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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 has evolved from 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 have come together in an annual forum for the past few years.

For more information about this site, please contact Paddy Payne: 04-472-2021 (w); 04-472-2027 (f); info@interfaith.org.nz (e); PO Box 5428, Wellington (p).

 2009 National Interfaith Forum - Auckland

 News
Fifth Asia-Pacific Regional Interfaith Dialogue 
by paddy		 22/11/2009 3:17 p.m.
 
Te Korowai Whakapono: Religious Diversity Network News - November 2009  
by paddy		 22/11/2009 3:17 p.m.
 
Leading Rabbi on Interreligious Dialogue to visit NZ 
by paddy		 9/11/2009 12:07 a.m.
 
Te Korowai Whakapono: Religious Diversity Network News - October 2009  
by paddy		 9/11/2009 12:07 a.m.
 
Keeping Faith in the Modern World - National Interfaith Forums next 26-28 February in Christchurch 
by paddy		 22/11/2009 3:16 p.m.
 
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 Events
13/02/2010 10:00 a.m.   Learn about other Faiths - Wellington 
Traditionally many people in NZ come from a Christian background this is an opportunity to meet people from other faith communities and visit their places of worship.
 
During these two days (13 and 20 February) you will:
- Visit a local Hindu Temple,...
13/02/2010 6:30 p.m.   Reflections on the Parliament of World Religions (Melbourne) and the Asia Pacific Regional Interfaith Dialogue (Perth) - Wellington 
Participants at these meetings will share reflections and video clips from these 2 events.
- Lachlan Mackay (United Nations Association)
- Sister Catherine Jones (Christian)
- Dr Pushpa Wood (Hindu)
- Rehanna Ali (Muslim)
Chaired by Dr Khalid Sandhu...
20/02/2010 10:00 a.m.   Learn about other Faiths - Wellington 
Traditionally many people in NZ come from a Christian background this is an opportunity to meet people from other faith communities and visit their places of worship.
 
During these two days (13 and 20 February) you will:
- Visit a local Hindu Temple,...
26/02/2010 9:00 a.m.   5th National Womens Forum - Keeping Faith in the Modern World - Christchurch 
9.00 Registration
10.00 Welcome
10.10 Keynote speech. Margaret Maymen “My experience in faith, involvement in the UN and development of women’s rights”
Panel discussion - Living my Faith in the Modern World
       
...
26/02/2010 7:30 p.m.   7th National Interfaith Forum - Keeping Faith in the Modern World - Christchurch 
The Seventh National Interfaith Forum will be held in Christchurch on 26-28 February 2010 in Christchurch with the theme "Keeping Faith in the Modern World".
...
28/02/2010 2:00 p.m.   3rd National Youth Forum - “Faith and Sustainability in the next generation – tackling sustainability through the lens of religious duty and spiritual motivation" - Christchurch 
2.00 Registration
2.15 Intro and Ice breaker activities
2.30 Story of Stuff Presentation
3.00 Kate Hewson Lecture: The status of our future
3.20 Tea Break
3.30 Imam Afroz Ali: Sustainability and your faith - Getting Practical through small steps
...
21/03/2010 12:00 a.m.   Race Relations Day - National 
Race Relations Day in New Zealand marks the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. Activitities are organised throughout the country by ethnic groups, local councils, workplaces, schools, faith communities and media. Many multi-ethnic...
21/03/2011 1:00 a.m.   Race Relations Day - National 
Race Relations Day in New Zealand marks the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. Activitities are organised throughout the country by ethnic groups, local councils, workplaces, schools, faith communities and media. Many multi-ethnic...
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 Contact details for regional groups
Auckland Inter-faith Council, PO Box 21-551, Henderson
Pres: Mrs Suzanne Mahon, AIFC@slingshot.co.nz, 09-625-9898
 
Wellington Inter-Faith Council, PO Box 5203, Wellington 6145
Acting Pres: Mr Paddy Payne, paddy.payne@xtra.co.nz, 04-472-2021, 021-505-215 
Acting Sec: Dr Margaret Mayman, m.mayman@paradise.net.nz, 04-472-9376, 027-226-4608 
 
Christchurch Interfaith Council, Refugee and Migrant Centre, Peterborough & Madras St, Christchurch
Pres: Dr Ron Macintyre, Ronald.Macintyre@canterbury.ac.nz 
Sec: Dianne Downward, stepdown@slingshot.co.nz 

 Internet Sites and Resources
  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 ...
  BBC Multifaith Calendar An excellent multifaith calendar that allows you to look at festivals and holy days by religion or by month, with detailed info given about most dates
  BBC Religion & Ethics The BBC's site on religion and ethics with information areas on Atheism, Bahá'í, Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Jainism, Judaism, Mormonism, Paganism, Rastafari, Shinto, Sikhism, Taoism, Unitarianism, Zoroastrianism
  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 ...
  Center for Interreligious Understanding 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 ...
  Centre for Faith and the Media The Centre for Faith and the Media is an independent, non-profit organization to inform, advise and help media and the general public achieve a stronger understanding of spiritual history, practices and values in Canadian society.
  Council for a Parliament of the World's Religions The mission of the Council for a Parliament of the World's Religions is to cultivate harmony among the world's religious and spiritual communities and foster their engagement with the world and its other guiding institutions ...
  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.
  Interfaith Encounter Association The Interfaith Encounter Association is dedicated to promoting peace in the Middle East through interfaith dialogue and cross-cultural study ...
  Interfaith resources A list of some of the many organisations throughout the world which are involved in inter-religious activities ...
  Interfaithing Interfaithing is an interfaith social network community with daily interfaith news, videos, positive news, and a large interfaith resource. Our objective is to unite and grow the global interfaith community...
  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 ...
  International Council of Christians and Jews The ICCJ serves as the umbrella organisation of 38 national Jewish-Christian dialogue organisations world-wide.
  International Interfaith Centre, Oxford, England Building interfaith co-operation in the world ...
  Internationally recognised Values Education Program Living Values Education Program (LVEP) is a comprehensive values education program. This innovative global character education program offers a wide variety of experiential values activities and practical methodologies to educators, facilitators, parents
  Interreligious and International Federation for World Peace The IIFWP (Interreligious and International Federation for World Peace) 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 ...
  Jews, Christians, and Muslims working together 3faiths.org is a blog dedicated to telling the stories about positive interactions between the three abrahamic faiths: Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
  Multifaith Action Society of B.C. The Multifaith Action Society in Vancouver, Canada, was founded in 1972 as an ecumenical society and has become fully interfaith in nature and purpose ...
  MultiFaithNet MultiFaithNet is a self-access research, learning, information and dialogue tool, providing updated access to global electronic resources and interactions useful for study of world religious traditions and communities and the practice of inter-faith ...
  Parliament of the World's Religions The Council for a Parliament of the World's Religions was created to cultivate harmony among the world's religious and spiritual communities and foster their engagement with the world and its guiding institutions.
  PBS Religion and Ethics Since its debut in 1997, RELIGION & ETHICS NEWSWEEKLY has set itself apart from the mainstream media by providing distinctive, cutting-edge news coverage and analysis of national and international events in the ever-changing religious world.
  Peace Next Peace Next is the official social network of the Council for a Parliament of the World's Religions
  REonline Religious Education Online. REonline is a family of websites, with www.reonline.org.uk at its centre. Great resources for education of children of all ages.
  Spiritual "non-secular" Discussion Forum Spiritual / Gnostic / Mystic Discussion Forum for all sincere seekers of Ultimate Truth
  The Council of Christians & Muslims (Inc.) NZ Christians and Muslims in dialogue together. The Council exists to promote dialogue and respectful understanding between the two faith communities, and to work together towards the elimination of racism and religious discrimination in NZ society.
  The Inter Faith Network of UK The Inter Faith Network for the UK works to build good relations between the different religious communities in the UK at both national and local levels ...
  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 ...
  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 ...
  Waikato Interfaith Council Web site for the Waikato Interfaith Council.
  World Conference of Religions for Peace The World Conference of Religions for Peace is the largest international coalition of representatives from the world's great religions who are dedicated to achieving peace ...
  World Congress of Faiths 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 ...
  World Faiths Development Dialogue Its aim is to facilitate a dialogue on poverty and development among people from different religions and between them and the international development institutions.
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 Multifaith Calendar
Date
Title
12 Feb
MahashivaratriUse SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
Hinduism - Mahashivaratri is dedicated to Shiva, one of the major deities to whom Hindus direct their devotion. The night before the feast, Hindus recite texts, sing and tell stories in honour of this God whose dynamic cosmic dance creates, destroys and recreates the world.
14 Feb
Chinese / Vietnamese / Korean New Year 4708 - Year of the TigerUse SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
Buddhism - The first day after the new (dark) moon is a religious and cultural festival celebrated by Chinese, Vietnamese and Koreans of Buddhist and other backgrounds as New Year's Day for the year 4708 (Year of the Tiger) in the Chinese calendar.
15 Feb
Great Fast Begins (Eastern)Use SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
Christianity (Eastern Churches) - First day of The Great Fast (or the Great Lent), the 40 day period prior to the beginning of Holy Week, ending with Lazarus Saturday, the day before Palm Sunday.
17 Feb
Ash Wednesday (Western)Use SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
Christianity (Western) - Ash Wednesday is the beginning of Lent, the forty-day period (excluding Sundays) of prayer, repentance and self-denial that precedes Easter (Western Churches).
20 Feb
World Day for Social Justice (UN)Use SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
25 Feb
Mawlid al-NabiyUse SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
26 Feb
Ayyam-i-HaUse SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
Bahá'í Faith - The intercalary days inserted between the 18th and 19th months to complete the 365 or 366 day solar year.
27 Feb
Eve of Purim (begins at sundown)Use SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
Judaism - Purim celebrates victory over an oppressive ruler, as related in the Book of Esther, which is read at this time. The festival begins at sundown the previous day. Suspension of work is not required.
28 Feb
HoliUse SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
Hinduism - Holi, a colourful and joyous festival, is dedicated to Krishna or Kama.
28 Feb
PurimUse SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
Judaism - Purim celebrates victory over an oppressive ruler, as related in the Book of Esther, which is read at this time. The festival begins at sundown the previous day. Suspension of work is not required.
1 Mar
Hola MohallaUse SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
Sikhism - Hola Mohalla, a three-day festival following Holi; the tenth Sikh Guru, Gobind Singh started Hola Mohalla as a time for military preparedness exercises. Today, mock battles are followed by music competitions and festivities.
2-20 Mar
19 day FastUse SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
Bahá'í Faith - 19 day Fast is a time of preparation for Naw Ruz. Those of age and in good health abstain from food and drink from sunrise to sunset.
2 Mar
'Alá (Loftiness)Use SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
Bahá'í Faith - 'Alá (Loftiness), 19th and final month of the Bahá'í year
5 Mar
World Day of PrayerUse SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
7 Mar
Interfaith Services for Commonwealth DayUse SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
8 Mar
Commonwealth DayUse SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
14 Mar
Sikh New Year's DayUse SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
Sikhism - New Year's Day, the beginning of the year 542 of the Nanakshahi Era.
15 Mar
Ghambar Hamaspathmaedem beginsUse SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
Zoroastrianism - Ghambar Hamaspathmaedem occurs on the intercalary days and celebrates the creation of human beings. Souls who have passed away are remembered.
16 Mar
New Year's DayUse SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
Hinduism - New Year's Day. Bikarami Samvat 2067 begins.
20 Mar
Fall OhigonUse SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
Buddhism - Fall Ohigon is a special time for Jodo Shinshu Buddhists. They listen to the teaching of the Buddha and meditate on the perfection of enlightenment.
20 Mar
Ghambar Hamaspathmaedem endsUse SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
Zoroastrianism - Ghambar Hamaspathmaedem occurs on the intercalary days and celebrates the creation of human beings. Souls who have passed away are remembered.
20 Mar
Shunki-sorei-saiUse SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
Shinto - Shunki-sorei-sai, the March Memorial Service is held at home altars to revere ancestors as kami. Gravesites are cleaned and purified.
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 Resources
Final report of the New Zealand Delegation from the Asia Pacific Regional Interfaith Dialogue, Phnom Penh, Cambodia, April 2008  
by paddy		 25/09/2008 12:09 a.m.
 
Interfaith Directory 
by Paddy		 8/06/2008 9:43 p.m.
 
Proceedings of the 3rd Forum available 
by Paddy		 8/06/2008 9:42 p.m.
 
Understanding the Three Abrahamic Faiths: Judaism, Christianity and Islam 
by Paddy		 8/06/2008 9:42 p.m.
 
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