Skip to main content

Story: Tongans

Breakaway Methodists

Image
Breakaway Methodists

When a homosexual minister was appointed to a leadership position in the Methodist church in Christchurch, many Tongans were very unhappy. In Ōtāhuhu the conflict eventually resulted in most of the critics being locked out of the local Methodist church. This 300-strong congregation held a service beneath a makeshift marquee in a neighbouring driveway.

Using this item

New Zealand Herald

Reference: 7 May 2001

by Kenny Rodger

Permission of the New Zealand Herald must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

All images & media in this story

How to cite this page

Melenaite Taumoefolau, Tongans – Culture, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/3907/breakaway-methodists (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Melenaite Taumoefolau, published 4 March 2009, updated 1 July 2024.