Christmas in New Zealand is less about snow and sleigh bells and more about sun, sand and barbecues in the backyard. We've provided a range of stories that showcase some of the quirkier aspects of Kiwi Christmases past and present. You can also test yourself on our Kiwi Christmas quiz.
The Christian missionaries
Agents of virtue
Pacifist objection - conscientious objection in the First World War
Pacifist and Christian socialists
Some New Zealanders opposed the war on Christian or moral grounds. Others believed in peaceful methods of solving conflict.
Some Christian socialists based their opposition to the war on what they saw as the egalitarian and anti-establishment message of Jesus Christ, who spoke against the religious authorities of his time.
Catholic missionaries arrive at Hokianga
French Bishop Jean Baptiste François Pompallier, a priest and brother of the Society of Mary, arrived at Hokianga. His party celebrated their first mass three days later.
Pompallier left France in 1836 with four priests and three brothers of the Marist Order to lead a pioneering Roman Catholic mission to western Oceania. His arrival in New Zealand alarmed James Busby, the official British Resident, who feared that this was a forerunner to a French attempt to colonise New Zealand.
Samuel Marsden's first service
Russell Clark's reconstruction of Samuel Marsden's Christmas Day service at Oihi Bay in the Bay of Islands in 1814 is how many New Zealanders have visualised the first Christmas service in this country.
Other Ministry Websites
