Bible Society in New Zealand

The Bible Society New Zealand was first established in 1846 as the Auckland Auxiliary of the British and Foreign Bible Society. In the early days, Bible Society New Zealand volunteers walked or travelled on horseback throughout frontier regions in New Zealand, distributing Bibles to remote settlers and Māori people. In 2009, acclaimed children's author Joy Cowley teamed up with Bible Society New Zealand to write Tārore Story which was distributed free to 240,000 school children across New Zealand. It is the true story of a Māori girl named Tārore, the events surrounding her death in 1836 and the impact her death had upon the Māori people of Aotearoa.

In a military world first, the New Zealand Defence Force New Testament was published in 2013. Chaplain Class One Lance Lukin perceived a need for this project and contacted Bible Society New Zealand to make it happen. The New Testament is a purpose-made, waterproof, tear resistant, military book and is endorsed by renowned adventurer and former soldier, Bear Grylls. 5000 copies were printed and distributed to new recruits, and a reprint is in progress.

Other projects that Bible Society New Zealand has recently completed include reformatting of the Māori Bible published in 1952, and the first Tokelauan New Testament was launched in June 2009.

Current projects include the first Māori Children's Bible to be completed by 2015, and a complete Tokelauan Bible due to be completed in 2016.

In 2017, Bible Society New Zealand merged with Manna Christian Stores to form the Bible Society New Zealand Group.

In March 2024, the Bible Society confirmed that it would be closing its Wellington office and reconsolidating its headquarters at its Auckland office that month.

In 2017, the Bible Society New Zealand merged with the local Christian bookstore chain Manna Christian Stores. Manna Christian Stores was established in 1972 with a flagship shop in Invercargill. By March 2024, Manna had a network of 14 stores across New Zealand. Besides selling Bibles and Christian resources, Manna also partnered with local churches, mission groups and ran workshops and conferences to train leaders and lay believers. In November 2023, Bible Society NZ chief executive Neels Janse van Rensburg announced that the Society was exploring closing down several Manna stores including its flagship Invercargill store, citing rising building lease costs, international freight costs, logistics and rising paper prices. van Rensburg confirmed that the Society's board was exploring online sales or franchise developments as means of improving operating efficiencies.

In March 2024, the Bible Society New Zealand confirmed that it would be shutting three Manna stores that month and another three stores in May 2024. These included stores in Invercargill, Auckland and Hastings. The Bible Society also confirmed that Manna Christian Stores would be retaining its online store. The Bible Society had also approached local churches to buy several of its former stores in order to "preserve the essences of these community spaces" but was unsuccessful due to the high operating costs.