[4] Māori Marsden is affiliated with the Te Aupouri iwi,[4] and also Ngāi Takoto, Ahipara, and Ngāti Wharara of Ngāpuhi.
Researcher Robyn Tauroa says whilst Marsden was at the Navy he 'provided karakia and also guided unuhia ceremonies to prepare Māori for battle'.
[6] Marsden's essay God, Man and Universe, published in Te Ao Hurihuri (1975) has been described as a 'seminal work'.
[4] As a writer Marsden wrote about 'matters facing the contemporary Māori quest for social justice and the achievement of authentic being.
[5] He Rerenga Kōrero 1985 speech by Rev Māori Marsden before the Waitangi Tribunal on the Ōrākei Marae in support of Ngāti Whātua's claim for the return of their land at Bastion Point.