Before New Zealand had an influx of British colonisers, the Maori had a very spiritual and animistic religion. In their religion, first their was void, then the night, and finally the world of light. The sky father and earth mother gave birth to the god of sea, food, war, and the forest. The god of the forest, Tane, created the first woman and married her, essentially becoming the Adam and Eve of humans. The Maori had priests called Tohunga whom they believed spirits could communicate through. These priests also performed rituals for gathering food or war in addition to being able to see the future. Maori also believed in a spirit as well as something called mana. Mana is authority, power, or prestige that came from their ancestors and was stronger in first-born children and Tohunga. This traditional Maori religion died out greatly at the arrival of Christianity in New Zealand, with less than 3,000 people total that still identify themselves as adherents. Maori religion did not die out however, it merely adapted. The result of Christianity mixed with some traditional Maori values gave rise to Maori Christianity. The Ratana and Ringatu sects were founded by prophets who found a large following in the Maori community which quickly took root. Currently, about half of the population identifies themselves as Christian, about 40 percent as not having a religion, and the rest are either Buddhists, Jews, Muslims, or Hindus. Although many identify themselves as Christian, only about 15 percent of New Zealanders actually attend church weekly. In the past decade or so, Christianity has lost numbers (down by about 5 percent) while those who don’t have a religion have increased greatly (doubling from 20 percent in 1990). Buddhism and Muslims have also only recently taken a strong foothold in New Zealand. Even though many identify as having no religion, the majority (70 percent) still believe in God or a higher power. The younger generation, specifically those of or near college age more often identified themselves with this group. New Zealand has what’s called a blasphemy law which makes it a crime to publish things that insult another’s religion. This law has not gained attention or even been put to use since its enactment in 1961 until very recently. A man who used the image of a psychedelic Buddha with headphones was sentenced to prison for 2 years. Many have also started protesting against the blasphemy law in support of free speech. These events, I believe, show the paradigm shift that has occurred in New Zealand due to rising support in Buddhism , minority religions, and irreligion.