Minister who is a Sunday evening radio host on Newstalk ZB.[58]
In November 2021, the New Zealand government announced that New Zealand will head into a traffic light system.[59] This meant that New Zealand churches had to choose between having a smaller congregation of both unvaccinated and vaccinated members attend or the alternative of an unlimited amount of attendees that provided a vaccination pass.[60] Many churches, such as Auckland's Life Church, Wellington's Arise Church and Christchurch's Harmony Church,[61] opted to take their ministry online over the Christmas period.[62]
Christianity has never had official status as a national religion in New Zealand, and a poll in 2007 found 58% of people were opposed to official status being granted.[63] Despite this, each sitting day of the New Zealand Parliament opens with a Christian prayer.[64][65] In contrast to England, where the Anglican Church is the officially established church, in New Zealand the Anglican Church has no special status, although it often officiates at civic events such as Anzac Day.
The two main political parties, Labour and National, are not affiliated with any religion, although religious groups have at times played a significant role (e.g. the Rātana movement and Labour[79]). Politicians are often involved in public dialogue with religious groups.[80][81]
^"Wesleyan mission established". Ministry for Culture and Heritage. 21 December 2016. Archived from the original on 21 August 2017. Retrieved 21 August 2017.
^Rogers, Lawrence M. (1973). Te Wiremu: A Biography of Henry Williams. Pegasus Press. p. 57.
^Mitcalfe, Barry (1963). "Angry peacemaker: Henry Williams – A missionary's courage wins Maori converts". Nine New Zealanders. Whitcombe and Tombs. p. 34.
^Fitzgerald, Caroline (2011) Letter of Henry Williams, 9 February 1824
^Fitzgerald, Caroline (2004) Journal of Henry Williams, 12 July 1826
^Michael King (2003). The Penguin History of New Zealand. Penguin Books. ISBN0-14-301867-1.
^Carleton, Hugh (1874). "Vol. II". The Life of Henry Williams: "Early Recollections" written by Henry Williams. Early New Zealand Books (ENZB), University of Auckland Library. pp. 11–15.
^Morag McDowell; Duncan Webb. The New Zealand Legal System. LexisNexis. pp. 174–175.
^Carleton, Hugh (1874). "Vol. II". The Life of Henry Williams: "Early Recollections" written by Henry Williams. Early New Zealand Books (ENZB), University of Auckland Library. pp. 15–17.
^Newman, Keith (2010) [2010]. Bible & Treaty, Missionaries among the Māori – a new perspective. Penguin. pp. 182, 257, 258, 259, 272, 273, 274, 305, 318, 319. ISBN978-0143204084.
^John Wilson (3 March 2009). "Society – Religion and the churches". Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Ministry of Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 3 June 2010.
^Brian Colless and Peter Donovan, 'Editor's Introduction', in Brian Colless and Peter Donovan, eds, Religion in New Zealand Society, 2nd edition, Palmerston North: Dunmore Press, 1985, p.10
^Shand, Greg (16 December 1985). "The Bolger challenge". Auckland Star. pp. B1.
^Gustafson, Barry (2000). His way: a biography of Robert Muldoon. Auckland: AUP. p. 32.
^Wood, GA (2005). Church and State in the Furthest Reach of Western Christianity, in Christianity, Modernity and Culture. Adelaide: AFT Press. pp. 226–27.
Ahdar, Rex (2003). God and Government: The New Zealand Experience. Dunedin: University of Otago Press.
Davidson, Allan K. (2004). Christianity in Aotearoa : a history of church and society in New Zealand (3rd ed.). Wellington: Education For Ministry. ISBN0-476-00229-X.
Davidson, Allan K.; Lineham, Peter J. (1989). Transplanted Christianity: Documents Illustrating Aspects of New Zealand Church History (2nd ed.). Palmerston North: Dunmore Press.
Harper, Tobia, "'Amen, Amen!'" New Zealand Journal of History (2008) 42#2 pp 133–153. Studies the impact of Christianity on New Zealand society in the 1920s