NZ Interfaith Group

The NZ Interfaith Group welcomes you in the spirit of understanding and cooperation between all of the faiths in Aotearoa New Zealand.

The NZ Interfaith Group is an affiliation of a variety of interfaith groups that have been active in different parts of New Zealand over the past 20 years. Members of many faiths are represented in these various groups that operate independently but often gather for national forums.

For more information about this site, please contact Paddy Payne: info@interfaith.org.nz or 021-505-215.

Participants at the 2016 National Interfaith Forum in Auckland

News

Title	Summary
Rev Victor Kazanjian's keynote speech from the National Interfaith Forum, Auckland 2016	Rev Victor Kazanjian's keynote speech from the National Interfaith Forum Rev Victor Kazanjian’s entire keynote speech from Saturday 27 Febuary 2016 at the National Interfaith Forum in Auckland, plus Q&A, is now available on Youtube. Also, over 60 pictures of the Forum are available here.

Events

Title	Location	Start Time	End Time	Description
Week of Prayer for World Peace - National	National	9/10/2016 12:00 a.m.	16/10/2016 11:59 p.m.	The Week of Prayer for World Peace is an opportunity for people of all faiths to pray in their own gatherings or with people of other faiths for world peace. The Week will be observed in New Zealand from 9-16 October. A leaflet has been produced with prayers, readings and affirmations from many faiths to use each day. The theme of the leaflet is developed for worldwide distribution by the Week of Prayer for World Peace multi-faith committee based in Great Britain. Religious communities throughout New Zealand are encouraged to celebrate the week both in their observances and together with people of different faiths. For further information or to order leaflets please see the News item on this site for contact details.

Internet Sites and Resources

URL	Description
Aotearoa New Zealand Interfaith Network	The Aotearoa New Zealand Interfaith Network is part of the New Zealand Diversity Action Programme and is a mailing list that brings together faith communities, interfaith groups, government agencies, academics and individuals interested in interfaith cooperation for peace and human rights. It is facilitated by the Race Relations Commissioner in the Human Rights Commission. To add your name or that of your organisation to the network email nzdiversity@hrc.co.nz
BBC Interfaith Calendar
BBC Religion & Ethics
BeliefNet	We are a multi-faith e-community designed to help you meet your own religious and spiritual needs -- in an interesting, captivating and engaging way. We are independent. We are not affiliated with a particular religion or spiritual movement. We are not out to convert you to a particular approach, but rather to help you find your own. Fundamental to our mission is a deep respect for a wide variety of faiths and traditions. We try to achieve our mission by providing information and inspiration. Our site has an extraordinary collection of experts and scholars. We give you spiritual tools such as prayer circles, kits to help you celebrate births, weddings, and other life milestones, as well as commemorate deaths. Most important, we help you to learn from each other through a breathtaking array of discussions and dialogue groups. That's what makes Beliefnet unique. We're all about helping you find your way. Beliefnet, Inc. is a privately held company funded by employees, individual investors and Blue Chip Venture Company.
Center for Interreligious Understanding	With more than 30 years of experience in interreligious affairs, the CIU is a trusted resource for insight, analysis and positive action. Through educational programs and policy leadership, the CIU brings people of all faiths together to learn about our history, our shared values and why we must live and work together toward a society of justice and peace. By exploring the theological foundations and common goals of the world's religions, the CIU fights religious stereotypes and intolerance to foster genuine understanding.
Centre for Faith and the Media	The Centre provides non-partisan resources to journalists and the public to enable a more accurate and fair portrayal of faith in our midst. It conducts research, creates guides and other reference works, and operates an online site to enable broad access to information. The Centre is based in Calgary but has a national board of directors from academia, media and business. Its initial financing has been provided by Canadian Heritage, Department of Multiculturalism.
Christchurch Interfaith Society and Council	Officially formed in 2008, the Christchurch Interfaith Society are a voluntary non-profit association of people representing diverse religious communities in Christchurch. Our purpose is to foster understanding and good relations, to co-ordinate action, and to liaise with other organisations. We aim to inform, explain and support the diverse religious and spiritual groups and communities in our city. We organise community meetings, bring speakers to the city and support each others ceremonies and traditions. Through this, we bring understanding, contributing to peace locally and worldwide.
Council of Christians and Jews	Welcome to the Wellington Council of Christians and Jews. Our council brings together Christian and Jewish Communities in a common effort to overcome the evils of prejudice, intolerance and discrimination between people of different of religions and ethnicity. We are affiliated to the New Zealand Council of Christians and Jews, and the International Council of Christians and Jews http://www.iccj.org/. Here on our web site, you can find out more about the council, join the CCJ, download publications, listen to recordings of our past public meetings, or contact us.
Dunedin Abrahamic Interfaith Group	Our group was formed here in Dunedin in the aftermath of the events of September 11th 2001 out of spontaneous expressions of solidarity and goodwill between leaders of our three faiths, the police and the Dunedin City Council. We exist to express a common heritage and concern, as people of faith in Dunedin. Judaism, Christianity and Islam are all Abrahamic faiths. All three can trace their faith back to Abraham. Ordinary people from al three faiths share a deep desire for peace and justice. We seek to encourage and model friendship and respect for each other.
Interfaith Encounter Association	The Interfaith Encounter Association is dedicated to promoting peace in the Middle East through interfaith dialogue and cross-cultural study. We believe that, rather than being a cause of the problem, religion can and should be a source of the solution for conflicts that exist in the region and beyond.
Interfaith Youth Core	IFYC was incorporated in 2002 with one staff person. Our organization has outgrown a few offices since then, but our goal is the same: build an interfaith youth movement using service as the bridge.
Interfaithnet Asia Pacific	Interfaithnet is a group of Interfaith Ministers who graduated from interfaith seminaries in the USA, UK and Canada and who are practising as congregational ministers, chaplains, celebrants, spiritual counsellors and healers, pastoral carers, social and sacred activists and educators in the Asia Pacific Region. Interfaith is not only a form of deeply respectful dialogue between different faith traditions, it is a faith path in its own right for those who experience that the attributes religious and faith traditions share are more common than those which divide them. Our intention is to create two organisations in the Asia Pacific Region, a religious organisation and a professional association. The benefits of creating an ecclesiastic order or religious organisation are many – consistency of belief, practice, image, public relations, ethical standards, approach to ecclesiastic matters, religious policy and consistency of education as a minister are some of these. There is also the ability to lobby governments on important ecclesiastic matters.
International Association for Religious Freedom	The International Association for Religious Freedom is a registered charity based in the United Kingdom which has the aim of working for freedom of religion and belief at a global level. Encouraging interfaith dialogue and tolerance is part of this agenda and we are proud of an over 100-year history in this work. We have over 90 affiliated member groups in approximately 25 countries from a wide range of faith traditions, including Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, Shintoism, Hinduism, and Sikhism, among others. With member organisations, regional co-ordinators, and national chapters around the world, the International Association for Religious Freedom is well placed to obtain local perspectives on religious freedom concerns and issues.
International Council of Christians and Jews	The ICCJ serves as the umbrella organisation of 38 national Jewish-Christian dialogue organisations world-wide. The ICCJ member organisations world-wide over the past five decades have been successfully engaged in the historic renewal of Jewish-Christian relations. Founded as a reaction to the Holocaust, the Shoah, in the awareness that ways must be found to examine the deeply engrained roots of mistrust, hatred and fear that culminated in one of the worst evils in human history, theologians, historians and educators included the still fragile structure of enlightenment and the human rights movements of the inter-war period. In more recent years the ICCJ and its members increasingly engaged in the Abrahamic dialogue: the encounter between Jews, Christians and Muslims. The ICCJ's efforts to promote Jewish-Christian dialogue provide models for wider interfaith relations, particularly dialogue among Jews, Christians, and Muslims.
Internationally recognised Values Education Program	Living Values Education Programme is coordinated by the Association for Living Values Education International, a non-profit association of educators from around the world. It is supported by UNESCO, sponsored by a wide variety of organizations, institutions and individuals, and being implemented in all continents of the world. LVEP is part of the global movement for a culture of peace in the framework of the United Nations Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the World. The Association for Living Values Education International (ALIVE) is an association formed under the Civil Code of Switzerland and registered at the Registre du Commerce, Geneva. Its registered office is in Geneva, Switzerland. Created in 2004, ALIVE porvides a formal home for the international community of educators who have been working with Living Values Education Programme since it was developed in 1997. In a number of countries, national associations for Living Values Education coordinate the local implementation of LVEP. Such grass-roots associations are themselves the members of ALIVE and comprise its General Assembly, which is the Associations's supreme power and decieion-making body.
Multifaith Action Society of B.C.	The Multifaith Action Society, a registered charity under the society's act, was founded in 1972 as an ecumenical society and has become fully interfaith in nature and purpose. From the outset the Society has sought ways to bring together the many faith groups which characterize Vancouver and to sponsor socially responsible and relevant initiatives relating to the common good. It founded the first food bank program of Vancouver, for instance, and has sponsored, planned and carried out conferences dealing with such issues as public sector alternatives dispute resolution (bus strikes), ethical dimensions of clean water distribution and ways of supporting Vancouver's 4-pillar drug treatment program. It has promoted interfaith dialogue by bringing together members of different faith communities. Our first Christian-Sikh dialogue was held in 2000 and currently we are involved in a substantial Christian-Jewish dialogue, both of which were designed to achieve a significant level of mutual understanding. We recognize and respect our differences across our faith communities, while at the same time seeking to celebrate the values we hold in common. We expect to learn from each other and assume from our experience that the faith we each espouse will be enriched by interaction with those of other beliefs and traditions.
PBS Religion and Ethics	Hosted by veteran journalist Bob Abernethy and produced by Thirteen/WNET New York, the acclaimed one-of-a-kind TV show examines religion's role -- and the ethical dimensions -- behind top news headlines. Correspondents Saul Gonzalez, Fred de Sam Lazaro, Tim O'Brien, Deborah Potter, Betty Rollin, Lucky Severson and Judy Valente, along with managing editor Kim Lawton, travel around the nation and the globe to explore how issues of faith, religion and ethics shape both national and international events. Newsmakers, scholars and policy analysts also provide insightful perspectives in roundtable discussions from the show's studio in Washington, DC. Winner of more than 115 industry awards -- including the Sigma Delta Chi, the Gracie Allen, the Chicago TV Fest, New York Festival and CINE Golden Eagle -- the program has been hailed by the Religion Newswriters' Association for setting "a national standard for balanced and fair coverage of religious topics." Phil Mushnick with The New York Post says, "Week after week, R & E similarly delivers, helping restore one's faith in, of all things, television." And Charles Honey of The Grand Rapids Press writes, "As far as news stories go, there are none better." To complement the program's weekly broadcast, RELIGION & ETHICS NEWSWEEKLY offers a Web site, pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics, and a companion viewers' guide. The Web site features individual show transcripts, streaming video of weekly reports, full transcripts of interviews with notable guests, related articles dealing with significant issues in religion and ethics news, a list of related resources and an online pressroom featuring downloadable versions of the program press kit and quarterly newsletter, as well as detailed summaries of individual stories. Audio and video podcasts of the program are also available. The Viewers' Guide, which includes essays, discussion questions and resources, may be downloaded from the Web site or ordered free of charge by writing to "Religion & Ethics Guide," P.O. Box 245, Little Falls, NJ 07424-0245.
Peace Next
Pluralism Project - On Common Ground	The Pluralism Project's fantastic resource, "On Common Ground" has recently been turned into an on-line resource, and is well worth a visit if you've some time to explore. Although mostly geared towards American pluralism, there's an excellent selection of resources available on the world's religions. It's a great reference. The Pluralism Project was begun by Diana Eck at Harvard University.
Regional Interfaith Network (RIN)
Religions for Peace	Respecting religious differences while celebrating our common humanity, Religions for Peace is active on every continent and in some of the most troubled areas of the world, creating multi-religious partnerships to confront our most dire issues: stopping war, ending poverty, and protecting the earth. Religious communities are the largest and best-organized civil institutions in the world, claiming the allegiance of billions across race, class, and national divides. These communities have particular cultural understandings, infrastructures, and resources to get help where it is needed most. Founded in 1970, Religions for Peace enables these communities to unleash their enormous potential for common action. Some of Religions for Peace’s recent successes include building a new climate of reconciliation in Iraq; mediating dialogue among warring factions in Sierra Leone; organizing an international network of religious women’s organizations; and establishing an extraordinary program to assist the millions of children affected by Africa’s AIDS pandemic, the Hope for African Children Initiative".
REonline	REonline is a new initiative, which has incorporated theREsite, and will grow to become a complete Virtual RE Resources Centre. The latest developments and additions to REonline are listed on the 'New on the site' page. The project is supported by a number of educational trusts and charities, and a team of specialist contributors and technical developers maintain the site.
Scarboro Missions Interfaith Department	In recent years, the Scarboro Missions Interfaith Department in Toronto, Canada has committed itself to building a website featuring curriculum and useful educational resources for interfaith work. These resources include do-it-yourself workshops, toolkits, best practices, games, activities, online courses, multifaith prayer services, guidelines, meditations, Powerpoint, etc.
Spiritual "non-secular" Discussion Forum	Spiritual / Gnostic / Mystic Discussion Forum for all sincere seekers of Ultimate Truth
The Interfaith Alliance	The Interfaith Alliance and The Interfaith Alliance Foundation - the national non-partisan advocacy voice of the interfaith movement. Our 150,000 members are from more than 70 faith traditions and people of good will united to: Promote democratic values, Defend religious liberty, Challenge hatred and religious bigotry and Reinvigorate informed civic participation. We are The Interfaith Alliance and The Interfaith Alliance Foundation. Founded in 1994 by an interfaith group of religious leaders, we work to promote interfaith cooperation around shared religious values to strengthen the public’s commitment to the American values of civic participation, freedom of religion, diversity, and civility in public discourse and to encourage the active involvement of people of faith in the nation’s political life. We are local religious leaders and activists, some with years of political experience, some just starting out. We work in our communities, in state capitals, in Washington, DC and wherever else our voice is needed. Our 150,000 members across the nation represent diverse religious and spiritual traditions – Jews, Christians,Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs – 70 faith traditions in all, as well as many Agnostics and Atheists. In Washington, DC, our national office works on Capitol Hill and with the White House, in coalition with denominational bodies and other activist organizations to make sure our unique message is communicated when and where it matters most. Our 47 local Alliances are active in their communities on local issues, carrying The Interfaith Alliance message to decision-makers, the media, and the public at large.
The Revealer	A daily review of Religion and the Press.
The Sacred Site	Radha Sahar's site that has information on many of the world's faiths. Also has useful links to information on many faiths: http://www.thesacredsite.com/links.htm
United Religions Initiative	URI (United Religions Initiative) is an internationally recognized interfaith network active in 78 countries with its global office in San Francisco, California. We cultivate and connect grassroots change-makers across religious, cultural and geographic boundaries, harnessing their collective power to take on religiously motivated violence and social, economic and environmental crises that destabilize regions and contribute to poverty.
Universal Peace Federation (UPF)	The Universal Peace Federation (UPF) was founded in the hope of building a world in which peoples, cultures, races, religions, and nationalities could live together in harmony, mutual respect, cooperation, and universal prosperity. This vision of world peace underlies all the programs and activities of UPF. Specific initiatives may pursue this quest from distinctive vantage points or in relation to a particular constituency, for example, youth, academia, religion, diplomacy, politics, community activism or the arts. UPF recognizes that the task of achieving genuine peace requires an integrated, cross-disciplinary, and collaborative approach among all disciplines, various organizations, cultures and peoples. That is, peace cannot be established merely by academics, by politicians, or by religious leaders alone. Therefore the tendency for peace efforts to be fragmented and disunified has to be overcome. A unique feature of UPF's vision is the inclusion of the world's religious leaders, who bear the wisdom of their respective traditions, in the pursuit of peace. This affirmation of religion's contribution is fully interreligious in spirit, welcoming the participation of all the world's great religious traditions.
Waikato Interfaith Council	The Waikato Interfaith Council is a voluntary non-profit association of persons who collectively represent the diversity of religious traditions and faith communities which exist within our wider society. The Council aims to: • foster mutual appreciation and good relations between these traditions and communities; • coordinate action, and/or to act on behalf of any or all of these commnities in respect of religious issues and relationships to society at large; • act in an advisory and consultative capacity to the community. The Waikato Interfaith Council is based in Hamilton, New Zealand. For more information on WIFCO, our meetings and activities, please contact the Secretary at: . For more information on WIFCO public events, please contact: .
Wellington Abrahamic Council of Jews, Christians and Muslims
World Congress of Faiths	What does it do? The World Congress of Faiths publishes the leading journal on interfaith matters Interreligious Insight. It arranges a variety of conferences, meetings, retreats, visits and group travel. All these provide occasions to learn what others believe, what they think about life today and how they pray, meditate and worship. Some meetings are of special interest to teachers or to health and social workers. WCF also provides a chance for members of local interfaith groups to meet people from different parts of the country and the world who share their concern. What are its beliefs? The World Congress of Faiths believes that understanding between people of different religions is important for good community relations, for moral and spiritual renewal and for world peace. A principle is respect for those of differing faith. WCF by its educational work encourages interfaith understanding and co-operation at all levels of society. Who else does it work with? WCF is a member of the Inter Faith Network (UK) and works with other interfaith organizations in Britain and across the world. WCF has helped to establish the International Interfaith Centre at Oxford and works closely with the London Interfaith Centre. It has good relations with many faith communities.
World Interfaith Harmony Week	The Official Site of the UN Sponsored Observance week in February. The World Interfaith Harmony Week is a UN resolution for a worldwide week of interfaith harmony. The World Interfaith Harmony Week will fall on the first week of February of every year and aims to promote harmony between all people regardless of their faith.

Regional Interfaith contacts

Auckland Inter-faith Council
Pres: Mrs Ruth Cleaver, mcleaver@xtra.co.nz
Vice Pres: Jocelyn Armstrong, jocelyn.anne.armstrong@gmail.com
General Inquiries: nzaifc@gmail.com
Facebook: Auckland Interfaith Council

Waikato Interfaith Council
Sec: Mr Todd Nachowitz, wifconz@gmail.com
http://wifco.wikispaces.com/

Tauranga Interfaith Council
Rev John Hebenton TSSF, John.HebentonTSSF@gmail.com, 021-679-202
Facebook: Tauranga Interfaith Council

Palmerston North Interfaith Council
Mary Eastham, maeastham23@gmail.com

Wellington Inter-Faith Council
Pres: Dr Khalid R Sandhu QSO, khalidsandhu42@gmail.com, 021-384-747
Vice Pres: Anne Haynes
Secs: Vanessa Borg and Simonette Ferreira
Treasurer: Dr Pushpa Wood ONZM

Christchurch Interfaith Council
Dianne Downward stepdown@slingshot.co.nz
http://www.christchurchinterfaith.org.nz/
https://facebook.com/christchurchinterfaith/

Dunedin Interfaith Council
Chair: David Stiles
Sec: David Kitchingman, dunedininterfaith@gmail.com

Dunedin Abrahamic Interfaith Group
Chair: Colin McLeod, cmacleod@kavanagh.school.nz
Sec: Ken Baker, bakers5@live.co.uk http://www.dunedininterfaith.net.nz/

Multifaith Calendar

Date	Title	Description
19 Jul - 16 Oct	Vassa (Rains Retreat)	Buddhism - Vassa marks the beginning of the three-month 'Rains Retreat' for monks and nuns.
1 Oct	International Day for Older Persons (UN)
1-10 Oct	Navaratri	Hinduism - Navaratri continues until October 21. Also known as Durga Puja, Navaratri (9 nights) symbolises the triumph of good over evil and marks the start of (northern) autumn. Navaratri is divided into sets of 3 days to adore 3 different aspects of the
2 Oct	First of Muharram (New Year's Day, 1438 AH)	Islam - The first of Muharram (first month of the Islamic year 1437) celebrates the Hijra (migration) of Muhammad and his followers in 622 CE, from Mecca to Medina, where they established the first Islamic community.
2 Oct	International Day of Non-Violence (UN)
2 Oct	World Communion Sunday	Christianity - World Communion Sunday offers congregations an opportunity to experience Holy Communion in the context of the global community of faith.
3-4 Oct	Rosh Hashanah	Judaism - Rosh Hashanah - New Year's Day year 5776, and anniversary of the creation of the world - begins at sundown the previous day. The first of the Ten Days of Awe (or Repentance), Reform Jews celebrate it for one day, and other Jews for two days.
3 Oct	World Habitat Day (UN)
5 Oct	World Teacher's Day (UNESCO)
9 Oct	World Post Day (UN)
10 Oct	World Mental Health Day (UN)
11 Oct	'Āshūrā'	Islam - For Shi'ite Muslims, 'Āshūrā' (Muharram) has special importance. It commemorates the martyrdom of Husain (Prophet Muhammad's grandson) in AH 61 (680 CE). Observed for 10 days from the first of the month 'Āshūrā', the event is a time of great mourn
11 Oct	Dassehra	Hinduism - Dassehra or Vijay Dasami celebrates the victory of good over evil: of Lord Rama over the demon Ravan, and the Goddess Durga over a demon. It follows the nine-day celebration of Navaratri (nine nights) and Durga Puja (worship), when other Goddes
12-16 Oct	Ghambar Ayathrem	Zoroastrianism - Ghambar Ayathrem celebrates the creation of plants, the sowing of the winter crop, and the return of herds from pasture.
12 Oct	Yom Kippur	Judaism - Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) is the year's holiest day and a day of fasting. To re-establish oneness with God, Jews ask forgiveness and forgive others. Then can they confess their sins and ask God's forgiveness. Yom Kippur begins at sundown the
13 Oct	International Day of Natural Disaster Reduction (UN)
15 Oct	'Ilm (Knowledge)	Bahá'í Faith - 'Ilm (Knowledge), the 12th month of the Bahá'í year.
15 Oct	International Day of Rural Women (UN)
16 Oct	Pavarana	Buddhism - Coming at the full moon, Pavarana marks the end of the Rains Retreat for the Ordained.
16 Oct	World Food Day (UN)

UN Years and Decades

Title

International Year of Camelids, 2016 (UN)

International Year of Pulses, 2016 (UN)

Decade of Recovery and Sustainable Development for Communities Affected by 1986 Chernobyl Disaster, 2006-16 (UN)

Decade of Action for Road Safety, 2011-20 (UN)

Second International Decade for the Eradication of Poverty, 2008-17 (UN)

International Decade for People of African Descent, 2015-24 (UN)

Third International Decade for the Eradication of Colonialism, 2011-20 (UN)

United Nations Decade for Deserts and the Fight against Desertification, 2010-20 (UN)

United Nations Decade of Sustainable Energy for All, 2014-2024 (UN)

United Nations Decade on Biodiversity, 2011-20 (UN)

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