Our archive seeks to acquire, preserve, manage and make accessible to everyone, archives collected from the family/whānau of New Zealand Baptists. It is a rich archival resource for better understanding the New Zealand Baptist community and provides a framework for exploring the collected memory of our individual, local, and national New Zealand Baptist identity. The collection includes archives from Baptist churches, Missionary Society (NZBMS, now Arotahi), Regional Baptist Associations, Baptist Community Ministries, Carey Baptist College, and groups currently or formerly part of the Baptist Union of New Zealand.
The archive is housed at the Ayson-Clifford Library at Carey Baptist College in Penrose, Auckland.
The contents of the archive can be searched using the library online catalogue. For more information go to the library webpage about the archive.
The New Zealand Baptist newspaper
For 135 years, the New Zealand Baptist served as the official monthly publication of the Baptist Union of New Zealand connecting the members of each local church. Held at the New Zealand Baptist Archive, the New Zealand Baptist remains an indispensable account of Baptist life on these islands. As the longest continuing religious periodical in Aotearoa, it is a significant historical resource for wider Christian history in New Zealand.
The Digital Baptist
Since 2010, the digitised records of the New Zealand Baptist have been available as the Digital Baptist and is a fully word searchable catalogue of the Baptist newspaper in its full run, right from 1876-2011.
The Digital Baptist is currently available online via a National Library of New Zealand archive of the former Baptist Research website. It is freely available as PDF files that can be downloaded – click the button below (we are grateful to the National Library for providing this service).
The Baptist magazine
In 2011 The New Zealand Baptist transitioned into to a bi-monthly magazine format until 2021. Digital versions of these are not yet available online, but much of the content is on the current Baptist NZ platform (this baptist.nz website and the Baptist NZ app).
Baptist content today
From 2022 a new way of connection and communication began with the Baptist NZ app being the central depository of content, which feeds the baptist.nz website, and Baptist NZ on Facebook. We also collate this content in a bi-monthly printable newsletter for local churches to print out for their people who are not online – a bi-monthly email newsletter is also sent out highlighting the printable newsletter and the last two months of contact – this can be subscribed to at the footer of this webpage (the white button “Sign up to our newsletter”).
Latest articles
Waiheke pastor’s Baptist church in Myanmar needs your donations and prayers
Donate now to support emergency relief and help rebuild the Baptist Church in Manje, Myanmar, the home village of Waiheke Island Baptist Church pastor Roi…
Tribute to Pope Francis
The late Pope Francis led with humility and deep compassion for those for whom life was hard, writes Charles Hewlett.
Reducing car use for God’s good creation
A Baptist pastor is making the most of New Zealand’s ride-to-work benefit program.
Baptist Union votes in new vice president
Former tech business entrepreneur Brian Smellie will be the Baptist Union’s president in 2026.
Just Baptists: Three NZ men who resisted ‘the system’ to bring about justice
John Tucker discusses justice in the life of Jesus and the actions of three New Zealand Baptists who made doing justice their mission.
Sports chaplains in New Zealand are uniquely placed for local mission
Boosting support for sports chaplains would help them reach thousands of people, on and off the field, says Phil Pawley.
New code of ethics and conduct available to read
Read the new code of ethics and conduct for Baptist pastors and ministry leaders in New Zealand.
Give to the Baptist World Alliance Myanmar earthquake relief fund
Here’s how you can help the Baptist World Alliance in its Myanmar earthquake relief efforts.
Meet the globals! ကမ္ဘာတဝှမ်းမှပုဂ္ဂိုလ်များနှင့်တွေ့ဆုံကြည့်ပါ
A reflection on the uplifting evening celebrating New Zealand’s multicultural Baptist people, with Burmese translation.
Faith on the farm
When her daughter’s Burmese cat goes missing on the farm, Shirley Pearce puts her faith in action.
Pondering: A bicultural church?
“In my opinion, we are importing a secular or political concept into an ecclesiastical structure…”
Seeking God for our next National Leader
Appointing a new denominational leader is a pivotal time for our churches. We invite all churches to unite in prayer for this process.
An invitation to Journey Together
What if mentoring young people became a cornerstone of your church? Journey Together is a practical resource designed to help churches foster meaningful, intergenerational discipleship.
National Council meeting February 2025
Ethics & safety | Vice President nomination | how we hold disagreements and live in unity | mission & ministry | honouring retired leaders |…
Is this the most unique Baptist church in New Zealand?
I visited Immersion Baptist Church...
The groundbreaking impact of Kiwi Baptists’ Bible translation
A New Zealand-led team’s translation of the New Testament into a little-known language helped bring about a major cultural revival and gospel renewal.
A match made in heaven
When an aging Bay of Plenty church with declining numbers handed over its leadership to a bigger church, the benefits were felt in both.
What does God say about doing justice?
Our Christian God identifies with the powerless and the outcasts, which tells us a lot about God’s attitude to justice.
About our 2025 Vice President nominee
Learn more about Brian Smellie, how he was nominated for Vice President, and the process for voting.
Hui ā Māori 2025
First details for this year's Hui ā Māori – save the date!