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Story: Diverse religions

Numbers of religious adherents, 1876–2006

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Numbers of religious adherents, 1876–2006

This graph shows sharp changes in numbers of followers of major non-Christian religions in New Zealand over time. Buddhist numbers declined from the late 19th century after the gold rushes ended and many Chinese miners left the country. However, adherents of Buddhism and other non-Christian religions increased greatly in number from the late 20th century, mainly due to changes in immigration policy.

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Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand

Source: New Zealand census, 1876–2006

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How to cite this page

Paul Morris, Diverse religions – Religious diversity in New Zealand, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/graph/32240/numbers-of-religious-adherents-1876-2006 (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Paul Morris, published 28 April 2011.