Religion In New Zealand
Religion in New Zealand is dominated demographically by Christianity, at just over half of the population at the 2006 New Zealand Census although regular church attendance is probably closer to 15%. Prior to 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.
New Zealand has no state religion and freedom of religion has been protected since the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi.
More recently the number of adherents of non-Christian religions has increased dramatically due to immigration and dispersal of culture, to around 5% in 2006. Roughly one-third of New Zealanders claim no religious affiliation.
Read more about Religion In New Zealand: History, Christianity, Other Religions, Religion in Culture and The Arts, Religion in Politics
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