Recently I read a book about the 1960s New Zealand Railways days. One of the things that stood out for me was how often railway employees seemed to move around the country. Every few years they would move to another locality, often with houses provided. Some localities gained a bit of a reputation among the staff, whether due to the trains that operated there, the culture of the place, the houses, or the weather.

As I listened to the life stories of many Kiwis I realised that such moving from place to place was common in many organisations, such as the postal service, the Electricity Corporation, many government departments, banks, and nationwide companies. Teaches, doctors and nurses also often spent some time in smaller centres. That also seemed to be the case for vicars and church ministers, though they tended to often stay more locally in the same diocese. In that way many people got to know different parts of the country and worked alongside different people. As far as the church was concerned, it might have meant somewhat less stability in parishes, as people left, but normally others also moved into the area.  

These days such regular moves around the country are less frequent, especially while working for the same employer. Also, New Zealand’s population has become a lot more concentrated in the big cities, particularly Auckland, Christchurch, Wellington, Hamilton and Tauranga. Many people move within the metropolitan areas or even between the cities, but it is less likely that they live in some of the smaller centres for some time. With health services centralising in the big cities, those requiring increased health care also tend to relocate to the cities. As a result, New Zealand has become considerably more urban, with many of the younger people never living outside the main centres. This is just one aspect of a changing New Zealand. We do see that in the church as well, with many smaller, rural churches struggling to survive, even more so than city churches. In the cities, newer larger churches are becoming more established, while the old, traditional churches often also face problems.    

Over time New Zealand geography and society will continue to change. What that will mean for the church is yet to be seen.