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''Synopsis:'' '''{{Infobox_Contents |topic_name = Christianity in [[New Zealand]]''' dates to the arrival of [[missionaries]] in the early 19th Century, and is the country's primary religion. A number of denominations are present, with none having a dominant position. Today, slightly more than half the population identify as Christian.| {{rtoc}}{{topics}}* subtopics = [[New Zealand]]| opinion_pieces = {{opinionsshort_opinions}}| ==Main article==}}

The first Christian missionaries came to New Zealand at the start of the 19th Century. The [[Church Missionary Society]], an [[Anglican]] organisation, established a presence in New Zealand in 1814 with the permission and protection of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ng%C4%81_Puhi Ngā Puhi] chief [[Ruatara]]. This expedition was led by [[Samuel Marsden]]. Later missionaries brought other religious denominations — [[Jean Baptiste Pompallier]] played an important role in establishing [[Roman Catholicism]], and [[Presbyterianism]] was brought to New Zealand largely by Scottish settlers. The Maori people also created their own forms of Christianity, with [[Ratana church|Ratana]] and [[Ringatu]] being the largest.