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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
UNESCO Chair in Interreligious Understanding and Relations 
by paddy		 22/02/2010 11:39 p.m.
 
Race Relations Day 2010, “It’s about us” 
by paddy		 22/02/2010 11:39 p.m.
 
Te Korowai Whakapono: Religious Diversity Network News - February 2010 
by paddy		 22/02/2010 11:40 p.m.
 
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.
 
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 Events
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...
2/04/2010 12:00 a.m.   Three Day Inter-faith Pilgrimage Trail: Easter Weekend April 2nd, 3rd, 4th 
Over Easter weekend 2010 Hibiscus Hospice will again be organising a three day 40km overland trail from Riverhead to Puhoi.
The overland pilgrimage trail starts at the Hare Krishna temple in Riverhead and visits the Buddhist Temple, the Historic Settlers...
9/04/2010 12:00 a.m.   2010 Race unity Speech Award - Auckland 
The Race Unity Speech Award will be held again in support of Race Relations Day through March and will culminate with the finals on 10 April in Auckland.
This is the 10th anniversary of the nationwide speech contest.  The Speech Award challenges...
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
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.
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.
21 Mar
Autumn Equinox / PoututerangiUse SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
Wicca - The Autumn Equinox represents a time of reflection and contemplation of how the balance of light and dark tips at equinox and, as we now enter the dying time of the year, the mysteries of life and death. This is when we make the transition from outer to inner, from above to below.
  
 In the Maori calendar it is known as Poututerangi, when the crops are dug up. This was the beginning of the kumara harvest, perhaps the most significant event of the year. It was thought that Poututerangi came down to earth in autumn, bringing the harvest down with him. At harvest, European and Maori symbolism is surprisingly similar. The rua, or underground kumara pit, is a symbol which parallels the European imagery of the return of the seed to the earth. The stories of Persephone, Pani and the Mabon all follow
21 Mar
International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (UN)Use SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
21 Mar
Naw Ruz & BaháUse SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
Bahá'í Faith - Naw Ruz, New Year 167 BE of the Bahá'í Era. Bahá'ís feast and celebrate during the previous evening. The first month of the Bahá'í year is Bahá (Splendour).
21 Mar
Now RuzUse SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
Zoroastrianism - Now Ruz (New Day) is New Year's day for 1379 AY or 3748 AZ in the Fasli (seasonal) calendar. It celebrates the renewal of the world and the creation of fire (symbolic of Asha or righteousness). Zarathustra received his revelation on this day.
22 Mar
World Day for Water (UN)Use SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
24 Mar
RamanavamiUse SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
Hinduism - Ramanavami celebrates the birthday of Rama, the seventh incarnation of the God Vishnu. Hindus read the Ramayana, a Hindu epic, which tells the story of Rama, during the previous eight days.
25 Mar
International Day of Rememberance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade (UN)Use SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
26 Mar
Birth anniversary of ZarathustraUse SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
Zoroastrianism - Birth anniversary of Zarathustra.
28 Mar
Holy Week begins (Western)Use SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
28 Mar
Mahavira-jayantiUse SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
Jainism - Mahavira-jayanti celebrates the birthday of Lord Mahavira (Great Hero), the 24th Tirthankara (and the last of this time cycle).
28 Mar
Palm Sunday (Western)Use SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
Christianity (Western) - Palm Sunday celebrates the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. Holy Week culminates in Easter.
29 Mar
Eve of PesahUse SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
Judaism - Pesah, or Passover, commemorates the departure of the Israelites from Egypt. Celebrated for eight days, the first two and the last two days are holidays (the first and last days are holidays in Israel and among Reform Jews). Pesah begins at dusk (before sundown) on the previous day.
29 Mar
Holy Week begins (Eastern)Use SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
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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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