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Story: Ngā hāhi – Māori and Christian denominations

Spreading the Rātana faith

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Spreading the Rātana faith

Seated in the back of a touring car, Tahupōtiki Wiremu Rātana, founder of the Rātana Church, carries word of his faith to the Taupō district in the 1920s. The flag he is holding carries the star and crescent moon symbols of the Rātana Church along with a Union Jack, and the words 'The Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost' in both Māori and English.

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Alexander Turnbull Library

Reference: 1/2-089569-F

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page

Hirini Kaa, Ngā hāhi – Māori and Christian denominations – Ringatū and Rātana, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/31340/spreading-the-ratana-faith (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Hirini Kaa, published 7 April 2011, updated 1 March 2017.