Christianity in New Zealand

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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. A number of denominations are present, with none having a dominant position. Today, slightly more than half the population identify as Christian.

Contents

[edit] 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. This expedition was led by Samuel Marsden. 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. The Maori people also created their own forms of Christianity, with Ratana and Ringatu being the largest.

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. 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]).

[edit] 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%). Around 5% of the population identified themselves as Christian without associating themselves with any particular denomination.[4]

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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 43.7% (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]. 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)
  • Anglicanism 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%).
  • Catholicism 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 Kaikoura. 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 Kaikoura (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%).
  • Presbyterianism 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. 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 Prebyterians are Far North (4.4%), Kaipara (6.2%), and Wellington (6.7%).

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

[edit] 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. The Anglican Church in New Zealand (today a separate institution from its parent) is not an officially established church.

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]

[edit] Churches

[edit] See also

[edit] 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. Accessed 2007-06-21.
  5. ^ a b c d Table Builder, Statistics New Zealand. Accessed 2008-05-03.
  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