Irreligion in New Zealand
Irreligion in New Zealand refers to atheism, agnosticism, deism, religious scepticism and secular humanism in New Zealand society. Post-war New Zealand has become a highly secular country, meaning that religion does not play a major role in the lives of many of the population.
Although New Zealand has no established religion, Christianity had been the most common religion since widespread European settlement in the 19th century.
Irreligion in society[edit]
The Humanist Society of New Zealand and the New Zealand Association of Rationalists and Humanists promote a secular view of life without reference to supernatural agencies as one of their aims.
A campaign to create advertisements similar to the Atheist Bus Campaign in the United Kingdom began a fund-raising drive on 10 December 2009,[13] and reached its initial target of $10,000 in donations within 48 hours, making it one of the most successful atheist campaigns of all time.[14]
Māori and other ethnic groups[edit]
Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand notes, in 2013 "47% of people who identified themselves as Europeans or New Zealanders said they had no religion – as did 46% of Māori and 30% of Asians. Only 18% of Pacific peoples, and 17% of people in the Middle Eastern, Latin American and African ethnic groups, said they had no religion."[15]