Religion in New Zealand

Major religions in New Zealand, 2013 Census

In New Zealand, Christianity is the most common religion with almost half (48 percent) of the population at the 2013 New Zealand Census declaring an affiliation. Around six percent of the population affiliate with non-Christian religions, with Hinduism being the largest at over two percent, while 42 percent of New Zealanders are irreligious and 4 percent made no declaration. New Zealand has no established church although Anglicanism is required to be the religion of the Monarch of New Zealand (who is described as "Defender of The Faith") and freedom of religion has been protected since the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi.

Before European colonisation the religion of the indigenous Māori population was animistic, but the subsequent efforts of missionaries such as Samuel Marsden resulted in most Māori converting to Christianity. The majority of 19th-century European migrants came from the British Isles, establishing the three dominant denominations in New Zealand - Anglicanism, Catholicism and Presbyterianism. The tendency for Scottish migrants to settle in Otago and Southland saw Presbyterianism predominate in these regions while Anglicanism predominated elsewhere; the effect of this is still seen in religious affiliation statistics today. While 47.5 percent of New Zealanders affiliate with Christianity, regular church attendance is probably closer to 15%.

The number of people affiliated with Christianity has declined since the 1990s, and those stating that they have no religion have increased. With increased immigration to New Zealand, especially from Asia, the number of people affiliating with non-Christian religions has also increased.

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