Samuel Marsden's first sermon in New Zealand

Background. Marsden, a prominent figure in early New South Wales, lobbied the Church Missionary Society to establish a mission in New Zealand to counter the negative influence of European traders on Māori people. He selected missionaries Thomas Kendall, William Hall, and John King for an investigative journey to the Bay of Islands. The brig Active departed Sydney on 14 November 1814, and the expedition arrived at Ruatara's dominion of Rangihoua Bay on 24 December 1814; one account records King, Kendall, Hall, and settler Thomas Hansen arriving there on the Active on 22 December 1814.

The Sermon. On Christmas Day 1814, Marsden raised the Union Jack over Oihi Bay, a small cove in the north-east of Rangihoua Bay. He delivered the first known Christian sermon on New Zealand soil. The service followed the Church of England Book of Common Prayer, read in English. However, historical accounts suggest Marsden preached the sermon itself in the Māori language, having acquired proficiency from his host, Ruatara.

Host and Context. Ruatara, chief of the Ngāpuhi tribe, hosted Marsden and the missionaries on Ngāpuhi land at Rangihoua, where his pā stood on the northern shore of the Bay of Islands. Ruatara had previously introduced European crops to New Zealand. On Christmas Day 1814 he and fellow chief Hongi Hika welcomed Marsden and the missionaries John King, William Hall, and Thomas Kendall, and hosted the first Christian mission station established in New Zealand. Ruatara died shortly after, on 3 March 1815.