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Christianity in New Zealand dates to the arrival of missionaries in the early 19th Century, and is the country's primary religion. Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island A missionary is a member of a Religion who works to convert those who do not share the missionary's faith someone who proselytizes. The 19th century of the Common Era began on January 1, 1801 and ended on December 31, 1900, according to the Gregorian calendar A number of denominations are present, with none having a dominant position. Today, slightly more than half the population identify as Christian.

Contents

History

The first Christian missionaries came to New Zealand at the start of the 19th Century. The Church Mission Society, an Anglican organisation, established a presence in New Zealand in 1814,[1] with the permission and protection of Ngā Puhi chief Ruatara. The Church Mission Society, known as the Church Missionary Society in Australia and New Zealand is a group of evangelistic societies working with the Anglican Church Anglicanism is a tradition of Christian faith Churches in this tradition either have historical connections to the Church of England or have similar beliefs Year 1814 ( MDCCCXIV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Ngā Puhi is a Māori Iwi located in the Northland region of New Zealand. This expedition was led by Samuel Marsden. The Reverend Samuel Marsden ( 25 June 1765 – 12 May 1838) was a prominent member of the Church Missionary Society, credited with Later missionaries brought other religious denominations — Jean Baptiste Pompallier played an important role in establishing Roman Catholicism, and Presbyterianism was brought to New Zealand largely by Scottish settlers. Jean Baptiste François Pompallier was the first vicar apostolic to visit New Zealand. Presbyterianism is a family of Christian denominations within the Reformed branch of Protestant Western Christianity Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. The Maori people also created their own forms of Christianity, with Ratana and Ringatu being the largest. This article discusses the Māori people of New Zealand For their language see Māori language, and for other meanings see Māori (disambiguation. The Ratana movement is a Māori Religion and pan- tribal Political movement founded by Tahupotiki Wiremu Ratana in early 20th century The Ringatu church was founded in 1868 by Te Kooti Rikirangi The symbol for the movement is an upraised hand or "Ringa Tu" in Māori.

Although there was some anti-Catholic feeling in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, this declined after the 1920s. Sectarian groups such as the Orange Order continue to exist in New Zealand but are now virtually invisible, and New Zealand's first Catholic Prime Minister, Joseph Ward, took office in 1906. Sectarianism is Bigotry, Discrimination, Prejudice or Hatred arising from attaching importance to perceived differences between subdivisions The Orange Institution, more commonly known as the Orange Order or the Orange Lodge, is a Protestant fraternal organisation based predominantly The Prime Minister of New Zealand is New Zealand's Head of government consequent on being the leader of the party or coalition with majority support in Sir Joseph George Ward 1st Baronet, GCMG (1856 - 1930 was Prime Minister of New Zealand on two occasions in the early 20th century There is now very little sectarianism in New Zealand, and various churches commonly co-operate on issues of common interest — various bodies exist promoting cooperation, such as the Uniting Congregations of Aotearoa New Zealand[2], and church leaders have issued joint statements on a number of issues (for example, on the Iraq War[3]). The Iraq War, also known as the Second Gulf War, the Occupation of Iraq, or the War in Iraq, is an ongoing Military campaign

Statistics

Religions of New Zealanders in the last four censuses (percentages of those answering corresponding question).     Christianity      Other religions      No religion
Religions of New Zealanders in the last four censuses (percentages of those answering corresponding question).
     Christianity      Other religions      No religion

In the 2006 census, around 55. 6% of those who answered the question on religion identified themselves as Christian. This gives a total of slightly over two million Christians in the country. The largest denominations were Anglicans (about 14% of the population), Catholics (about 12%), Presbyterians (about 9%), and Methodists (about 3%). Anglicanism is a tradition of Christian faith Churches in this tradition either have historical connections to the Church of England or have similar beliefs As a Christian Ecclesiastical term Catholic —from the Greek adjective, meaning "general" or "universal"—is described Presbyterianism is a family of Christian denominations within the Reformed branch of Protestant Western Christianity Methodism is a movement within Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations Around 5% of the population identified themselves as Christian without associating themselves with any particular denomination. [4]

Trends

Generally, the proportion of New Zealanders who identify as Christian is declining — the figure now stands at around half the census respondents, whereas in the 1991 census, it stood at around three quarters. If the decline continues at a similar rate, Christians will cease to be a majority within a decade.

Different denominations are experiencing different trends. Anglicanism and Presbyterianism are both losing adherents, while Catholicism is gaining them, although not fast enough to match population growth.

Geographic distribution

The number of Christians in New Zealand varies slightly across different parts of the country — as of the 2006 census, the number of Christians in each territorial authority ranged from a low of 43. Territorial authorities are the second tier of Local government in New Zealand, below regional councils. 7% (in Kawerau) to a high of 63. 4% (in Ashburton)[5]. 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 the sixteen designated Cities of New Zealand, fifteen have a smaller proportion of Christians than the country as a whole (the exception being Invercargill)[5]. After the local government reforms of 1989 the term "city" began to take on two meanings in New Zealand. The average proportion of Christians in the sixteen cities is 50. 2%. [5]

The three largest denominations are found in all parts of the country — the maps below show their distribution across the territorial authorities. No territorial authority has more than a third of its population belonging to a single denomination, although some parts of the lower South Island come close[5].

Largest denominations (2001)Anglicanism (2006)Catholicism (2006)Presbyterianism (2006)

The city of Auckland, due to its high immigrant population, has the greatest range of denominations.

Official status

Christianity does not have any official status as a national religion in New Zealand. Queen Elizabeth II, although Supreme Governor of the Church of England, exercises this capacity in her role as monarch of Britain, not her constitutionally separate role as monarch of New Zealand. For the ship see RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Context States headed by Elizabeth II The Supreme Governor of the Church of England is a title held by the British Monarchs which signifies their titular leadership over the Church of England. TalkCommonewalth realm.--> The monarchy TalkCommonewalth realm.--> New Zealand The Anglican Church in New Zealand (today a separate institution from its parent) is not an officially established church. A state religion (also called an official religion, established church or state church) is a religious body or Creed officially

A poll result released on June 17 2007 and conducted by Research New Zealand and involving 500 respondents from across New Zealand, found that the majority of New Zealanders were opposed to any such official status being granted. 58 per cent of people disagreed with making Christianity the official state religion and two thirds of people polled want schoolchildren to be taught about all the world's religions. [6][7][8]

Churches

See also

References

  1. ^ Encyclopedia of New Zealand: Marsden, Samuel
  2. ^ Uniting Congregations of Aotearoa New Zealand
  3. ^ "There is still time" - Joint letter by New Zealand church leaders
  4. ^ Religious Affiliation, QuickStats About Culture and Identity, 2006 Census Data, Statistics New Zealand. The Anabaptist Association of Australia and New Zealand (AAANZ is a network of individuals from a variety of Christian denominations in Australia and New Zealand The Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia New Zealand and All Oceania, with headquarters in Sydney, is an Archdiocese of the Church of Antioch. The Assemblies of God in New Zealand is a Pentecostal denomination in New Zealand. This article is about Coptic Orthodoxy in Australia For a list of Coptic parishes in Australia see the List of Coptic Orthodox Churches in Australia. The Baptist Union of New Zealand is an association of Baptist churches in the country of New Zealand. For unaffiliated churches which share the same name Destiny Church. Grace Presbyterian Church of New Zealand (GPCNZ is a Presbyterian denomination in New Zealand which was formed in 2002 The Methodist Church of New Zealand - Te Hahi Weteriana O Aotearoa is a Methodist denomination headquartered in Christchurch, New Zealand New Life Churches International is a Pentecostal Christian church denomination that was formally established in New Zealand in the 1960s The Pentecostal Church of New Zealand, today called the Elim Church of New Zealand is a historical Pentecostal denomination in New Zealand. The Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand (PCANZ is the main Presbyterian church in New Zealand. The Ratana movement is a Māori Religion and pan- tribal Political movement founded by Tahupotiki Wiremu Ratana in early 20th century Reformed Churches of New Zealand is a Reformed Christian denomination in New Zealand. The Revival Centres International is a Pentecostal Church, with its headquarters in Melbourne, Australia, it has approximately 300 centres in 14 countries The Catholic Church in New Zealand is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope and Roman curia in The Ringatu church was founded in 1868 by Te Kooti Rikirangi The symbol for the movement is an upraised hand or "Ringa Tu" in Māori. This article discusses Christian politics in New Zealand, particularly socially conservative and evangelical Christian politics Religion in New Zealand was originally dominated by Māori religion in the days before the European colonization. Accessed 2007-06-21. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 524 - Godomar, King of the Burgundians defeats the Franks at the Battle of Vézeronce.
  5. ^ a b c d Table Builder, Statistics New Zealand. Accessed 2008-05-03. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 1491 - Kongo monarch Nkuwu Nzinga is baptised by Portuguese missionaries adopting the baptismal name of João
  6. ^ Majority reject state religion: poll - New Zealand Herald, Sunday 17 June 2007
  7. ^ Poll finds most oppose Christianity as official religion - New Zealand Yahoo! News, Sunday 17 June 2007
  8. ^ Majority opposed to Christianity as official religion - New Zealand Press Association, Sunday 17 June 2007
The New Zealand Herald is a daily Broadsheet Newspaper published in Auckland, New Zealand. Yahoo! News is an Internet -based News aggregator provided by Yahoo!. The New Zealand Press Association is a News agency based in New Zealand.
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