Two hundred years of Christianity in Tonga
Shared from
Methodist Church of New Zealand
First published 2 June 2026
Leaders of Te Hāhi Weteriana o Aotearoa, among them the president, Te Aroha Rountree, the vice-president, Rev. Peter Norman, and the general secretary, Rev. Tara Tautari, were to join the Conference of the Free Wesleyan Church of Tonga in Nukuʻalofa from 23 June to 2 July, marking 200 years since Christianity reached Tonga.
A choir of more than 160 Tongan Methodist singers, centred on the Fakafeangai Mā’oni’oni Church in Onehunga, rehearsed five anthems for the occasion, one of them in te reo Māori. The mission party that reached Tonga from Tai Tokerau in 1827 included four young Māori converts.