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| Volume 3, Number 4 |
ISSN 1178-0924 |
May 2008 | |
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New Zealand Diversity Action Programme
Te Korowai Whakapono: New Zealand Interfaith Network
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Kia ora koutou katoa – welcome to Te Korowai Whakapono, the newsletter of the Interfaith Network.
The Interfaith Network is facilitated by the Human Rights Commission as part of the New Zealand Diversity Action Programme. Its purpose is to support and publicise groups that undertake interfaith activities, projects and programmes that contribute to religious tolerance, public understanding of religions, beliefs and interfaith cooperation for peace, security and harmonious relations.
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News and Issues |
| New Zealand Diversity Forum: 25-26 August |
| The proposed theme of the Religious Diversity Forum (part of the 2008 NZ Diversity Forum) on the afternoon of Monday 25 August is Discrimination, Harassment and Desecration, How safe is New Zealand for religious minorities? The NZ Statement on Religious Diversity affirms the right to freedom from discrimination on the grounds of religion or other belief, and the right of faith communities and their members to safety and security. The forum will provide an overview of minority faith communities’ experience of discrimination, harassment and desecration in New Zealand; members of various communities will speak of their own experiences; and there will be a discussion of what can collectively be done to address these issues. The workshop will continue the process of considering the Religious Diversity Statement, commenced at last year’s Diversity Forum with a consideration of religion and education. Further information on the Diversity Forum is available here. If you have experiences or information that you feel should be communicated to this forum, please email nzdiversity@hrc.co.nz. |
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New Zealand Sri Lanka Buddhist Trust opens new community facility |
| On Saturday 10 May the Mayor of Auckland, John Banks, officially opened the new community facility of the New Zealand Sri Lanka Buddhist Trust (NZSLBT). The Trust has long been involved in community work, and this has been recognised by the Auckland City Council, ASB Community Trust and Lottery Community Facility Fund, all of whom have been supportive with grants towards the construction of the new building complex. The complex consists of a community and meditation hall, library, and a learning centre for youth. The facility is expected to be available to the community from mid June. |
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2nd New Zealand Hindu Conference 16-18 May, Auckland |
| With a theme of Sustaining NZ Communities through health benefits of Yoga, Meditation and Ayurveda, the 2nd New Zealand Hindu Conference will be held in Auckland from 16-18 May. The Conference will discuss how the practices of yoga, meditation and ayurveda can contribute to enhancing the general, physical, mental and social wellbeing of communities in New Zealand, and a number of overseas experts will be presenting papers. The conference will be opened by His Excellency Te Arikinui King Tuheitia, the Māori King. For further information please email hinduconference@gmail.com. |
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Informal discussion on Religious groups in Malaysia 18 May, Auckland |
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This question and answer session will be held at Rationalist House, 64 Symonds Street, Auckland at 6pm on 18 May. For more information contact Judith De Leeuwe on (09) 373 5131 or email admin@nzarh.org.nz |
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Family Breakdown from a Spiritual Perspective 10 June, Auckland |
| The third in the 2008 series of seminars organised by the Auckland Inter-Faith Council (AIFC) will be held on Tuesday 10 June 2008, 7.30 pm at Beth Shalom Synagogue, 180 Manukau Road, Epsom. The topic is: Applying Spiritual Principles to Addressing the Problem of Family Breakdown. Speakers are: Lyndsay Freer, a Roman Catholic and well-known spokesperson for the Catholic Church in New Zealand; Fiona Lovett, a Religious Studies graduate, teacher and mother, who will speak from a Muslim perspective; Rev Paul Rajan, an independent Christian minister; and Lesley Max, CEO of Great Potentials and Chairman of The Parenting Council, who will on this occasion will speak from a Jewish perspective. There will also be a professional perspective given by an individual (tba) who is well placed to give an overview of the nature of the problem in this country. AIFC extends its appreciation to the Auckland City Council for its ongoing support of the seminar series. |
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AIFC AGM 10 June |
| The AGM of the Auckland Inter-Faith Council will be held prior to the seminar (6.45 - 7.30 pm) and this is open to anyone interested, particularly to find out about the work of the AIFC. Dinner will be served from 6.00 pm and the AIFC extends a warm invitation to interested persons to participate in the entire evening, although people are free to come to any portion of the evening's events. All are welcome. There is no charge. Any queries should be directed to aifc@slingshot.co.nz after 22 May. |
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Future Events |
| Waikato Interfaith Council Meeting |
| The next Waikato Interfaith Council meeting will be held on 17 June. Agenda items include discussion regarding the inclusion of groups such as Rationalists and Humanists in the Council, the Parliamentary Prayer, and the planning of a local event to acknowledge the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. |
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Multi-faith Conference at the University of Auckland 8-9 September |
| A multi-faith conference entitled Uni-Diversity: The challenges of change will be held at the University of Auckland in September. The conference will seek to address some of the issues and challenges that are reflected by the increasing diversity of New Zealand society. In the past, much of the thinking and talking about religion in New Zealand concerned Christianity. Today it includes Buddhism, Islam, Baha’i, Hinduism and many others. Some of the questions raised from this growing diversity are how various religious practices are accommodated in public institutions such as schools and universities, and how to cope with the fear of religious conflict. The Uni-Diversity conference will see to address some of these questions in the presentations of both international and local speakers from a variety of perspectives. For more information and for the programme please visit the conference website. |
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Did You Know? |
| Asia Pacific Regional Interfaith Dialogue |
After Yogyakarta, a delegation from Fiji was invited to join the dialogue to increase Pacific representation. The 15 countries that have taken part in subsequent dialogues are Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Fiji, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor L’Este, and Vietnam.
These fifteen nations together comprise 620 million people. They are made up of:
- 7 nations with under 10 million people (Fiji, NZ, PNG, Singapore, Timor, Brunei, Laos)
- 3 nations with 20-50 million people (Australia, Cambodia, Malaysia)
- 4 nations with 50-100 million people (Philippines, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam); and
- 1 nation with 245 million people (Indonesia)
Taken together, the 15 nations comprise approximately:
- 244 million Muslims
- 151 million Christians
- 149 million Buddhists
- 7 million Hindus
- 71 million other religions/no religion
The rubbing points in the region include majorities and minorities of each major religious group as follows:
- Christian majority, Muslim minority
- Muslim majority, Christian minority
- Muslim majority, Hindu & Buddhist minority
- Buddhist majority, Muslim minority
- Buddhist majority, Christian minority
- Christian majority, Hindu & Muslim Minority
- Intra-faith, Buddhism, Islam, Christianity
A summary of the outcomes of the dialogue process to date, based on individual country reports, was presented to a plenary of the Phnom Penh conference by the New Zealand delegation as follows:
- Faith leaders have established stronger relationships nationally and regionally
- Governments and faith communities have engaged more within each country
- Grassroots interfaith activity has increased
- International exchanges (media, academic, youth, women) have increased
- Regional support for global interfaith initiatives has grown
- Initiatives have been taken within and between countries in education programmes
- In schools
- In universities
- Training religious leaders
- Training government officials
- Training media practitioners
- National Action Plans and Programmes have been developed
The delegation’s full report, including recommendations to New Zealand faith communities and the New Zealand government, will be available very shortly. If you would like a copy, please email nzdiversity@hrc.co.nz
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