How changing beliefs are reshaping Pacific identity

For Pacific communities, Christian churches have shaped community life, social structures, and served as important language hubs where Pacific languages are sustained across the diaspora. Ministers are often honoured guests at events, meetings begin with prayer, and biblical language flows through Pacific oratory.

But new research suggests the relationship between Pacific peoples and faith is becoming more complex.

Faculty of Arts and Education PhD researcher Laki Tiatia (Pacific Studies) is exploring the growing diversity of spiritual beliefs within Pacific communities, and what this means for identity, culture and the future.

“As I delve into these conversations, on the surface it looks like we’re talking about religion,” Tiatia says, “but at its core, it’s about identity, about what worldview we want to identify with as a Pacific person.”

Pacific peoples are one of the most religious groups in Aotearoa New Zealand, but recent data suggests change is happening.

According to the 2023 Census, around 62 percent of Pacific peoples identified as Christian, while 27 percent reported having no religion. Smaller numbers identified with other religions, including Islam and Hinduism, while some aligned with Indigenous belief systems, including Māori beliefs.

This reflects the growing religious and spiritual diversity within Pacific communities today.

“In the past, people often thought belief was one or the other. You were either Christian or atheist, or Christian or Indigenous spirituality. But today, people’s beliefs are often much more mixed and varied than that," says Tiatia.

Though Christianity remains the dominant faith, the figures point to an increasingly diverse spiritual landscape. He says these tensions often surface publicly, especially online.

“Pacific Muslims who are becoming more visible on platforms like Instagram and TikTok often face strong backlash. People question not just their faith, but whether they are still ‘truly Pacific’ and whether those identities can sit together.

“On the surface, the criticism may sound like it's about religion. But underneath, it's often really about identity. You’ll hear people say things like, ‘Christianity is what made us Pacific.’ That shows the argument is not only about belief, but about who belongs and how Pacific identity is defined."

So, the bigger question is: who gets to define what it means to be Pacific, he says.

“At the core of our cultures is spirituality. So, when belief systems shift, it can feel like a cultural shift as well.”

Tiatia says beliefs can differ between diaspora communities and Pacific nations such as Sāmoa and Tonga, where Christianity remains central to everyday life. In many places, shops close on Sundays and church shapes the weekly rhythm of community life.

In the diaspora, however, these conversations can be more complex as Pacific peoples navigate multiple cultural expectations, secular institutions, and the pace of life in Aotearoa New Zealand and other Western societies.

“Many Pacific people already know belief is not always straightforward," says Tiatia.

"Many Pacific Christians I’ve spoken to hold more than one spiritual worldview at once, identifying strongly as Christian while still holding on to Indigenous beliefs and ways of seeing the world – even though those beliefs might sit in tension with orthodox Christian teachings."

Christianity and colonisation

The relationship between Christianity and colonisation is another area of ongoing debate.

Some critics argue Christianity is inherently colonial. Others believe it has, over generations, become an Indigenous part of Pacific life and identity.

For Tiatia, both views risk oversimplifying a more complicated history.

“On one side is the belief that ‘to be Pacific is to be Christian’. On the other is the argument that ‘to be Christian is to be colonised’.

“The danger on both ends is that we start putting Pacific identity into rigid boxes,” he says. “There is also a difference between Christianity as a faith, and Christianity as an institution. One is a belief system, while the other has historically been involved in systems that caused harm. Many young Pacific people are attempting to make sense of this – their religious affiliation and Pacific-ness at pivotal times in their life journey .”

Generational change

Older Pacific generations often experienced Christianity not only as a faith, but as a central social space where community life unfolded.

Younger generations, however, are increasingly more likely to view the church as an institution, sometimes one associated with difficult histories, rigid expectations, or social pressure.

Lifestyle changes in diaspora communities also play a role. Work schedules, study commitments and the cost of living can make regular church attendance more difficult.

In one informal exercise in a Pacific-majority classroom, Tiatia asked students how many attended church regularly. About 20 percent raised their hands.

“That shows a shift that’s already happening,” he says.

Rather than one dominant worldview, Pacific societies may increasingly include Christians, Muslims, atheists, and people reclaiming Indigenous belief systems, sometimes within the same families.

His research does not aim to determine which beliefs are right or wrong. Instead, he hopes to highlight the many stories that already exist within Pacific communities.

“My work is about showing the multiplicity of our communities, because I believe the value that may help guide Pacific communities through these changes is harmony.

He says while Pacific cultures often emphasise respect and love, harmony offers a way to coexist despite difference.

“Harmony doesn’t mean everything is equal or that everyone agrees. It means difference can still be held together.”