The number of Mass attendees in New Zealand grew by more than 8 per cent between 2024 and 2025, according to data collected by the country’s six Catholic dioceses. Source: NZCBC.
Christchurch Diocese saw the greatest increase in that period, with the Mass count rising from 10,711 to 12,594 – an increase of 17.6 per cent.
Auckland Diocese, which has about 48 per cent of the country’s practising Catholics, saw an 8 per cent increase, while Dunedin Diocese saw 11.9 per cent more people in the pews regularly.
The dioceses of Palmerston North (7.6 per cent) and Hamilton (6.9 per cent) also saw significant jumps, while the Archdiocese of Wellington’s Mass count remained steady.
Christchurch Bishop Michael Gielen said he has seen two significant factors driving the large increase in Mass attendance in his diocese, which covers all of Canterbury and Westland.
“As the population of the greater Christchurch area continues to increase, we see the number of Catholics, including from some countries and regions with strong Catholic roots, growing quickly,” he said.
“But we’re also mindful of the increasing number of people who have chosen to become Catholic, including as adults, across our diocese and around much of the western world. Many people are also returning to the Church of their childhood. That is a source of much joy.”
Auckland Bishop Steve Lowe, who is also president of the New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference, said the statistics present a tangible measure of the sense many Catholics are feeling.
“This emergence of an interest in faith generally, and in Catholicism specifically, runs counter to the narrative of a dwindling Church,” he said.
“Statistical variances can often be attributed to a number of factors. That said, these numbers seem to suggest that the ancient message of the Gospel, presented through the lens of our contemporary Catholic thought, is resonating with people.”
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