samuel marsden

Biography

Samuel Marsden

Reverend Samuel Marsden was the driving force behind the establishment of Anglican mission stations in New Zealand.

Events In History

5 March 1830

Outbreak of the Girls' War at Kororāreka

Ururoa, the brother-in-law of Hongi Hika, responded to a rival who had cursed him and his Ngāi Tawake people after a fight between young women on the beach at Kororāreka. Many were killed in the conflict that followed. Read more...
25 September 1819

NZ's first grapevines planted?

The Anglican missionary Samuel Marsden noted in his journal that he had just planted 100 vines at Kerikeri and that 'New Zealand promises to be very favourable to the vine.' Read more...
25 December 1814

NZ's first Christian service?

At Oihi Beach in the Bay of Islands, Marsden preached in English to a largely Māori gathering, launching the Christian missionary phase of New Zealand history. Read more...

The Christian missionaries of the pre-1840s have been described as the 'agents of virtue in a world of vice', although they were not immune to moral blemish themselves.
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Page 2 - Establishing the Church Missionary SocietySamuel Marsden was a key figure in the establishment of the first Christian mission in New Zealand.

An important feature of early cross-cultural contact in New Zealand was the role of intermediaries (kaiwhakarite) who acted as go-betweens – people from one culture who lived within the other culture and helped bridge the gap between the two.

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Page 3 - Maori intermediaries: RuataraIn 1805 the Ngāpuhi chief Ruatara left New Zealand on the whaling ship Argo with the intention of meeting King George