Baptist Churches of New Zealand

The Baptist Churches of New Zealand (Māori: Te Hāhi Iriiri o Aotearoa) is a Baptist Christian denomination in New Zealand. Its headquarters are in Auckland, and it is affiliated with the Baptist World Alliance.

Baptist Churches of New Zealand
Te Hāhi Iriiri o Aotearoa
Classification	Evangelical Christianity
Theology	Baptist
Associations	Baptist World Alliance
Headquarters	Auckland, New Zealand
Origin	1882
Congregations	240
Members	20,627
Missionary organization	NZBMS
Seminaries	Carey Baptist College
Official website	baptist.nz

History

Nelson Baptist Church

Papanui Baptist Church in Christchurch.

Several Baptists settled in New Zealand in the 1840s, but the first Baptist minister, Decimus Dolamore from Yorkshire, England, did not arrive until May 1851.^[1][2] Dolamore settled in Nelson and was involved in the formation of the first Baptist Church in New Zealand - Nelson Baptist Church - that same year. He was instrumental in obtaining a change in the law to allow Baptist ministers to perform marriage ceremonies; until 1854, only Catholic and Anglican priests were allowed to do so. Dolamore later went to Christchurch and was the first minister for that congregation.^[3][2]

The Canterbury Baptist Association was formed in 1874. This association started the New Zealand Baptist magazine, which has been published monthly since January 1881. The Baptist Union of New Zealand was formed at Wellington in October 1882.^[4] At that time, there were 22 Baptist churches,^[2] with 1,890 members.^{[citation needed]} The New Zealand Baptist Missionary Society was formed at the 1885 conference of the Baptist Union.^[2] At the 1891 conference, the Union established a plan to divide the country into four districts - "Otago/Southland" (org. 1892), "Auckland" (org. 1892), "Canterbury & Westland" (org. 1892), and "Central" (org. 1896). Central District was later divided into the Central District Association and the "Wellington" Association, and "South Auckland" was formed in 1939. South Auckland was later divided into the "Waikato" Association and the "Bay of Plenty" Association (now Bay of Plenty & Eastland). The "Top of the South" Association was formed in 1990. Some groups were called "auxiliary" and some "association", but in 1957, the term "auxiliary" was dropped in favor of the term "association". There are currently 9 associations.^{[citation needed]}

According to a census published by the association in 2023, it claimed 240 churches and 20,627 members.^[5]

In October 2024 the Baptist Churches of NZ, through its local affiliate the Otago and Southland Baptist Association, announced plans to sell the former Valley Baptist Community Centre in Dunedin's North East Valley. The Valley Baptist Community congregation had closed in August 2021. The Baptist denomination's sales decision was opposed by three community groups (including the Valley Baptist Community Trust) and former Valley Baptist pastor Geoff Pound.^[6][7] The community groups raised NZ$250,000 by mid-May 2025 in a bid to buy the building, whose tender finished on 28 May 2025.^[6] In mid-August 2025, the Otago Daily Times reported that the three community groups had failed to buy the community hub, with an undisclosed buyer purchasing the former church site and an adjoining building.^[8]

Beliefs

Theologically, the Baptist Churches of NZ member churches are deeply influenced by the charismatic renewal movement, though there is no official position regarding the movement. A study in 1989 indicated that 69% of churches belonging to the Baptist Union identified with the charismatic movement.^[9] A smaller portion of member churches are Reformed in doctrine.^{[citation needed]}

The Baptist Churches of NZ has a policy of ordaining female clergy.^[10][11]

Schools

The Union supports education through Carey Baptist College in Penrose, Auckland, and Te Whare Amorangi, designed for Māori men and women, in Papatoetoe, Auckland.^[12]

NZBMS

The Baptist Churches of NZ has a missionary organisation called the New Zealand Baptist Missionary Society (NZBMS). It consists of four branches: Tranzsend (sending and ministry), Banzaid (aid and development), Mission World (resourcing and mobilisation) and Marketplacers International (business).^[13]

Tranzsend operates in South and Southeast Asia, and the South Pacific.^[2]

Prominent New Zealand Baptists

• Decimus Dolamore - first Baptist minister in New Zealand
• Thomas Spurgeon - successful evangelist and son of famous English Baptist preacher, Charles Haddon Spurgeon
• Charles Dallaston - "the Father of the Baptist Union"
• John James North - the first principal of the New Zealand Baptist Theological College
• Hopestill Pillow - Baptist Missionary in the Zenana Missions to India.
• Charles Henry Carter (29 October 1828 – 6 July 1914) - a Baptist missionary to Ceylon. Literary Works - Translations. Carter translated directly from the Greek and Hebrew texts, rather than the English. The Sinhalese work was done in vernacular language, that it could embody the message in a dialect that was understood by the people everywhere. His works include:
  • Sinhalese New Testament 1855
  • Sinhalese Book of Psalms 1863
  • Sinhalese Old Testament 1869
  • English – Sinhalese Dictionary 1881
  • Sinhalese – English Dictionary 1889

Towards the end of his life, Carter became Pastor of the Ponsonby Baptist Church in New Zealand. He was the first president of the Baptist Union of New Zealand. Bishop Coppelstone, Anglican Primate of India is said to have described Carter as the "foremost Sinhalese scholar of this age".^{[14][15][16][17]}