THE BIG PICTURE: A Short Film of the Epic Bible Story

Experience the Bible story as you’ve never seen it! From the creation of the world, through to the growth of the church, this incredible Bible Society made short film gives you the “Big Picture” overview of the entire Bible and will inspire you to find your role in God’s great story. Download the eBook which accompanies this video here.

Ngāti Torehina’s encounter with God

Many know the story of Christmas Day, 1814, when Rev Samuel Marsden stepped ashore at Oihi and shared the Gospel message with an estimated 300 Māori. But, in the powerful video below, Te Hurihanga Rihari, a direct descendant of Māori that invited Marsden to Aotearoa, shares the little-known story that this wasn’t the first time Ngāti Torehina had encountered God. Some 500 years prior to the arrival of the Bible, his people lived at Rangihioua under the blessing of God.

Ngā Tīmatanga/Beginnings – The early story of the Bible in New Zealand

This is the story of how the Bible arrived in New Zealand and how it spread quickly amongst Māori throughout the country. As the video below documents, it’s a story that began on Christmas Day in 1814, when Rev. Samuel Marsden accepted an invitation from Māori Chief Ruatara to lead the first-ever church service in New Zealand. With over 300 local Maori in attendance, Marsden preached from the Gospel of Luke chapter 2 verse 10, “Behold, I bring you glad tidings of great joy.” And so the Bible began its journey in New Zealand.

The story of Tārore

This story of forgiveness and reconciliation begins with a 12-year-old Māori girl named Tārore, who was murdered in the Waikato in 1838. To discover how this event was instrumental in spreading Christianity around the North Island and throughout New Zealand, watch Mokoro Gillett from Ngāti Hauā recount Tārore’s story.