Samuel MARSDEN was responsible for setting up the first Missions in New Zealand. MARSDEN arrived in Parramatta, N.S.W, Australia in 1794 and spent his life there but made 7 visits to NZ between 1814 and 1837.
A group of Missionaries spent a short time at Thames in 1801, enroute from Sydney to Tahiti, on the ship Royal Admiral. They were; John DAVIES, James ELDER, James HAYWARD, William SCOTT, Samuel TESSIER, William WATERS, Charles WILSON and John YOUL.
On 30th March 1807 the Elizabeth spent 12 days in the Bay of Islands and on board was Gregory WARNER a medical missionary.
The first missionaries to live in NZ were the CMS missionaries Thomas and Jane KENDALL, William and Dinah HALL and John and Hannah KING.
They arrived in December 1814 to establish the first CMS mission at Rangihoua Bay, Bay of Islands. They were accompanied by the KENDALL children and Phillip Hansen KING, a son of John and Hannah KING.
The second CMS mission was established in 1819 at Kerikeri by the Reverend John BUTLER and he was joined there the same year by James KEMP and his wife Charlotte.
The 3rd CMS Mission was started at Pahia, Bay of Islands, in 1823 with the arrival of Henry WILLIAMS and his wife Marianne nee COLDHAM
They were joined by Henry’s brother William WILLIAMS and his wife Jane nee NELSON. (see website: WILLIAMS Family history )
In 1830 Marsden, on his sixth visit, founded the Waimate Mission with Rev William YATE, George CLARK, Richard DAVIS and James HAMILN.
The Wesleyan Methodist Missions were started in 1822 with the arrival of Samuel LEIGH who established a mission at Kaeo, Whangaroa Harbour. He was joined in 1823 by Nathaniel TURNER, John HOBBS, William WHITE and James STACK. A further Wesleyan mission was established in 1831 at Hokianga.
The French Bishop Jean Baptiste François Pompallier, set up the first Roman Catholic Marist mission in Hokianga in 1838.
By 1840 the CMS had 15 missions and 21 missionaries and their families. There were 10 Wesleyan Missions and 4 Catholic Missions (with 11 priests).
By 1842 there were thirteen Marist Fathers, nine Marist Brothers and three lay catechists.
1842 5 German Moravian (Lutheran) Missionaries and families settled Chatham Islands.
- Franz SCHIERMEISTER – leader of group
- Oskar BEYER
- David MULLER
- Johannes Gottfried ENGST
- Johann Heinrich BAUCKE
links: Publication on Early history of Anglican Church in NZ.
References:
- Letters From the Bay of Islands, The story of Marianne WILLIAMS edited by Caroline FITZGERALD 2004 Penguin.
- The Legacy of Guilt A life of Thomas KENDALL by Judith BINNEY (check for other references in this and see the map of BOI etc)
- The English Church in NZ H T PURCHAS
- The Church in New Zealand. Memoirs of the Early Days J J WILSON.
- The Wesleyen Missionaries to NZ before 1840
- Centennial Atlas National Library.
- Prophets in the Wilderness. The Wesleyan Mission to New Zealand 1819 –27. J M R OWENS, AUP:OUP
- The Life of Rev Samuel MARSDEN, ed Rev J B MARSDEN, The Religious Tract Society, London, 1858.
- WILLIAMS family history
- The Chatham Islands, Canterbury University Press 1996