Mormons and Politics in New Zealand

Authors

Peter Lineham

Keywords

colonialism, missionary work, Church of Jesus Christ, New Zealand, Māori

Abstract

In the contemporary world, the long tail of colonialism has left deep discomfort within the Protestant missionary movement. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints often reflects the position of traditional Protestants, for in so many ways the Utah-based church sought to impose its very White and colonial values on its non-White and non-American converts. It did not easily evade the charge of aiding and abetting American political goals in foreign places. But if this was the intent of the Latter-day Saint missionary movement, it could be subverted by the peculiarity of particular contexts. New Zealand was such a context. For unintentionally, the Mormons of New Zealand are mostly drawn from the Indigenous Māori population as well as migrants from the Pacific Islands. Exactly what were the consequences of that unexpected outcome?

BYU ScholarsArchive Citation

Lineham, Peter (2021) "Mormons and Politics in New Zealand," Mormon Studies Review: Vol. 8: No. 1, Article 4.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/msr2/vol8/iss1/4