New Zealand

In 1769, when the first Europeans stepped onto New Zealand shores, the brown-skinned Maoris were there to meet them. They had come to these remote South Pacific islands by canoes in the 14th century, more than 400 years before the whites. “The Maoris’ own accounts,” concludes one historian, “of the Fleet of A.D. 1350 are so convincingly corroborated by external evidence that they possess the dignity of authenticated history.”

By 1840, when there were only about 2,000 whites in New Zealand, thousands of Maoris were becoming interested in the Bible. Some 60,000 copies of the Christian Greek Scriptures were produced in the Maori language in the early 1840’s. At that time a larger proportion of Maoris than of whites could read and write.

But as Europeans came in ever-increasing numbers, wars with the Maoris resulted. The Maori population was greatly reduced, and the number of whites rapidly grew. Now New Zealand has  over 3,000,000 people, only about 8 percent of whom are Maoris. There are still many immigrating annually to New Zealand; some 15 percent of the population is foreign-born.

Most of the population live on the two major islands, North Island and South Island. A 16-mile (26-km) strait separates the two islands. More than 70 percent of the people live on the North Island, even though it is the smaller of the two. New Zealand’s total land area of 103,884 square miles (269,057 km²) is about the size of Colorado in the United States.

The scenic charm of this land that the Maoris called Aotearoa, “The Land of the Long White Cloud,” comes from a blending of rolling green pastoral country, picturesque lakes and fjords, a thermal region of geysers and boiling mud pools, a distinctive flora of considerable beauty, hundreds of sandy, ocean beaches, rugged snow-capped mountains, glaciers and relatively smog-free cities. The islands’ major cities​—all having more than 100,000 population—​are, in order of size, Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin.

By far the majority of New Zealanders profess Christianity. There are more than 900,000 who belong to the Church of England, some 570,000 Presbyterians, 480,000 Roman Catholics, and 170,000 Methodists. And there are about 7,000 Jehovah’s Witnesses, some 1,000 of whom are Maoris. The history of Jehovah’s Witnesses in New Zealand begins over 75 years ago.

EARLY BEGINNINGS

About 1904, a Brother and Sister Richardson arrived from the United States in Auckland on  the North Island. A small Bible class was started there. By 1907 a group was also meeting in the home of H. S. Tarlton in Christchurch on the South Island. Soon afterward, however, some drifted away because of a dispute over the significance of baptism.

However, good seed was sown in Christchurch in those early days. A colporteur, as full-time preachers of Jehovah’s Witnesses were then called, made a visit to 1 Coronation Street. A kindhearted Mrs. Barry accepted the six volumes of Pastor Russell’s books, ‘because she felt sorry  for the old gentleman.’ Early in 1909, her son William and a companion were leaving on a six weeks’ trip by boat to England. Seeing the six volumes, and knowing they would have to ‘kill time’ on the trip, they threw the volumes into one of their travel bags. By the time they had sailed halfway round the world via Valparaíso, Cape Horn, Rio de Janeiro, Teneriffe and finally to London, Bill Barry had studied the volumes to the point of accepting their message as truth.

Years later, in June 1914, his companion wrote him: ‘Bill, the world has never looked more peaceful; Pastor Russell must have been wrong.’ But then came July and August, and the Great War exploded in a time of terrible trouble, something that the Bible Students had been expecting for that year.

In the 1920’s, the truth became well known in the business world of Christchurch as “Bill Barry’s religion.” In his younger years Brother Barry was acquainted with some clergymen and would discuss the truth with them. He said he knew a number of ‘decent’ parsons before the first world war, but never could he find a one after that time. He put this down to their bloodguiltiness in advocating the war, so that they were judged and rejected by Jehovah.

Later Bill did a fine job of inculcating Bible truths into the heart of his children. In time, his son Lloyd entered Bethel service in Australia, spent 25 years as a missionary in Japan, and has for the past six years served on the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses at Brooklyn, New York.

Back in those early days around 1910, Sisters Evans and Blick lived in the capital city, Wellington.  A traveling colporteur made a visit on a farmer at Taita, about 15 miles (24 km) out of Wellington, that soon led to great joy for these sisters. The farmer the colporteur visited was Jack Walters. Jack ordered three volumes of Studies in the Scriptures. His wife, Edith, relates:

“It was two months before the books were delivered and my husband read day and night until he finished them and we talked of nothing else. He wrote to America for a Bible and some more books. To his delight and surprise they sent the fourth, fifth and sixth volumes of ‘Studies in the Scriptures,’ about which we knew nothing. They also gave us the Society’s Melbourne address.”

Jack Walters wrote to Melbourne, Australia, for a case of books. On receiving them, he loaded up his bicycle and went over the hill to the neighboring valley of Wainuiomata to tell the few isolated farmers there about his new found faith. Today there is an extensive residential development there, and a Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses.

On receiving Walters’ literature order, the Melbourne office sent a letter to Sisters Evans and Blick advising them that a J. F. Walters in nearby Taita was interested. How overjoyed they were to find this young 26-year-old man, a brother in the truth! Thus in 1911 the Wellington congregation got its start. Jack Walters’ mother came into the truth, also his sister and brother and other family members.

MEN WHO PIONEERED THE PREACHING WORK

Ed Nelson, a man full of energy and zeal, not overly endowed with tact, but whole-souled for the Lord’s work, had much to do with the early  development of true worship in New Zealand. His speech was uncompromising and colored by a Finnish accent. Baptized in the summer of 1902 at Los Angeles in the United States, he worked in the Society’s Melbourne office in 1909 and 1910 before coming to New Zealand. For 50 years he pioneered, until his death in August 1961. From the kauri-tree gum fields in the north of New Zealand to the Bluff (southernmost tip of New Zealand), one will still meet individuals who remember the calls made on them by Ed Nelson.

The first convention of Jehovah’s people in New Zealand was arranged by Brother Nelson in December 1912. Around 20 persons gathered at the rear of a private home in Wellington. Of this group, eight came forward to present themselves for baptism. In those days it was a serious occasion, with the candidates dressed in long black robes.

In 1914, Ed Nelson was joined by Frank Grove, who was baptized in December 1913. Frank soon afterward gave up his bookshop business in Christchurch. He wanted to enjoy at least a few months of pioneer service before the expected end of the system came in the autumn of 1914. Later, Frank was fond of quoting Jeremiah 20:7: “You have fooled me, O Jehovah, so that I was fooled.” His pioneer service that he expected would be brief stretched out through more than 50 rewarding years until his death in 1967.

In completing a questionnaire for the Society on one occasion, Frank Grove noted regarding his health: “Very poor eyesight.” Those who knew him remember the extreme magnification of the lenses in his spectacles and his penetrating virile voice that never lost its strength. When witnessing groups paused for a noon-hour sandwich, they  would often gather around Frank, who would recite from memory long passages of Scripture, even including whole chapters of Leviticus and other Bible books. He had oversight of the congregation in Christchurch for many years and later, from 1940 to 1945, also served in this capacity in Invercargill.

Frank Grove was present for New Zealand’s second convention in December 1913, attended by 50 persons from all over the country. There were no motorcars in those days, so conventioneers traveled by train to the Lower Hutt rail station. There they were met with horse-drawn carriages that took them to the farm convention site. Very few of the conventioneers had ever met each other before, and they had a joyous time together. A large barn was fixed up for the meetings. A hayloft was cleared and filled with rented single beds for the brothers, with the sisters being accommodated in the farmhouse, as well as in a rented furnished house.

By 1914 there was a very small but solid nucleus  of Kingdom proclaimers. Four were colporteurs, while eight others did what was called “volunteer” work. This consisted of distributing Peoples Pulpit and The Bible Students Monthly, putting these under the doors on a Sunday morning. This tiny band of Kingdom publishers, 12 in all, distributed 3,172 books and 75 magazines in 1914.

“PHOTO-DRAMA OF CREATION”

The Photo-Drama of Creation was a motion picture and slide presentation about God’s purposes as taught in the Bible. The Watch Tower Society produced it, and it was released in 1914. The presentation was brought to New Zealand by Brother Lee from Vancouver, Canada. On October 1, 1914, it was shown in the Wellington Town Hall.

Sometimes the recorded voice of Pastor Russell synchronized with the film and often it didn’t, but it was a fine production just the same. Quite a number came into the truth as a result of seeing it. One of these persons was Alice Webster, who is still a faithful preacher in the Lower Hutt congregation.

In Christchurch, there were only three Bible Students at the time, so three more came from Wellington to assist in showing the film and the slides. They hired the largest hall in Christchurch, the King’s Theatre. The hall was filled to capacity every night for a whole month! That was in the days before the law prohibited smoking in public auditoriums. So the atmosphere was thick with tobacco smoke, requiring a 7,000-candlepower arc lamp to penetrate the murk.

Since the arc lamp operated on only 45 volts, the brothers used great coils of ordinary fencing  wire to reduce the 110-volt supply. The coils sometimes got very hot, and on one occasion set fire to the operating box. An alert fireman quickly cut off the current. After that the brothers always had several wet blankets on hand to meet such an emergency. Yet, neither the murk nor the primitive equipment diminished the force of the presentation. The audiences were simply thrilled and gave rapt attention.

A TIME OF TESTING

When the Watch Tower Society’s president, Charles Taze Russell, died in 1916 and Joseph F. Rutherford succeeded him, the ripples of discord reached out even to New Zealand. Some in the organization openly disapproved of Brother Rutherford’s appointment. A few agitators in the United States wrote letters to brothers in New Zealand, attempting to stir up division. At the same time, there were attacks from the outside. Newspapers in New Zealand carried scurrilous attacks on Jehovah’s people. On one occasion detectives were present at a Bible study in Wellington, thinking to find seditionists among the brothers.

Nevertheless, the preaching work went successfully ahead, with the number of Kingdom proclaimers increasing from 12 in 1914 to 18 in 1918. One of those added to the small Wellington congregation during the war years was Oliver Canty, a former Salvation Army captain. After reading the Studies in the Scriptures he realized he had found the truth and so resigned from the Salvation Army. He married one of the sisters in the Wellington congregation in 1917 and moved to Dunedin where he was the congregation overseer until his death in 1934. Thus a congregation  was formed in the fourth-largest city in the country, making a total of six congregations from north to south. This established a backbone for the energetic preaching that was undertaken in the 1920’s.

HOW THE TRUTH SPREAD

The pioneers in the early days were trailblazers in the true sense of the word. They penetrated to the most inaccessible corners of the country at a time when transportation was very primitive, and the roads for the most part were little more than bullock tracks. Sister Early was such a trailblazer. When later pioneers arrived they found that Sister Early had been there before them. One pioneer noted: “Sister Early was always ‘early,’ whether you spelled her name with a capital ‘E’ or just plain ‘e.’”

When Sister Early died in 1943, at 74 years of age, she had pioneered 34 years. She covered the whole country on a bicycle. Even when she became crippled with arthritis and couldn’t ride, she used the bicycle to lean on and to carry her books around the business territory of Christchurch. She could climb stairs, but she had to descend them backwards because of her crippling disability! One night her doctor asked: “Are you ready to go to heaven, Miss Early?”

“It cannot come too soon, Doctor,” she replied. Undoubtedly she realized her hope, and the ‘things she did went right along with her.’​—Rev. 14:13.

Public talks by visiting brothers from the Australian branch office also did much to promote theocratic growth in the 1920’s. For instance, Bill Cooper attended the talk “Millions Now Living Will Never Die,” given in 1920 by William Johnston  in the Wellington Town Hall. Bill came into the truth, and for many years he was the presiding overseer in Wellington.

When the same talk was given in the gold-mining town of Waihi, young Bill Samson and his wife responded to the invitation to attend. They left their names and address, and Ed Nelson and his wife visited them. Afterward the call was turned over to Fred Franks who helped the Samsons along into the truth.

Among those associating with the Christchurch congregation in the 1920’s, as it met in a dimly lit inner room at the Builders’ Chambers, was a former soldier who had lost one leg in World War I​—Michael Cassidy O’Halloran. Yes, Mick was Irish and had been Catholic. Later when he was hospitalized to have his other leg removed, the hospital staff could not understand how a man with such a name could be one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Despite his handicap, Mick spent many years in full-time service in New Zealand and Australia. Always cheerful, and with a ready Irish wit, he did much to encourage others, young and old, in the way of truth.

The Society’s literature placed by zealous workers started many in the way of the truth. Reg Johnston, who lived in Thames, another gold-mining town near Waihi, couldn’t remember the time when the six volumes of Studies in the Scriptures weren’t on the family’s bookshelf. Before her death in 1916, his mother would talk to him about things the volumes contained. Wanting to know more, Reg later contacted “Grandad” Franks, as Fred Franks’ father was called. Reg explained:

“Night after night this old brother helped me  to understand the truths we hold so precious. Often as it approached midnight, he would say, ‘It’s time to go home, Reg.’

“My father was still alive, and he and other relatives were angry at my change of religion, called ‘Franks’ religion’ in Thames. Finally the showdown came. Dad chased me out of the house because I wouldn’t stick to the Church of England.”

Reg Johnston later married and served with his wife, Reta, for three and a half years at the Bethel in Australia. In 1940 he returned to New Zealand and was “servant to the brethren,” as circuit overseers were then called, from 1940 to 1946.

Ken Pepin came to New Zealand from England in 1924. One day in September 1928, as he was leaving his place of secular employment after a long day, he overheard a man sigh with relief: “Heigh-ho! Another day nearer the grave!”

Ken turned to a fellow worker walking beside him and said: “He means a day nearer heaven, doesn’t he?”

“No, he’s right,” came the unexpected reply. The conversation developed for a few minutes as they approached a streetcar terminal. There they parted to travel home by different routes. However, the next morning Ken’s fellow worker brought him a copy of the booklet Where Are the Dead? As Ken tells it:

“I read the booklet to prove it wrong, checking every statement and reference with the Bible. However, I found it proved my previous beliefs to be wrong. I never went to church again.” Ken later spent many years pioneering in New Zealand.

Cliff Keoghan was a butcher working at Taumarunui in the center of the North Island. His fiancée in Auckland wrote him in 1928 to say  that she had just read a book that explained the Bible most clearly. She wrapped up the book, The Harp of God, and mailed it to him. That day her house was burned to the ground. Everything was lost, but the book was on its way in the mail.

That book changed Cliff’s life. Returning to Auckland, he started attending the meetings with the local congregation of about 30 persons. Now he is an elder in Auckland, which has 21 congregations and some 1,800 Kingdom publishers.

The late 1920’s brought serious unemployment in New Zealand, a time when under no ordinary circumstances would a person give up a secular job. Yet in 1928, Bert Christensen did, and entered the pioneer service. “I have never had a moment’s regret,” he explained. His territory assignment? The whole west coast of the South Island! It took Bert six months to cover his territory, staying where he could, either with the friends or at boardinghouses.

By 1928 there were 10 pioneers and some 63 part-time workers in New Zealand. They distributed  about 12,000 books and 28,000 booklets that year. To keep these zealous preachers supplied, a literature depot was established in Wellington in 1928. Eventually a house at 69 Kent Terrace, Wellington, was purchased as a depot. This place was the headquarters of Jehovah’s Witnesses in New Zealand right up to when the branch was formed in 1947.

MAORI ASSEMBLY

The first Maori gathering was held in 1928 at Tuiri Tareha’s home in Taradale on the east coast of the North Island. Tuiri had obtained the Society’s literature from relatives, and soon became convinced he had found the truth. So he resigned from the church. His son Charles describes what happened:

“This caused a commotion in the Anglican hierarchy, due to dad’s prominence in Maori society. They immediately requested a special meeting for the purpose of getting him to withdraw his resignation. Dad agreed to the meeting​—not in the church—​but on our property where a huge platform was erected for the occasion. A number of clergymen, including F. Bennett, the Anglican bishop of New Zealand, along with a large crowd of about 400 others, both whites and Maoris, were on hand.

“The Maori spokesman for the Church seemed purposely to avoid using the Bible. Rather, he appealed to the emotions. ‘Our ancestors believed that the soul continued on after death,’ he reminded, ‘and yet you have chosen to adopt a religion that denies the existence of the soul.’ Then dad proceeded to show from the Bible that the person himself is a soul, and, therefore, when the person dies, the soul dies. Dad also explained that  God can resurrect the person as a living soul once more.

“When it became apparent that the Anglican clergyman was not presenting a convincing case, he made an impatient gesture toward the nearby church that my great-grandfather had built, and in an emotion-packed voice exclaimed: ‘I make one last appeal to you not to abandon this sacred heritage handed down to you by your illustrious ancestors.’

“After that dad stood up, thanked all for coming, and explained that he was more convinced than ever that he now had the truth. He informed everyone of the day and time of our regular Bible study, inviting them all to attend. Many did.”

TRUTH REACHES REMOTE SHEPHERD

Back in 1929, Lew James was working on a large sheep station near Cheviot in the South Island. On a warm, sunny day, after finishing his noon meal, he was taking a brief nap in the bunkhouse when a figure loomed up in the doorway. It was Ben Brickell, a young man who said he was making an effort to “reach all people to assist them to gain a knowledge of God’s Word the Bible by personal research.” Lew began to ply him with questions: “What happens to you when you die? Is there really a place of eternal torment?”

“The ease with which the man opened up his Bible and read the scriptures in answer to my questions really amazed me,” Lew explained. “For almost an hour he held me spellbound, telling me of the resurrection, the coming thousand years of peace, the earth to be restored to paradise and, above all, that Jehovah is the true God.”

Lew obtained the four books Creation, Prophecy, Deliverance! and Government, and requested  that more literature be mailed to him. Soon he was sitting up half the night discussing the Bible with his shepherd companions, and had them reading The Watchtower. Finally he wrote to the branch in Australia and offered himself as a pioneer. He was instructed to locate Frank Grove in Christchurch. Leaving the sheep station he headed for Christchurch and a new career as a pioneer in Jehovah’s service.

PUTTING KINGDOM INTERESTS FIRST

About this time Cliff Keoghan was contemplating marriage. The monthly Bulletin (now Our Kingdom Service) carried the bold heading: “GO YE ALSO INTO THE VINEYARD.” “This seemed to us a clear call that it was the eleventh hour,” Cliff explained. So in 1930 he and his wife Edna spent their two-week honeymoon pioneering. Their territory was from Opotiki to Dannevirke, nearly a quarter of the North Island! Cliff described one of their sleeping accommodations:

“In Opotiki we rented a little tin shack where we slept on a wire mattress. It was set up on boxes, with only a blanket over the wire. We called it our ‘printing press,’ because of the imprints that marked our bodies after a night’s rest.”

In 1931 a son was born to the Keoghans, so they wintered in Auckland. But a few months later they were out with their infant son, carrying the Kingdom message to the people.

PIONEERING DURING HARD TIMES

The Keoghans joined forces with others who were pioneering. Among the pioneers were Norman and Olive Cochrane, Wally Wood and his daughter Eileen, Len and Arthur Rowe, and Len  Belcher. Starting just south of Auckland, the group worked all districts from coast to coast, southward.

New Zealand was then in the grip of the depression, and people were struggling to exist. Government relief camps had been set up in the Hauraki Plains, which was mainly unbroken swampland. Men, including doctors and lawyers, were pouring into the camp from all over the North Island. Some had walked from as far as Wellington, over 300 miles (480 km) away. They worked at digging canals and drains that were being developed in the swampland. Most of these men listened to the pioneers, but they were not able to pay for literature.

As December 1932 drew near, the pioneers headed for the national assembly in Wellington. Brother MacGillivray, the branch servant in Australia, and Harold Gill, who had been assigned to organize the preaching work in New Zealand, were at this assembly. Here the pioneers were organized to work both main islands.

WORKING THE NORTH ISLAND

One group of pioneers were instructed to make their base 90 miles (145 km) north of Wellington at Palmerston North. They had a Buick caravan, a Buick car, two tents and four bicycles. The bicycles were carried on a platform fixed onto the front of the car. At side roads a bicycle would be unloaded, and a pioneer would disembark to work that territory. Usually the sisters witnessed in the towns, with the brothers working the rurals.

While camping at Eketahuna, the brothers would leave at 6 a.m. and during the day would cycle more than 26 miles (42 km) on rough gravel roads. Often they would call at farm after farm,  only to find them deserted. The families had just walked off, having lost everything in the economic depression. They left the houses with the furniture still in them. Persons who were found were usually pleased to hear the Kingdom good news and to know that in Jehovah’s due time they would “long enjoy the work of their hands.”​—Isa. 65:22, AV.

Then an unexpected emergency arose. Serious difficulties developed in the Auckland congregation because of rebellious actions by some of the elected elders. So the branch office in Australia told the pioneer group to return to Auckland to support the loyal ones, and to set up a pioneer home there. Thus the planned work of the North Island group was cut short.

THE SOUTH ISLAND PIONEER GROUP

The South Island group numbered some 12 to 14 pioneers. Harold Gill organized the group, which Jim Tait, in time, joined.

Jim was a serious-minded young man who responded to the invitation to hear a transcription lecture by J. F. Rutherford in the Civic Theatre in Christchurch. On arriving there, Jim was introduced to Harold Gill. Harold asked if he could see Jim Tait outside the Civic Theatre the following evening, since he had heard that Jim was really interested in the things he had heard. The next evening Jim rushed through milking the cows and rode his bicycle the six miles to the Civic Theatre. They sat in Harold’s car and talked. Said Gill finally: “If you are sure this is God’s organization then you need to go pioneering now!”

“What do you mean by ‘pioneering’?” Jim asked.

 So the arrangement for the pioneer group was explained to Jim. Would he leave his secular occupation and the security it represented in such depressed times? He decided to leave and described what happened:

“Brother Gill called at home for me as arranged. The day was hot and a strong Northwest wind was blowing. I was dressed in a navy blue suit and a brand new hat. My belongings along with my bicycle were fastened onto his car. I said good-bye to my parents and left to join the group of pioneers, still not knowing fully what pioneering really involved. One thing I did really believe . . . I was joining myself to God’s organization.”

STALWART PROCLAIMERS OF THE GOOD NEWS

They were hardy individuals, these pioneers, willing and able to endure hard work and rugged conditions. They worked for eight to 10 hours each day, receiving no allowance, but depending solely on the income from literature provided them at reduced rates.

Wintertime in the South Island was a test of endurance. The pioneers would wake up in the mornings to find, hanging from the interior of the tent, icicles formed from the condensation of their breath as they slept. The walls of the tent would be frozen as hard as a board. The morning wash meant breaking ice up to half an inch thick. Often the brothers ate breakfast while wrapped in their overcoats in order to keep warm.

One day each week was set aside for overhauling and repairing their “iron horses” (bicycles) and doing their laundry. The latter was a primitive operation done in an open-ended kerosene tin over a kerosene burner. The sisters used a petrol iron  while the brothers kept their trousers pressed by placing them under the mattress each night.

The apostle Paul’s experience recorded at 2 Corinthians 11:26, “in dangers from rivers,” was duplicated when the pioneers reached the small town of Tuatapere in the far south. At this time they were in two groups of six. Some of the brothers set up camp just out of Tuatapere, on the banks of the Waiau River. They found a frail little shelter that was not being used and moved in.

The weather was unusually mild, which brought an unseasonable thaw in the mountains. The river rose, but the pioneers were not unduly concerned as they were having their evening meal. But as darkness approached, they noted with alarm that the water was lapping the floorboards. They were trapped! They had only two candles for lighting. Late that night, after offering a prayer to Jehovah, they finally fell asleep.

During the night the river burst its banks. Soon driftwood and logs were banging against their frail shelter, waking them up. Reaching out his hand to pull up the blankets onto his bed, one of the pioneers was shocked to touch water! It was a frightening experience! They thanked Jehovah the next morning when they found the level of the water had receded below the floor, leaving a smelly layer of mud and silt. Temporarily marooned, they stayed one more night until it was safe to wade out to the road to continue, undaunted, in Jehovah’s service.

The South Island was covered twice by the group. Interestingly, it wasn’t until 1933, after pioneering a whole year with the group, that Jim Tait was baptized in the sea one cold October  day. On the second time around the island, Jim tried to save enough from his literature placements to purchase a set of artificial teeth. As they completed their tour, he found that he had just the required amount, £25 ($50.00, U.S.). How pleased he was that Jehovah had prospered him in this way to enable him to meet this need! Then, before he could buy the teeth, he received a letter from the Society asking him if he would like to go to the Chatham Islands, virgin territory at that time.

The Chatham Islands are located some 500 miles (800 km) east of Christchurch, being considered part of New Zealand. They then had a population of around 800 Maoris engaged principally in farming and fishing. People there lived primitively, not having seen so much as a bicycle. The only form of transport was by horseback. Jim would have to travel by ship from Lyttelton to Waitangi, a small port on the Chathams’ main island, and he was to pay his own fare​—exactly £25!

SERVING IN THE CHATHAM ISLANDS

So off Jim went to the Chatham Islands, his artificial teeth still a fond hope for the future. He arrived with several cartons of books and booklets. He explained:

“There was not a person on the island that I knew. No one to meet me. Everyone was riding a horse. There were no roads and no motorized vehicles of any sort. I approached a farmer and rented the use of a horse. I made holding bags out of sacks and filled these with books and hung them on the sides of the saddle. I had another sack on my back with my shaving gear and towel, as I  set off to cover the island with the Kingdom message.

“People were curious and at night there was always someone who would take me in. How grateful I was for such provision by Jehovah! Some days I rode many miles and would call on only one or two homes. Once I received the strangest directions for reaching a remote sheep station 25 miles [40 km] away. For instance, one landmark was a heap of dry bones where a bullock had died. Here a change of direction was to take me to a particular point for entering a shallow lake, which was to be traversed for four miles [6 km] in a straight line, lest by straying off course the horse and I should become bogged down in a kind of quicksand. I began wondering, Will Jehovah provide for me tonight? Will I be accepted at the homestead? What if they will not take me in?

“It was dark when I tied my horse to the rails at the house. With my bag of books, I went up to the door and knocked. A woman opened the door, took a look at me and gasped: ‘Jim Tait! What are you doing here?’ Yes, it was a young woman who, as a child, had gone to school with me. I was made very welcome. Jehovah God had provided for me again. How happy I was! Nearly all my books were placed at the homestead and next day I made the return journey to Waitangi.”

 After spending two months witnessing in the Chatham Islands, and placing many cartons of books, Jim returned to Lyttelton, the port of Christchurch. He balanced up his expenses with the contributions from the literature and found that he still had exactly £25. So he was able to purchase his artificial teeth! Years later at an assembly he had the joy of meeting a sister with a young family who recalled first seeing him when he called at their home in the Chatham Islands.

ADVERTISING IN CHRISTCHURCH

The Christchurch congregation arranged to hold a public lecture at a theatre in the heart of the city. The talk was to be the transcription lecture “Fascism or Freedom​—Which?” by the Watch Tower Society’s president Joseph F. Rutherford. The City Council granted a permit for a sandwich-board march to advertise the talk. The route to be followed was given them so there would be no conflict with a band contest procession scheduled about the same time.

The brothers set out with their sandwich boards, two abreast. As they approached the main street, they could hear the sound of band music getting closer. Just as they reached the intersection, a band playing stirring march music passed. There was a gap of about 50 feet between it and the next brass band. What would the brothers do? Into this gap the sandwich marchers went, bearing placards advertising the talk. It was quite a witness to the thousands of people lined up on both sides along the route! That Sunday the small Christchurch congregation had 500 in attendance for their public talk. What a mighty witness!

 ZEALOUS SISTERS

Meanwhile, on the North Island, Sister Ida Thompson, along with Sisters Barton, Jones and Priest spearheaded the preaching work during the 1930’s. They would spend nine days at a time away from their homes, witnessing in all the towns and farms for several hundred miles north of Wellington. They took many cartons of literature with them and nearly always placed them all. Many nights would find them bedding down in hay sheds or sleeping in their car. They were prepared to “rough” it for the sake of the Kingdom, keeping up this activity from 1932 right up to 1940. Ida Thompson’s son, Adrian, was one of the first missionaries to enter Japan in 1949, where he showed a similar “pioneer” spirit as the first circuit overseer of Jehovah’s Witnesses in that country.

The emphasis during these early years was entirely on the distribution of literature. People were encouraged to read and study the publications, but Bible studies as we know them now  were unheard of. However, a great sowing of the seeds of truth was accomplished.

SOUND-CAR WORK

A principal means of proclaiming the Kingdom message at this time was by sound car. Brother Rutherford’s speeches were amplified so that, at times, they could be heard over three miles (5 km) away. Once a householder told Jim Tait: “Do you know, I heard a most unusual thing this morning. I heard music coming out of the clouds and a man’s voice. I thought the end of the world was coming!” Receiving an explanation of matters, she readily accepted Bible literature.

In Auckland the sound-car work received a mixed reception. At times, when the publishers arrived following the sound-car announcement, the householders would be waiting for the literature with money in hand. At other times, angry crowds would rock the car, trying to pull the loudspeaker off the roof.

J. F. RUTHERFORD’S VISIT

In 1938, J. F. Rutherford made his one and only visit to New Zealand. Arriving in April on his way to an assembly in Australia, he spoke to the Auckland congregation at the Fountain of Friendship Hall. That same evening Brother Rutherford’s ship left for Sydney, Australia, now with 14 brothers from New Zealand as his traveling companions. All were invited to his private suite on ship, April 15, for the celebration of the Memorial.

On the return journey two weeks later, an organized witness was given aboard ship. Leaflets were slipped under each door and the whole ship was covered early in the morning before  anyone was aware of what was going on. With a few hours to spare in port on arrival in Auckland, Brother Rutherford gave a public address in the Auckland Town Hall during the lunch hour on May 2, 1938.

ACTIVITY AS STORM CLOUDS GATHER

In 1939, Robert Lazenby was assigned to look after the New Zealand literature depot in Wellington. Reg Johnston, who had been serving at the Australia Bethel, joined Robert. There were only about 12 brothers associating with the Wellington congregation at the time. They were meeting in the sitting room of the 69 Kent Terrace house, which also served as depot headquarters. By 1939 there were 320 Kingdom publishers in New Zealand, including 35 pioneers, and they were organized into 19 congregations.

Storm clouds of religious opposition were now gathering. The Catholic Church, in particular, was smarting from the exposé of her teachings and practices by the literature distributed by the Witnesses. The April 19, 1939, issue of the New Zealand Catholic Tablet referred to Jehovah’s Witnesses and stated: “Meanwhile it is the duty of all good citizens to protest to their representative in Parliament against this growing menace. If sufficient protest were made, the Government would be obliged to act.”

PREACHING WORK BANNED

A year later, on October 13, 1940, the brothers were advertising Brother Rutherford’s recorded talk “Government and Peace” in the small South Island town of Oamaru. That night about 40 persons, including a police constable, were present  for the presentation. The second world war was on in Europe, and persecution of the Witnesses had been stepped up. So George Edwards and Hallett Ridling were on guard at the door. A William Meehan, armed with a .303 rifle with bayonet fixed, approached them. “I have got the wood on you two now,” he said. “So put up your hands! I will shoot if you disobey.”

A scuffle ensued in which the two brothers sought to disarm the man. The gun went off, and Frederick MacAuley standing nearby went down, wounded in the leg. Bleeding profusely, he was rushed to the hospital. Six days later he was in such critical condition his leg was amputated. He made a good recovery after that. When Meehan was brought to the Court he was found guilty merely of threatening Edwards and MacAuley with a gun, and was sentenced to two months’ imprisonment with hard labor.

Three days after the shooting incident, the secretary of the Oamaru Returned Soldiers Association, Mr. A. C. Piper, wrote to the General Secretary of the New Zealand Returned Soldiers Association in Wellington. He said:

“At a Meeting of the Executive of the Oamaru Returned Soldiers Association the following resolution was carried unanimously: That in view of the tragic occurrences at a meeting of the sect calling themselves ‘Jehovah’s Witnesses’ held in Oamaru on 13th October, 1940, and in view of the strong local public sentiment against this sect, the Government be requested to have the sect banned throughout the Dominion of New Zealand. . . . Their activities should be stopped before further trouble is caused in other parts of the Dominion.”

Thus in October 1940 the activity of Jehovah’s Witnesses was banned in New Zealand. Interestingly,  however, during the debate on the War Emergency Regulations, six weeks later, Prime Minister P. Fraser said:

“I hold no brief for any particular Church, but I consider that it is my duty as Prime Minister . . . to see that, during the war, insults to people’s religion are stayed and, if possible, eliminated for the time being. . . . I am hoping that the Attorney-General can come to some arrangement with Jehovah’s Witnesses, for I do not doubt their sincerity or their single-mindedness. We have nothing to say against them, and we do not question their right to worship according to their consciences.”

On May 8, 1941, the government issued an amendment to the ban on Jehovah’s Witnesses. This made it lawful for them to hold their meetings “for study of the Bible, prayer, or worship.” In practice the brothers and sisters were also permitted to witness from house to house provided they carry only the Bible. This they did.

ACTIVITY DURING BAN

Just prior to the ban, property at 177 Daniell Street was purchased for use as a Bethel home, since the facilities at 69 Kent Terrace had become overcrowded. The Kent Terrace building was rented as a boardinghouse until after the ban was lifted in 1945. With the announcing of the ban, the literature was moved out to the congregations around the country. It was hidden under beds, in sheds and under roofs of homes. At the Daniell Street house, Reg Johnston partitioned off a large section of the roof area above the ceiling, complete with trapdoor, and stored literature there. He filled mail orders from this supply and replenished it as needed from supplies stored in the homes of the brothers around the city.

 The police would arrive at publishers’ homes unannounced and conduct a search for the Society’s literature. Often it was so well hidden they couldn’t find it. One sister had hidden literature under the carpet and the police were walking on it but found nothing. Another brother recalls: “All they found were our study copies. What they didn’t know was that there were 50 cartons of literature stored in the ceiling.”

Molly Thompson made typed stencil copies of each Watchtower study article. Copies were made and sent to the congregations for study purposes. The new book Children was stenciled, and a thousand copies were duplicated and sent out in sections to the friends, along with study questions for the midweek book studies. Printing and duplicating equipment was concealed behind panels  in the walls and ceilings of George Covacich’s somewhat isolated home in Auckland.

Also, the friends would meet secretly late at night to distribute booklets in letter boxes, sometimes arriving back home at two o’clock in the morning. Next day there would be a stir when people would telephone the police. In Christchurch, Sister Messervey was caught and imprisoned for a week. The police wanted to know the leaders of Jehovah’s Witnesses in New Zealand. She said she would tell them as a special favor. When the three men had eagerly gathered around, she whispered to them that the leaders were Jehovah God and Christ Jesus, much to their chagrin.

During the four months immediately following the ban there were 14 court cases. A number of brothers were given three months’ imprisonment, while others received suspended sentences. Grace Bagnall was out witnessing when police arrested her after receiving a phone call from a Roman Catholic man. When she refused to pay the £5 fine ($10.00, U.S.), she was imprisoned for 14 days.

NEUTRAL STAND BRINGS DETENTION

The government established detention camps during the war. Because of their refusal to share in military service, the brothers were incarcerated in those camps for the duration of the war, and for six months afterward. There were about eight such camps, and some 80 brothers spent upward of four and a half years each in them. They were put to work pruning trees in the pine forests, working on roads, and other such jobs. Robert Lazenby and Reg Johnston were able to visit the  brothers in these camps once a month for an hour at a time.

During the winter months the conditions for the brothers in detention were harsh. They lived in huts, and fires were not allowed. Ink froze in bottles. The brothers placed layers of newspaper between the blankets and underneath themselves to provide better insulation against the cold. Although the camps were surrounded by barbed wire and patrolled by guards 24 hours a day, Watchtower magazines and other new publications found their way into the camps.

Various methods were devised to get publications into the camps. When Doris Best visited her husband, Cliff, their young baby would be passed to him. He, in turn, would pass the baby to the other brothers to hold for a while. Literature was concealed in the baby’s clothing, and, after removing it, the baby was handed back to its mother. Also, magazines were wrapped in greaseproof paper, and baked in the center of a cake that was mailed to prisoners.

While in the camps the brothers preached the Kingdom message to all who would listen. Meetings, too, were held, and in the Strathmore camp, about 40 miles from Rotorua, a convention program was even organized. The brothers obtained the use of a long double hut that was available for religious meetings. They drew up a program based on one that had been smuggled into the camp. Secretly they invited other inmates to attend, and many joined the 31 brothers for the program.

BAN LIFTED

Meanwhile, the brothers outside were maintaining heavy pressure on the government to lift the  ban. Finally, on March 29, 1945, the newspapers throughout New Zealand reported the lifting of the ban. The Wellington Dominion reported under a small, single-column headline:

“The removal of the special restrictions imposed on Jehovah’s Witnesses was announced yesterday by the Attorney-General, Mr. Mason. He said that he had revoked the notice issued by him under the Public Safety Emergency Regulations, which declared their organizations subversive. . . . In Australia (as in other countries) Jehovah’s Witnesses had been free from restriction for some considerable time, with entirely satisfactory results. . . . The Government had the fullest assurance that the same good results that had attended the removal of restrictions in Australia would be also experienced in New Zealand.”

To this day opposers of our work like to charge that Jehovah’s Witnesses were found to be subversive during the war. But this is powerfully refuted by the fact that the ban was lifted while the war was still being fought. Catholic action, hand in hand with the Returned Soldiers Association, had conspired in trying to show that Jehovah’s Witnesses were fomenting trouble and that the shooting incident in Oamaru was indicative of the kind of trouble that the government could expect throughout the country if Jehovah’s Witnesses were not restrained.

The lifting of the ban created some unusual circumstances for the brothers. In Christchurch the police telephoned Andrew Downie to say he could come and collect all the publications that had been confiscated. With appropriate Scottish dourness, Brother Downie said: “But sir, we didn’t fetch them to you.” He proceeded to make  it clear that since the police had confiscated the books he expected them to bring them back. It took two trips with the police van to return them all.

Despite the ban, the number of Kingdom publishers jumped from 320 in 1939 to 536 in 1945. With the end of the war, even grander increases followed. By 1949 a peak of 1,131 publishers was reached! And that year the first assembly was held with an attendance of more than 1,000.

STRENGTHENING THE ORGANIZATION

In December 1946, Charles Clayton arrived. He was the first graduate of Gilead School to be assigned to New Zealand. The following March, the president of the Watch Tower Society, Nathan H. Knorr, visited New Zealand and a branch office was established in Wellington. Robert Lazenby became the branch servant. A few months later three more Gilead graduates arrived​—Howard Benesch, Orville Crosswhite and Samuel Betley.

Brother Betley learned the Maori language and was able to help develop the work among the Maoris. The 1950 Yearbook reports:

“The prospects are very good for a greater increase among the Maori race. . . . During the year, twenty Maori public talks have been given, with a total attendance of 470, most of whom were strangers. Before the talk begins, and in accordance with Maori custom, one of the village elders first welcomes the speaker and visitors from other villages. At the conclusion the people do not leave immediately, but remain to discuss the talk. Perhaps one or two will give an impromptu speech, each expressing his view of the points raised by  the speaker. One might be in full accord with what has been said. Another may express disapproval and raise questions. Then the speaker has the final say, clearing up the points requiring further explanation. Such discussions, all conducted in the Maori tongue, often last a long time after the conclusion of the public meeting.”

The first Kingdom Hall in New Zealand was built by the Maori brothers in Waima in 1950. Much of the timber was cut from trees felled on their own land.

ROYAL VISITORS RECEIVE LITERATURE

Early in 1954 the Queen of England learned from a Maori sister of the activity of Jehovah’s Witnesses in New Zealand. The Wellington, New Zealand, Dominion newspaper explained:

“A Bible and a book published by the Watchtower Society were unexpectedly handed to the Queen by a Maori woman who came on the dais at McLean Park, Napier, today to be presented to Her Majesty and the Duke of Edinburgh. Mr. and Mrs. Tuiri Tareha were two among the 74 people presented to the Royal visitors. Instead of shaking  the Queen’s hand, Mrs. Tareha passed to Her Majesty a small, neatly-wrapped brown-paper parcel.”

The package contained the New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures and a copy of the book “New Heavens and a New Earth.” Brother Tareha explained, as a newspaper report quoted him: “The Queen once said that she wished that she had the wisdom of Solomon so that she could rule her people with equity and justice. We were confident that these books would help her.”

GROWTH IN THE 1950’S

The early and mid-1950’s were years of remarkable theocratic growth in New Zealand. In 1951, at the national convention held in the Wellington Town Hall, an audience of 1,645 listened to Brother Knorr give the public talk, “Proclaim Liberty Throughout All the Land.” The New Zealand Herald of December 31, 1953, commenting on a recent census, raised the question as to why Jehovah’s Witnesses were enjoying such increases in numbers. It said:

“The increase in immigration is reflected in some of the totals. The Dutch Reformed Church, for example, had only 37 followers in New Zealand in 1945, but by 1951 it could claim 264. No such simple reason can be found for the increase of Jehovah’s Witnesses 1 from 650 to 1756 in the same period.”

Perhaps a partial answer for the growth of Jehovah’s Witnesses was supplied by a leading New Zealand Anglican churchman, Dean Chandler. Writing in the Christchurch Star-Sun on the matter, he said:

 “Perhaps our most serious neglect is that of pastoral visitation, for as it is necessary for a shepherd to go around his flock continually, so it is necessary to find opportunity to discuss with our people vital problems that harass their minds and to rescue them from some of the heretical entanglements in which they are likely to be caught. Having said this, I am painfully conscious of my own neglect in this respect.”

He continued:

“I am more than ever convinced that the printed word has got to supplement the spoken word to an ever increasing degree. If we wish our people to be strong in faith we have got to encourage them to read and study far more than they do at present.”

Of course, that is exactly what Jehovah’s Witnesses in New Zealand were encouraging and helping people to do. And many were responding and growing to Christian maturity. In fact, New Zealand was providing spiritual help for other fields. By 1951 a total of 13 New Zealand pioneers had graduated from Gilead School and had been sent to serve in other countries. Included among them was the first Maori graduate, Rudolph Rawiri, who later returned to New Zealand to do circuit work.

NEW BRANCH HEADQUARTERS

In 1956 Brother Knorr visited New Zealand once again. This time 3,510 heard the public talk he delivered at the national convention held at Carlaw Park, Auckland. During his visit the decision was made to buy land in Auckland and build a new branch here.

Although Wellington is the country’s capital,  and the branch had been located there, Auckland is the faster-growing city. So the new buildings for the Bethel home, office, Kingdom Hall, shipping department and printery were constructed in Auckland. When these were completed, the Bethel family took up residence in March 1958.

A stimulating three-day dedication program was held for the Society’s new Kingdom Hall and branch buildings on June 13 to 15, 1958. It coincided with a one-day visit of 150 Australian brothers who were on their way to the 1958 international assembly in New York. In time, 152 delegates from New Zealand also left for this historic Divine Will International Assembly. The delegates represented more than half of New Zealand’s 87 congregations. The brothers were greatly encouraged by these events, as indicated by the new peak in August of 3,346 Kingdom publishers in New Zealand. That meant there was now one publisher for every 616 persons in the country.

That same month, while many of the New Zealand brothers were at the Divine Will convention, the branch servant, Robert Lazenby, died. It happened suddenly, while he was giving a service talk to the Mt. Albert congregation in Auckland. In a letter to Brother Gibbons, who reported the matter, Brother Knorr said:

“I always enjoyed fellowship with Brother Lazenby and am very happy to know that he died faithfully with his boots on, an expression we use here in America, and that he was serving his brothers. That is a very fine way to pass away. I knew he was ill. I would have liked very much for him to have been at the convention, but it is a joy to hear that he knew of the fine results of the assembly and of the things that happened here.”

 Benjamin Mason, a Gilead graduate who had been serving in the New Zealand branch office since 1957, became the new branch servant.

LEGAL BATTLE

In January 1958 the brothers applied for the use of the Levin and District War Memorial Hall for a three-day assembly. The Levin Borough Council was agreeable to this until the Returned Services’ Association [later called Returned Servicemen’s Association] voiced strong disapproval. A resolution was passed to the effect that “a War Memorial is sacred to the memory of those who served their country in time of peril,” and, therefore, Jehovah’s Witnesses should be denied the use of the facilities. While a few Borough Councils resisted the Returned Services’ Association (R.S.A.) pressure, many others weakly capitulated. This meant that scores of Memorial halls would be closed to the Witnesses.

The brothers took legal action in an effort to overturn this discriminatory attempt to deny their use of these facilities. At the hearing in May 1959, the Society’s lawyer, F. H. Haigh, argued:

“This ban can be regarded as nothing less than fantastic and there is not the slightest justification for deciding that what persons did during World War II should be the test in 1958 regarding their rights with some utilitarian war memorial. The Council’s action is a denial of natural justice brought about by unjustified discrimination.”

On August 21, 1959, Justice T. A. Gresson of the Supreme Court of New Zealand handed down the following decision:

“It cannot be disputed that the citizens of the  Borough who are Jehovah’s Witnesses comprise a lawful section of the community, and, though in a relative minority, they must, in my view, enjoy the same legal rights and bear the same legal obligations as members of the Returned Servicemen’s Association. In declining to allow the plaintiff the use of the Hall, the defendant Council in my view acted in breach of the wide terms of this trust . . .

“In these circumstances I make the following declaration: ‘That the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society . . . are entitled to have access to the Mount Roskill War Memorial Hall for the purpose of holding Bible lectures at such reasonable times and upon such reasonable conditions as the Mt Roskill Borough Council shall impose.’”

The next day all the daily newspapers carried a report of the decision. Under the heading, “Humble Pie Week at the Road Board,” Auckland’s Waiheke Resident said:

“Mr. Justice Gresson gave a decision regarding religious discrimination by local bodies that has rocked our benighted members, all eight of them. . . . The Board, like a lot of weak-willed local  bodies up and down the country, scurried to obey the R.S.A. when it told them that Jehovah’s Witnesses were not to be allowed the use of Memorial Halls. Mr. Gresson says the Witnesses have as many rights as the R.S.A. So the Road Board must now open the Waiheke Memorial Hall to the Witnesses or openly flout the law as they flouted the democratic rights of the Witnesses. Now the Witnesses can worship their God in their own way without being subjected to the tyranny of the Waiheke Road Board.”

“EVERLASTING GOOD NEWS” ASSEMBLY

New Zealand’s largest theatre, the Civic, was the site of the “Everlasting Good News” assembly in Auckland in 1963. But even it was not large enough, so the 2,000-seat Auckland Town Hall was also used to accommodate the crowds. The peak attendance of 6,005 included 191 visitors from 16 countries. Fred W. Franz, then vice-president of the Watch Tower Society, was among the delegates who were traveling around the world attending this series of “Everlasting Good News” gatherings.

On his arrival Brother Franz was welcomed in traditional Maori style on the sidewalk in front of the Civic Theatre. Passersby were immediately drawn by the singing Maori dancers in attractive native attire. It was difficult to say who enjoyed the unusual welcome the most, the enthusiastic onlookers, or Brother Franz and the Maori sisters who greeted him with a handshake and a nose rub.

This assembly was truly a landmark in the history of New Zealand. Unprecedented radio and television coverage was received, the highlight being a 95-second film of the baptism. A fine witness was given, by both the preaching of assembly  delegates and their conduct. “You are the best organized and by far the best behaved people I have seen,” the manager of the Civic Theatre said.

KINGDOM HALL CONSTRUCTION

As noted earlier, the Maoris built the first Kingdom Hall in New Zealand back in 1950. It was not until 1955 that New Zealand’s second Kingdom Hall was dedicated in Gisborne. But then, during the 1960’s 58 Kingdom Halls were built as the brothers moved out of rented halls​—often musty and laden with cigarette and alcohol odors—​into beautiful, clean new buildings dedicated to Jehovah’s worship. How grateful the brothers are for these!

This building program continued during the 1970’s. Now there are 119 congregations of Jehovah’s Witnesses in New Zealand, and 112 of them have their meetings in their own Kingdom Halls. And additional Kingdom Halls are in the planning stage.

“PEACE ON EARTH” ASSEMBLY

In November 1969 picturesque Alexandra Park, Auckland’s Trotting Club Raceway, was transformed into a beautiful assembly site by 1,500 volunteer workers. Over 5,000 potted flowers, 300 trees and shrubs and hundreds of square feet of “instant lawn” were used in decorating the platform. Green variegated geraniums against a background of red begonias spelled out “Haere-Mai” (Maori for “Welcome”). The occasion was the six-day “Peace on Earth” International Assembly, attended by both N. H. Knorr and F. W. Franz, as well as by scores of other delegates from foreign lands.

 A special program, which included Maori singing and dancing, was arranged for the overseas delegates. One Maori brother told the enthusiastic audience that there were 193 of his fleshly relatives present at the assembly. This illustrated how well the Maoris were responding to the Kingdom message.

Some of the Auckland Trotting Club’s committee members beforehand had expressed doubts about allowing Jehovah’s Witnesses to use their facilities. But how they felt after the assembly was indicated by this letter received from the secretary:

“As your convention has now drawn to a close, may I take this opportunity to express my Committee’s appreciation to you and to all your delegates for the outstanding way in which your meetings at the Alexandra Park Raceway were conducted.

“May we also thank you and your workers for the wonderful cooperation you have shown, and the manner in which you have maintained the facilities during your stay.

“If you should ever wish to have another convention in this area, we hope that you will avail yourselves of the facilities at Alexandra Park.

“In conclusion may I express on behalf of myself and the Course Manager, our personal thanks to all concerned and advise that it certainly has been a pleasure to have you.”

Yes, raceway officials, hotel proprietors, traffic officers and businessmen were warm in their unsolicited praise of the cleanliness, friendliness and exemplary behavior of the Witnesses. One safety officer said that he had not seen anything to equal it in his 40 years’ experience. Some described it as the best organized convention ever held in New Zealand.

 Again good publicity was received from the news media. The baptism of 421 new Witnesses was publicized nationwide. One convention speaker noted that one in 10 of all baptized, active Witnesses in New Zealand was immersed on November 7, 1969, during the assembly. For the public talk, “The Road Back to Peace in Paradise,” delivered by Brother Knorr, a fine crowd of 8,400 persons was present.

ADDITION TO BRANCH HEADQUARTERS

By 1973 a peak of over 6,000 Kingdom publishers had been reached, and the branch headquarters completed back in 1958 was overcrowded. So in July 1973 construction began on a large addition to the original structure. The December 1973 Kingdom Ministry reported:

“The last brick was laid on Sunday, November 18 . . . The entire project was virtually completed in 18 weeks to the day and preliminary figures indicate that 248 different brothers spent some 16,000 hours of work during that time. How grateful we are for their splendid support. Already we are feeling the benefits of the increased work space.”

MILESTONE ASSEMBLIES DURING 1970’S

The “Divine Victory” International Assembly in 1973 was the greatest theocratic event ever experienced in the South Island’s largest city, Christchurch. The 500 visitors from Australia and 350 from North America helped swell the attendance at Lancaster Park to a remarkable 11,640, more than 3,000 above the number attending the 1969 international assembly. Leo K. Greenlees of the Governing Body was the principal assembly speaker.

 Five years later, in December 1978, the “Victorious Faith” International Assembly in Auckland’s Eden Park became the largest gathering of Jehovah’s Witnesses ever held in New Zealand. The peak attendance was 12,328. Lloyd Barry, John Booth and Ted Jaracz, all members of the Governing Body, served on the assembly program.

CARING FOR PEOPLE’S SPIRITUAL NEEDS

Over the years about 60,000 Polynesians from the islands of Samoa, Tonga, Niue and Rarotonga have come to live and work in New Zealand; some 36,000 of them reside in the greater Auckland area. To care for the spiritual needs of these people, a Samoan-speaking congregation was established in Auckland in February 1977. It is one of the fastest growing congregations in the country; 216 attended its Memorial in March 1980.

To equip the brothers to help sheeplike ones more effectively, special schools have been conducted. In 1978 the revised 15-hour Kingdom Ministry School Course was attended by 700 Christian elders in New Zealand. Then, in 1979, 184 full-time Kingdom preachers greatly benefited from the two-week Pioneer Service School course. And about this same time John Wills, Ed Gibbons, Charles Tareha and John Cumming, members of the New Zealand branch committee, attended the five-week Gilead Branch School Course at the Brooklyn world headquarters. There they received practical instruction to help them discharge their responsibilities to care for the spiritual needs of the people in New Zealand.

Another fine provision for advancing the Kingdom educational work has been the new assembly hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses in New Zealand. The old State Cinema in an Auckland suburb, originally  built in 1934, was purchased and completely renovated by about 400 Witnesses who volunteered their services. This beautiful facility was dedicated in February 1978, and since then seven circuits have been holding their assemblies there semi-annually.

WITH JEHOVAH’S BACKING

Reviewing the work of Jehovah’s Witnesses in New Zealand since its beginning over 75 years ago, the blessing of Jehovah God becomes clearly evident. Each week now thousands of persons flock to over 100 fine Kingdom Halls to learn more about their God Jehovah and his grand purposes. On March 31, 1980, a great crowd of 15,385 attended the Memorial. Many of these are actively proclaiming their Kingdom hope.

There are now over 7,000 publishers sharing in the Kingdom proclamation in New Zealand. About 350 of these are pioneers. Collectively, they spend each year about a million hours preaching, and they distribute over a million copies of The Watchtower and Awake! Practically every home in New Zealand receives a call from one of Jehovah’s Witnesses about three times a year.

What has been accomplished in preaching the good news of the Kingdom in New Zealand, as well as throughout the world, is not due simply to the efforts or abilities of any human or body of humans. Rather, it is being accomplished, as Jehovah himself says: “Not by a military force, nor by power, but by my spirit.”​—Zech. 4:6.

 [Map on page 208]

(For fully formatted text, see publication)

new zealand

TASMAN SEA

PACIFIC OCEAN

Auckland

Thames

Waihi

Rotorua

Opotiki

Gisborne

Taumarunui

Taradale

Dannevirke

Palmerston North

Eketahuna

Lower Hutt

WELLINGTON

Manakau

Cheviot

Christchurch

Lyttelton

Oamaru

Dunedin

Tuatapere

Invercargill

[Picture on page 210]

Bill Barry (right): In Christchurch the truth was known as “Bill Barry’s religion.” His son Lloyd (left) is now a member of the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses

[Picture on page 214]

Frank Grove pioneered right up to his death in 1967​—more than 50 years

[Picture on page 220]

Charles Tareha, a Maori, now serving in the New Zealand Bethel. When his father, a prominent Maori, accepted the truth, it caused a real commotion in the Maori religious community

 [Picture on page 228]

Pioneering in the South Island during the 1930’s​—“In dangers from rivers”

[Picture on page 230]

Jim Tait, after hearing only one talk by J. F. Rutherford, left his job and the security it offered to pioneer

[Picture on page 232]

One of the sound cars used to proclaim the Kingdom message

[Picture on page 237]

Bethel home at 177 Daniell Street, where literature was hidden in a roof section above the ceiling during the ban

[Picture on page 242]

Maori brothers built New Zealand’s first Kingdom Hall in Waima in 1950

[Picture on page 247]

Robert Lazenby, branch servant for many years until his death in 1958

 [Picture on page 249]

Brother Franz receiving the traditional Maori greeting, a handshake and a nose rub, when visiting Auckland for the “Everlasting Good News” assembly

 [Picture on page 253]

Branch building in Auckland

 [Picture on page 255]

The old State Cinema in the Auckland suburb of Devonport was purchased and renovated to become an assembly hall