Ethnic Groups in New Zealand - Religion

Religion

Christianity is the predominant religion in New Zealand at just over half of the population at the 2006 New Zealand Census, although regular church attendance is probably closer to 15 percent. In the 2006 Census, 55.6 percent of the population identified themselves as Christians, while another 34.7 percent indicated that they had no religion (up from 29.6 percent in 2001) and around 4 percent affiliated with other religions. Immigrants make up 80 percent of most of the non-Christian religions, with the traditional Māori religion, Judaism (24 percent immigrant) and Bahá'í (20 percent immigrant) being the exceptions.

The traditional religion of the indigenous Māori population was animistic, but with the arrival of missionaries from the early 19th century most of the Māori population converting to Christianity. In 2006, 2,412 Māori still identify themselves as adhering to traditional Māori beliefs. The main Christian denominations are Anglicanism, Roman Catholicism, Presbyterianism and Methodism. There are also significant numbers of Christians who identify themselves with Pentecostal, Baptist, and Latter-day Saint churches and the New Zealand-based Ratana church has adherents among Māori. According to census figures, other significant minority religions include Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam. New Zealand has no state religion and freedom of religion has been protected since the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi.