Why More Māori Are Rejecting Christianity

Māori atheism is on the rise, but it's more than just disbelief—it’s tied to colonial resistance. A new study shows how Māori atheists frame rejecting Christianity as a political act. Atheism isn’t just Western—it’s global.

Production Team:
Producers: Andrew Henry; Andrew Aghapour
Writer: Kira Kieffer
Consultants: Sara Rahmani; Peter Adds
Editor: Mark Henry

Select imagery/video supplied by Getty Images and Reuters
Thumbnail art by @hotcyder

This video was made possible through the support
of Grant 61928 from the John Templeton Foundation
managed by The Queen’s University of Belfast. The
opinions expressed in this publication are those of
the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views
of the John Templeton Foundation or The Queen’s
University of Belfast.

00:00 Māori atheism rising
1:36 Māori history in brief
6:15 Atheism defined
7:26 Māori atheism and moral critique
10:36 Māori atheism and indigenous "authenticity"

[teamryan]

A lot of what I have heard about this phenomenon from Māori people is that the rejection of Christianity is a response not just to colonialism, but the abuses against them perpetrated by both the church and the Eurocentric state.

[HelloFutureMe]

Did not expect to see a video on my home! Love your work.

[schadenfreude]

I'm Australian and used to live in New Zealand. In both countries, I'd say it's a mistake to equate "non-religious" with "atheist". Most non-religious people here may well believe in a God or a higher power, or be open to one, even though they reject religion. It's a more a vague agnosticism.

[MysticalParables-VP]

Brilliant take on how Māori atheism ties to cultural identity, not just disbelief. More like this, please!

[happpyturtle]

Thank you for taking the time with the pronouncing of our langue, It can be quite difficult for people not accustomed to the sounds and I feel you did a wonderful job.
Kia kaha my brother from a white mother.

[breaka]

As a Black Atheist a lot of this sounded very familiar

[walruśiva]

Here in Hawaii, it seems that the older generations have synthesized Christian and indigenous Hawaiian beliefs; essentially they have become one inseparable system. But I find that the younger generations distinguish those two belief systems, fueled by the acknowledgement of the injustices done to the Hawaiian monarchy, its culture, its religious practices, its language, and its people. It’s as if some generations have assimilated comfortably while others are trying to revive cultural and religious understanding. I wonder if there is a similar schism with the Māori.

The idea that Christianity was used as a tool of colonization in Polynesia is echoed in the words of Haunani Kay-Trask who urged native Hawaiians to abandon Christianity altogether.

[jamesbridgman]

New Zealander here - purely anecdotally, I feel that there are more instances of Māori spirituality nowadays. More Māori seem to identify with the spiritual side of te ao Māori and make reference to it. We also see spiritual waiata (songs) and himene (hymns) in public places, like court, occasionally. That’s a whole different discussion. Imho we’re experiencing another mini Māori renaissance now.

[Deadlyish]

Non-Māori New Zealand Atheist here. Interesting topic, and you covered it well. The part where the research participant discusses the things they need to perform to fulfil the criteria of what it means to be Māori made me think about the issue of karakia as a contemporary phenomenon. For the unfamiliar, at the beginning of a meeting, meal, or other occasion of note, it has become common for a Māori prayer or affirmation to be spoken. Sometimes this is a secular affirmation thanking those present and wishing for a good outcome. Sometimes it has spiritual connotations, giving thanks to non-human forces like nature, the winds, or other relevant phenomena. Sometimes it's a prayer to gods of the Māori tradition, and sometimes it's a prayer to the Christian God. It's generally seen as a culturally respectful act, if not mandated by some organisations. But the religious implications of the practice, essentially using indigenous culture to smuggle religious observances into non-religious settings such as government meetings is a source of frustration among many NZ atheists. Māori team members are often asked to perform karakia for meetings, which turns into a weird kind of expectation of obligatory cultural labour on top of what the research participant outlined. Does refusing to pray at your meeting make you less Māori? I'd say no, but some might beg to differ.

[richmondc]

KIA ORA you did so well with your pronunciation of MAORI and the topic of your video, I appreciate it, great video great presenter!

[NotAmil]

Man this is fascinating. I have nobody to share this with 😭

[mukathompson]

As a kiwi (I'm Pakeha/non-Maori) I've also heard that a lot of this has become politically linked as churches like Brain Tamaki's Destiny Church is now linked with very right-wing beliefs and thus people are often distancing themselves for not just spiritual or cultural reasons but political ones.

[yuctoborian]

I really have to congratulate you on your attention to detail here with regard to the language, the culture, the history and the social tension. Most often an outsider looking in makes a hash of things but you've done a flawless job here.

[OnieBone]

As a Māori atheist, im feeling very seen. Did not expect how on the nose this was going to be. The sam Harris of the world are lowkey racists though. The arrogance of these so called famous athiests are just as bad as the religious leaders they despise.

[gemceilte]

Your pronunciation of Te reo is so good!! Thank you so much for taking the time to learn how to pronounce it correctly ❤

[genevieve]

Great vid RFB! Awesome of you to highlight Māori perspectives in this one. I'd love to see more about this topic from other indigenous perspectives as well. I read a lot about Māori history for my undergrad thesis and something that really stuck with me was -- it's been a bit now so I don't remember exact terms -- the concept of a "time capsule culture" wherein (often indigenous) cultures are pressured to feel that their authentic culture ended with colonization/European contact; therefore any development strays from the "original" culture as it has now been irreversibly impacted by colonization. This concept, while understandable and sometimes comes from a protective point of view, leads to stagnation. No matter the culture, we can only relate to the past so much as the wheels of time continue to turn. New generations can only feel so connected to the past when it doesn't adapt to/reflect the present. This trend seems like a step towards breaking free from that concept.

Thank you again for this video!

[DCdabest]

I'd love to see something like this on numbers of irreligious people on Indigenous Australians. I imagine we have something similar, albeit with less explicit atheism as much as simple "non-mainstream" religious beliefs.

[andrewmacdonald]

Great stuff. My nephew told me "200 years ago Maori had the land and pakeha had the bible. Today Maori have the bible and pakeha have the land."

[tomkadams]

Exciting to see such a well-researched and well-made video on our people, and very interesting that similar movements are seen in other indigenous cultures around the world.

[Bunker-Nines]

As a Pakeha (non-Māori) kiwi I did NOT expect to get to wake up today and see one of my favourite channels talk about my home!