In Depth:  New Zealand

letter from New Zealand

It’s winter here in New Zealand, and for most parents of school-age kids, that means one thing: Saturday sports.

A large proportion of children play for local clubs, and it is a great way to develop skills like teamwork and self-discipline. Maybe it’s part of why the All Blacks are so good. But for me, as a Christian whose children go to a local Christian school, it’s a great way to make friends with people who don’t know Jesus.

letter from New Zealand

What do you picture when you think of New Zealand? Perhaps the idyllic scenery and breathtaking vastness made famous by the Lord of the Rings movies. Undoubtedly it’s a country that remains at the top of many people’s bucket lists. Whilst the scenery is truly magnificent, it hides a very dark truth for the people who make up this beautiful nation.

Death by suicide remains alarmingly high in New Zealand, and the shocking reality is that the incidence of self-inflicted death is highest amongst 15–19-year-olds. In a recent report by UNICEF, out of 36 OECD and EU countries, New Zealand ranked bottom in mental health wellbeing for children.

letter from New Zealand

In the 1981 film Chariots of Fire, Eric Liddell’s character speaks these famous words: “God made me fast. And when I run, I feel His pleasure”.

And, whilst Liddell didn’t actually say them in real life, they encapsulate something beautiful about how we can give God glory through our sporting abilities.

letter from New Zealand

Christmas Day 1814 saw the first preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ on the shores of New Zealand.

The preacher was Samuel Marsden and he had arrived from Sydney convinced of the transforming power of the gospel to reach the indigenous Māori of New Zealand. The various tribal groups were gripped in cycles of “utu”, where one tribe would attack another as retribution for a previous conflict; the premise behind utu is one of restoring balance to society.

letter from New Zealand

February 6 is a significant day in the New Zealand calendar; a nationwide public holiday that sees demonstrations that sometimes result in violence.

February 6, 1840, was the fateful day when the British Crown and many Maori chiefs (but not all) signed the Treaty of Waitangi. In essence it is New Zealand’s founding document; the chiefs were agreeing to give the British Crown rights to certain lands, but it was by no means an agreement to give up all their lands.

letter from New Zealand

As I have written previously, New Zealand is often at the cutting edge of progressive law making. With euthanasia it is no different; we are amongst 19 jurisdictions in the world where it is legal to request medical help to die.

The End of Life Choice Act came into force on 7 November 2021: as a result almost 1,000 people have been euthanised. When the law was introduced the Ministry of Health was required to review it after three years. The review was published at the end of November 2024, and many of the recommendations made are alarming for those who believe in the sanctity of life.

letter from New Zealand

New Zealand sees itself as a forerunner when it comes to progressive thinking: in 1893 New Zealand became the first self-governing country to award women the vote. And, whilst many of the progressive advances have brought good, there have been others which have had a detrimental impact.

One such ‘progressive advance’ came in 2018 when the Anglican Church of Aoetearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia (ACANZP) voted to bless same-sex relationships despite this being contrary to Scripture and the Church’s canons.