pass. Many churches like Auckland's Life Church, Wellington's Arise Church and Christchurch's Harmony Church opted to take their ministry online over the Christmas period. Politics Christianity has never had official status as a national religion in New Zealand, and a poll in 2007 found 58 percent of people were opposed to official status being granted. Despite this, each sitting day of the New Zealand Parliament opens with a Christian prayer. In contrast to England, where the Anglican Church is the officially established church, in New Zealand the Anglican Church has no special status, although it often officiates at civic events such as Anzac Day. Most New Zealanders consider politicians' religious beliefs to be a private matter and although many New Zealand Prime Ministers have been professing Christians, the incumbent, Jacinda Ardern and two recent predecessors, John Key and Helen Clark are agnostic. Christian political parties have never gained significant support and have often been characterised by controversy. Many of these are now defunct, such as the Christian Democrat Party, the Christian Heritage Party (which collapsed after leader Graham Capill was convicted as a child sex offender), Destiny New Zealand, The Family Party, and the New Zealand Pacific Party (whose leader Taito Phillip Field was convicted on bribery and corruption charges). The Exclusive Brethren gained public notoriety during the 2005 election for distributing anti-Labour pamphlets, which former National Party leader Don Brash later admitted to knowledge of. The two main political parties, Labour and National, are not religious, although religious groups have at times played a significant role (e.g. the Rātana movement). Politicians are often involved in public dialogue with religious groups. Controversy In 1967, Presbyterian minister and theologian Lloyd Geering was the subject of one of the few heresy trials of the 20th century, with a judgement that no doctrinal error had been proved. The Catholic Church in New Zealand had a number of its priests convicted of child sexual abuse, notably at Marylands School. Newspapers have also reported child sex abuse cases within the Exclusive Brethren. According to a 2019 survey, nearly four in ten New Zealanders lacked trust in Evangelical churches. See also National Statement on Religious Diversity Religion in New Zealand Christmas in New Zealand References Further reading Harper, Tobia, "'Amen, Amen!'" New Zealand Journal of History (2008) 42#2 pp 133–153. Studies the impact of Christianity on New Zealand society in the 1920s External links Interdenominational Christianity