Academic mulls why NZ doesn’t have a ‘Catholic city’

By CathNews New Zealand

August 18th, 2026

The Cathedral of St Patrick and St Joseph, Auckland (Jason Pratt/Wikimedia Commons)

Aotearoa New Zealand doesn’t have a Catholic “city” in the way that two other denominations do, and that is largely because of different approaches to colonial settlement in different areas, an academic commentator says. Source: Radio New Zealand.

Dr Grant Morris from Victoria University – Te Herenga Waka said “denominational” cities such as Dunedin and Christchurch came about through structured settlement approaches, with religious denominations being a key element.

Today, the Presbyterian heritage in Dunedin and the Anglican one in Christchurch can be clearly seen.

There were three major denominations in New Zealand’s colonial settlement – Anglican, Presbyterian and Catholic, Dr Morris said.

“And they all had very strong numbers of people coming in over the years, but Catholicism is the only one that didn’t get its ‘city’.

“Partly, that is a result of how Catholicism came in,” Dr Morris said. “It came in early as with the other denominations with the attempt to convert Māori. So with Bishop Pompallier up in Northland, that was the main focus to begin with, the geographical focus being up north, but then it shifts during the 1860s, 1870s, [when there was] huge immigration into New Zealand and Irish Catholics are a big chunk of that, but they don’t do it in an organised way in the sense of a Canterbury Association or a Free Church of Scotland settlement.”

Irish Catholics went where the work and opportunities were – gold mines in Otago, Auckland, the West Coast, Dr Morris added.

He said that there is “probably is an argument” for Auckland to be at least the candidate for New Zealand’s Catholic city or province in the early colonial period.

“If we look at the Auckland province, which is wider than just Auckland city, in 1858 you have got 22 per cent Catholic, and this is by the census, that drops by 1867 to 17 per cent Catholic and not much ahead of anywhere else.

“It does have an edge on those other provinces at that time. But I think it is fair to say that Auckland was never a Catholic settlement. It had a strong Catholic presence, but then it had a strong Anglican presence, a strong Presbyterian presence.”

Dr Morris noted that places such as Greymouth, Westport and the West Coast in general have had significant Catholic populations.

“We could probably have a different talk if we were talking about smaller areas of New Zealand,” he said.

Wellington was also discussed as a strong Catholic centre.

FULL STORY

History with Dr Grant Morris (By Perlina Lau/Radio New Zealand)