For ten years, from 1912 to 1922, the Bahá'í Faith had a single follower in Aotearoa-New Zealand — a courageous middle-aged woman named Margaret Stevenson. Since then, the Faith has grown to establish local communities throughout the country, comprising members from a wide variety of races, diverse religious backgrounds, all age groups, and from all socio-economic levels. It has become known and respected for the relevance of its principles and the positive contributions made by its followers to the wider society.

The story of the New Zealand Bahá'í community's development is one of perseverance in pursuit of a vision. Margaret Stevenson herself demonstrated the quality of commitment that has enabled the community to flourish. An upper middle class woman in a conservative society where following a new religion was considered odd, she remained a dedicated and active member until her passing in 1941.

Margaret Stevenson's example was followed by first a handful of individuals from the same social circle, who were similarly courageous in the face of social attitudes. The catalyst for the early expansion of the Faith, from 1922, was visits to New Zealand by John Hyde Dunn, and his wife, Clara Dunn, from Australia. The Dunns had migrated from the USA to Australia in order to establish the Faith there. They travelled widely, holding home meetings to introduce the new religion, and visited New Zealand as an extension of their activities in Australia.

Ever since, the expansion of the Faith in New Zealand has resulted from a combination of home-grown initiative and outside encouragement. Down the years, individuals who had a marked effect include Bahá'ís who travelled the world to spread the message, visitors like Hands of the Cause* Martha Root, Enoch Olinga, and Rahmatu'llah Muhajir. Some New Zealand Bahá'ís of the past whose names stand out are Hugh Blundell, Ephraim Te Paa, and Shirley Charters. These are just a few token names among many.

Always guiding and inspiring these efforts has been the influence of the Head of the Faith, first 'Abdu'l-Bahá, until his passing in 1921; then Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian; and today, the Universal House of Justice.

As well as the effort to make the Bahá'í teachings more widely known, the growth of the New Zealand Bahá'í community, as in other countries, has involved administrative development. The Bahá'í administrative system has been created as a model intended to demonstrate new ways of organising society. A high proportion of the energy of Bahá'ís has been given to developing a network of elected Local Spiritual Assemblies around the country, as well as supporting the development of the National Spiritual Assembly, which again is an elected body.

Those interested in an in-depth study of the history of the New Zealand Bahá'í community will find information in "Resolute Advance: A History of the Bahá'í Faith in New Zealand 1912-2001", by Joan Camrass. This book is available from the New Zealand Bahá'í Distribution Service.

Footnote

* Hands of the Cause of God were high-ranking officers of the Bahá'í Faith, with duties of encouraging the Bahá'í community in its work. They were appointed by Bahá'u'lláh, 'Abdu'l-Bahá, and Shoghi Effendi.