Explaining Māori atheism in Aotearoa New Zealand
Principal Investigator
Dr. Masoumeh (Sara) Rahmani
School of Social and Cultural Studies
Victoria University of Wellington
Co-Investigator
Professor Peter Adds
Te Kawa a Māui - School of Māori Studies
Victoria University of Wellington
Co-Investigator
Dr. Geoff Troughton
School of Social and Cultural Studies- Religious Studies
Victoria University of Wellington
Indigenous experiences represent one of the most neglected yet critically productive sites for exploration within the fast-emerging field of atheism and nonreligion. Recent cross-cultural research demonstrates that atheism — like the broader nonreligion construct — incorporates a wide range of self-understandings, views, and commitments. Inclusion of Indigenous perspectives extends our understanding of this diversity, adding essential insights for the development of a rich and comprehensive causal understanding of atheism.
Between 2006 and 2018, the percentage of Māori (Indigenous New Zealanders) identifying with “no religion” on the national census increased from 36.5% to 53.5%. This change coincided with a substantial decline in Māori affiliating with Christianity and traditional Māori religion. Despite these dramatic shifts, we know little about Māori atheism, or indeed the individual, sociocultural, and historical processes contributing to Māori deconversion.
This project sought to offer a well-evidenced causal account of why and how some Māori became or remain atheists. We conducted in-depth interviews with Māori a/theist to identify key causal factors of atheism at the individual and societal levels. Given the complicated post-colonial and bicultural context of Aotearoa New Zealand, our analysis pays close attention to the intersectionality between the history of colonisation, Christianisation, Māori cultural revitalisation policies, and the impact of online social media on the emergence of Māori atheism.
Publications
Māori atheism on the rise: the legacy of colonisation is driving a decline in traditional Christian beliefs (2023) The Conversation
Māori atheism: a decolonising project? (2024) Kōtuitui: New Zealand Journal of Social Sciences Online
Further publications from this project are forthcoming, check our Publications page for updates
