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NZ Interfaith Group

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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).

 2011 National Interfaith Forum - Wellington

 News

Religious diversity in the workplace: questions and concerns 
by Paddy
 19/01/2012 7:48 a.m.
 
The 500 Most Influential Muslims 2011 
by Paddy
 19/01/2012 7:48 a.m.
 
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 Events

9/11/2012 12:00 a.m.   World Festival of the Heart - Melbourne 
The Festival will bring together some of the foremost world figures in spirituality, the sciences and the arts, to celebrate their work and achievements in a spirit of oneness, openness and enquiry and to participate in their remarkable creativity.
21/03/2013 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...
21/03/2014 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
Pres: Mrs Ruth Cleaver, mcleaver @ xtra.co.nz
Vice Pres: Mr Gul Zaman, zaman @ orcon.net.nz
 
Waikato Interfaith Council
Sec: Mr Todd Nachowitz, wifconz @ gmail.com
http://wifco.wikispaces.com
 
Wellington Inter-Faith Council
Pres: Mr David Zwartz, zwartz @ actrix.gen.nz, 04-475-7622, 027-475-7722
Sec: Mrs Eileen Mueller, nzmueller @ clear.net.nz, 027-479-9731
 
Christchurch Interfaith Council
Pres: Derek McCullough, units @ clear.net.nz 
Sec: Ina de Paauw-Fontein, ina @ depaauw.co.nz
www.christchurchinterfaith.org.nz
 
Dunedin Abrahamic Interfaith Group
Chair: Rev. Greg Hughson, see their website for email address
Sec: Mrs  Mai  Tamimi, mai_t73 @ yahoo.com

 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 ...
  Council of Christians and Jews The Council of Christians and Jews 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.
  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 ...
  Interfaith Youth Core Our interfaith leaders are building a movement of young people from all faiths and traditions who are working together to change the world
  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 ...
  New Zealand Sikh Society (Wellington) The New Zealand Sikh Society (Wellington) Inc. was Incorporated on 24 June 1991. The main objective of the society is to preach the teachings of Sikhism, to provide religious services and ceremonies, to foster a better understanding among the people of NZ
  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
  Religions for Peace Religions for Peace is the largest international coalition of representatives from the world's great religions dedicated to promoting peace
  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 ...
  United Religions Initiative United Religions Initiative started in 2000 after the signing of a Charter for a United Religions Initiative focused on promoting grass-roots changemakers across the religious, cultural and geographic boundaries of the world
  Waikato Interfaith Council Web site for the Waikato Interfaith Council.
  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.
  World Interfaith Harmony Week The World Interfaith Harmony Week is 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.
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 Multifaith Calendar

Date
Title
21 May
World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development (UN)Use SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
22 May
International Day for Biological Diversity (UN)Use SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
23 May
Declaration of the BábUse SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
Bahá'í Faith - Declaration of the Báb commemorates the day in 1844 on which he announced his identity as the Báb, or Gate, the herald of the new age.
24 May
Ascension (Eastern)Use SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
Christianity (Eastern) - Ascension is the anniversary of Jesus' ascension into heaven and enthronement as universal sovereign. It comes forty days after Easter.
26 May
Eve of Shavuot (begins at sundown)Use SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
Judaism - Shavuot (Weeks: the plural of the Hebrew word for seven) marks the conclusion of the period of seven weeks that follows Pesah. Shavuot commemorates the giving of the Torah to the Israelites and the completion of God's purpose to create a special people. It is celebrated for two days in the diaspora and for one day in Israel and among Reform Jews. Shavuot begins at sundown the previous day.
27 May
Pentecost (Western)Use SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
Christianity (Western) - Pentecost (also known as Whitsunday in some churches) is the commemoration of the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples of Jesus following his ascension (Acts 2:1-11). It comes fifty days after Easter (Western).
27 May
First day of ShavuotUse SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
Judaism - Shavuot (Weeks: the plural of the Hebrew word for seven) marks the conclusion of the period of seven weeks that follows Pesah. Shavuot commemorates the giving of the Torah to the Israelites and the completion of God's purpose to create a special people. It is celebrated for two days in the diaspora and for one day in Israel and among Reform Jews. Shavuot begins at sundown the previous day.
28 May
Last day of ShavuotUse SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
Judaism - Shavuot (Weeks: the plural of the Hebrew word for seven) marks the conclusion of the period of seven weeks that follows Pesah. Shavuot commemorates the giving of the Torah to the Israelites and the completion of God's purpose to create a special people. It is celebrated for two days in the diaspora and for one day in Israel and among Reform Jews. Shavuot begins at sundown the previous day.
29 May
Ascension of Bahá'u'lláhUse SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
Bahá'í Faith - Ascension of Bahá'u'lláh marks the anniversary of the death of the founder of the Bahá'í Faith. Bahá'ís suspend work on this day.
29 May
International Day of UN Peacekeepers (UN)Use SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
31 May
World No Tobacco Day (WHO)Use SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
3 Jun
Trinity Sunday (Westerm)Use SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
Trinity Sunday (Western) is a celebration of the Christian understanding of God in Three Persons (Father, Son, Holy Spirit). It comes one week after Pentecost
3 Jun
Pentecost (Eastern)Use SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
Christianity (Eastern) - Pentecost is the commemoration of the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples of Jesus following his ascension (Acts 2:1-11). It comes fifty days after Easter.
4 Jun
PosonUse SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
Buddhism - Poson celebrates the anniversary of the arrival of the Arahant Mahinda, son of King Asoka, who first brought Buddhism to Sri Lanka. Poson is characterised by day-long processions and ceremonies at Mihintale which is now the site of a great Buddhist temple at Ambasthale Dagoba.
4 Jun
International Day of Innocent Child Victims of Aggression (UN)Use SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
5 Jun
Núr (Light)Use SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
Bahá'í Faith - Núr (Light), the 5th month of the Bahá'í year.
5 Jun
World Environment Day (UN)Use SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
8 Jun
World Oceans Day (UN)Use SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
10 Jun
All Saints Day (Eastern)Use SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
Christianity (Eastern) - All Saints Day honours Christian saints throughout the ages
16 Jun
Mi'rāj al-Nabiy (begins in the evening)Use SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
Islam - Mi'rāj al-Nabiy commemorates the ascension (al-Mi'rāj) of the Prophet to heaven. Muslims interpret the event literally and symbolically. The festival begins in the evening.
16 Jun
Martyrdom of Guru Arjan Dev JiUse SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
Sikhism - Martyrdom of Guru Arjan Dev Ji (1563-1606). Arjan was the first Sikh Martyr and the fifth Guru. He built the Harimandir (Temple of God) in which Sikhs could meet for worship, in the town of Amritsar (Pool of Nectar). To emphasise that the Sikh way was open to all, regardless of caste, he constructed the temple with doors facing all four directions. Sikhs remember Arjan for contributing to and compiling the Sikh Scriptures.
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 UN Years and Decades

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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.
 
Understanding the Three Abrahamic Faiths: Judaism, Christianity and Islam 
by Paddy
 8/06/2008 9:42 p.m.
 
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