The history books tell us that Christianity arrived in New Zealand with the first Western missionaries in 1814. But that’s only half the story. Forty years earlier, God spoke to a man named Toiroa, giving him a vision of the Europeans’ arrival. The vision included the strange clothes they wore, their unusual mode of travel and the message they carried about a good god and a name that meant “Son who was killed.” Toiroa shared his vision with many other Maori, so when the foreigners came, they eagerly received the news! A massive indigenous revival followed. By the mid‑1840s, around 64,000 Māori were attending church. It was one of the most significant revivals in history.Our guest on this episode, Māori leader and author Jay Ruka tells the incredible story. He also shares how a life‑changing encounter with God led him to reclaim his Māori identity and uncover a hidden chapter of New Zealand’s spiritual history - one filled with prophecy, revival, identity and the surprising ways God moves beyond the boundaries of the church.

https://www.godconversations.com/podcast/god-conversations-before-missionaries-jay-ruka/

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About Jay Ruka

J. Ruka is a story teller, musician and public communicator. After working as a church minister for many years, he now writes and speaks about indigenous worldview, New Zealand History and the importance of cultural partnership. He is married to Erin and they live with their three children in Whāingaroa (Raglan), New Zealand.