The rise of Buddhism in New Zealand

What happens when two religions and two world views collide?
That was the question Victoria University graduate Hugh Kemp sought to answer via research that focused on how and why NZ'ers convert to Buddhism.
“Buddhism is gaining traction in NZ, so my interest was in what makes a NZ'er become a Buddhist and the variety of pathways they take as they journey towards, and embrace, Buddhism,” says Mr Kemp.
As part of his PhD research, he also focused on the identity that convert Buddhists construct for themselves as NZ'ers. 
Mr Kemp interviewed around 70 new Buddhists from all over NZ and attended 27 Buddhist events and gatherings. His interviews explored four factors of inter-relationships: practice and ritual, selfhood, belief and involvement.
“It was essentially a qualitative sociology project that tracked why NZ'ers take up the practice of Buddhism and how they continue to find meaning, chiefly in regular practice, ritual and involvement.”
Although Mr Kemp says he was surprised that numbers of NZ converts hadn't increased as much as he'd expected, or as much as overseas trends indicated, Buddhism remained a popular religion here.
“It's down to a number of factors – the increasing profile of the Dalai Lama, NZ's closer ties with Asia and the fact that we're quite open to new religions and have a history in NZ of people experimenting with new religions.”
Mr Kemp, who also has a Masters of Theology degree, says interviewees' stories were placed in a social-historical narrative of Arcadia.
“If NZ is Arcadia – clean, green, 100% pure and the ideal place to live – then it can be conceived of as a Buddhist Pure Land. Arcadia and the Pure Land come together in notions of 'home', offering a new imaginative order for Buddhist practitioners.” 
Overall, he says his research indicates that new converts overwhelmingly believe NZ is a good place to practice Buddhism.
“Buddhists in NZ say they will continue to create their own identity and find a turangawaewae or place of identity in which to stand.”
One of Mr Kemp.s supervisors Prof. Paul Morris says, “Dr Kemp's pioneering work, which is the first systematic study of NZ'ers who become Buddhist, tells us both about religion and spirituality in our country and the specific manifestations of Buddhism here.”
Mr Kemp graduates with a PhD in Religious Studies and is hoping to teach Religious or Asian Studies. His supervisors were Dr Rick Weiss and Prof. Paul Morris.