Religious affiliation in New Zealand shows an almost even split between those identifying with an organised religion and those who don’t, Statistics New Zealand data shows.
Census 2023 found that almost half of New Zealanders (48 percent) identified as belonging to an organised religion while 51.6 percent said they had none at all.
Further Census analysis shows that although a third of us identify as Christian, the proportion of people with “no religion” increased by 3.4 percent between 2018 and 2023.
The Census found New Zealand’s next largest religious groupings were Hindu at 2.9 percent, then Islam at 1.5 percent.
What’s happening?
“The message of Jesus Christ and his Gospel continues to resonate with more than 1.5 million people [a third of us] around our country” the NZ Catholic Bishops Conference comments.
But what does that even mean, wonders Facebook correspondent Russell Hoban as he ponders the Bishops’ Conference Facebook announcement.
He says it begs the question – what does it mean for someone to identify as Christian, is it a cultural and social identity as well?
Is it about how often they attend church? Only 12 percent attend a church service at least once a week and 38 percent go only on special occasions – or never go.
Anglican Archbishop Justin Duckworth says New Zealand has moved past a time where there was a “cultural normality” around the Christian faith.
He thinks this is because of a greater recognition of te ao Māori – which is a good thing.
“Across the Western world, there has also been a continuing move towards a secular materialist worldview and a move away from traditional religious beliefs” he observes.
Massey University’s Professor Emeritus of History Peter Lineham says young people lead the move away from Christian affiliation.
“The shift is taking place in younger people who no longer see any need to connect with a religious organisation unless they have a strong commitment to it.”
Where most parents sent their children to Sunday School, most don’t these days – “so, there’s very little natural attraction that religions have to widespread numbers of young people”.
The sacredness of Sunday had gone and religion was no longer automatically assumed to be good, he says.
Feed the people
Duckworth thinks people are spiritually hungry and aware but are withdrawing from inherited faith traditions in some places.
“A question we always have to ask ourselves is: Are the forms of our worshipping tradition limiting the ability for people to connect with the ultimate message that we think is important?”
The Census provides further encouragement to ask that question deeply, he says.
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