Move over Jesus, Noah's the real rockstar when it comes to Kiwi kids.

A Nielsen study commissioned by the Bible Society has found one-third of Kiwi children do not know the story of Jesus Christ's birth.

However Noah, who built an ark and saved some of earth's animals from a flood, was a household name, the study found.

"Somewhat surprisingly, the most well known biblical character among New Zealand children is not Jesus."

"The real celebrity is Noah, with 72 percent of New Zealand children indicating they've read, seen or heard his story," the study noted.