NEWS AND EVENTS

Major Peter Thorpe who was an active member of the Wellington interfaith community passed away on 2 May 2007. Major Thorp was a well-known figure not just within the interfaith network but at the National Library and the larger Wellington community. A member of the Salvation Army since 1975, he was Chair of the Wellington Interfaith Committee and a member of the National Press Club. He served for seven years as Chaplain to the Law Courts in Wellington, and was for a time the Salvation Army representative on the former National Prison Chaplains Advisory Board. He had also been the National Director of External Relations for the Salvation Army. One of our subscribers from the Wellington Interfaith Council had this to say: "He will be remembered as a practitioner of inter faith that had a spirit of genius and kindness. Dear Peter our love goes to you as you join your ancestors and continue your work on the other side of the veil. You will be close to our hearts and the Wellington Inter Faith Council sends forth our great respect for you, a gentleman and a saint."

The first official Interfaith council for Christchurch was launched on April 26th with the Chief Human Rights Commissioner Rosslyn Noonan as the special guest. There were around 120 people who attended the launch at the Caledonian hall. The Christchurch Interfaith Council received messages of support from the Rt Hon Helen Clark which was read by Senior government whip, Tim Barnett and a message from Garry Moore, Mayor of Christchurch. The membership has grown with about 100 members at the moment. The interim committee includes Muslim, Christian, Buddhist, Baha'i with the following selected interim executive: Chair: Dr David Coles, Anglican Bishop of Christchurch, Vice-Chair: Rafaa Antoun, Christian, Secretary: Isaac Freeman, Baha'i. Their first AGM will be held in August where the executive committee will be officailly elected by the whole council membership. Please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

The 1^st New Zealand Hindu Conference was held in Auckland on 12 and 13 May 2007, with the theme being ‘The contribution of Hindu community to the national life of New Zealand'. The Rt. Hon. Helen Clark inaugurated this historic event for the Hindu community in New Zealand on 12 May at the Hindu Heritage Centre, Auckland. 240 people attended the inaugural session and 170 delegates participated in the workshop sessions where there was an active participation from various government agencies, professionals, university staff, business leaders, Maori elders, and community and youth leaders. The conference organisers were overwhelmed by the response that they received, and it appeared that the conference had caught the imagination of the people from all sectors.

The Hindu Council of NZ, aims to "deliver services of education, self-development, cultural development, sports development, and care for the elderly, youth and children; and to bring all like-minded organizations and institutions in New Zealand together to promote universal human value and co-existence." For more information please contact Sri Mysore, Publicity/Media Coordinator on 021 1742018.

Soka Gakkai International NZ (SGINZ), a lay Buddhist organisation, recently ran a non-violence workshop for high school students in Reporoa College in the Bay of Plenty.  The workshop is based on a programme called Victory Over Violence (VOV), a volunteer based movement focused on creating a sustainable non-violent culture.  VOV is designed to introduce ideas and techniques of non-violence and self respect to young people in New Zealand.  Although the Buddhist principle of respect for the sanctity of life inspires VOV facilitators, the VOV programme is entirely non-religious and is open to all people. The workshop in Reporoa College involved year 12 and year 9 students, and is part of a continuing programme VOV has with the school. SGINZ is part of Soka Gakkai International, a lay Buddhist organisation with 12 million members around the world.  SGI is an NGO with the UN which promotes peace, culture and education. For more information on VOV, please contact Melanie.

New Zealand based production company Pacific Crews who produced the series My God as been commissioned to do another a 10 part half hour television series exploring and celebrating the spiritual diversity of New Zealanders due to the popularity of the first series. Each programme focuses on the lifestyle and spiritual beliefs of one New Zealand personality. Participants are selected for their unique perspective on life, each representing one of New Zealand's many and diverse religious groups. The first series covered Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Baha'ism, Catholism, Mormonism and included episodes on the Samoan Congregational Church, Ratana and Pentecostal Presbyterian. The new 10 part series is scheduled to start screening in August.

Pacific Crews aim to create programmes that are both informative and entertaining.

A symposium entitled:"Cross Roads: Are we headed towards a society in which religious coexistence and interfaith expression is possible?" was held on 16 May at the Auckland University Chapel, Auckland City. The aim of the sympsium was to establish a national youth interfaith body. The symposium comprised of speakers from the three Abrahamic faiths (Judaism, Christianity, Islam) but was also attended by individuals from a cross section. The idea of the symposium came out of the Council of Christians and Jews and the Council of Christians and Muslims retreat that bought together young people from different faiths. The retreat was a starting point to identify the grounds for such an organisation such as: vision, mission, aims & objectives and a strategic plan for the next 2 years. Similar initiatives will also be happening in Wellington. Please contact Tayyaba Khan for more information.  

Exhibition: In God We Trust The Waikato Museum in Hamilton is working on presenting a large-scale community exhibition to examine the role of religion and belief in the Waikato at the beginning of the new millennium. The popularity of Christianity, the religion on which our laws are founded, has declined, but major non Christian religions including Islam, Sikhism and Hinduism have had increasing populations in New Zealand. The exhibition will provide an opportunity to learn about and explore the religions of their neighbours, co-workers and friends in a safe environment. For information contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ,

Students for Environmental Action and the Dunedin Interfaith Community, with support from University Chaplaincy held an open forum on Religion and the Environment at Otago University 8 May. The forum was an opportunity to discuss the role that religion plays in shaping our attitude towards the natural world and the current environmental crisis. Representatives from five major faith communities - Jewish, Christian, Muslim,  Hindu and Buddhist- answered questions concerning  what motivates them to care for the earth.  For information please contact Greg Hughson,

The Statement on Religious Diversity has now been published as a pocket sized booklet thanks to the generosity of the New Zealand National Commission for UNESCO.  The booklet, Religious Diversity in New Zealand, contains the text of the Statement, some statistics on religious diversity, a brief history of the Statement and commentary on the text to assist further discussion.  Organisations are invited to discuss and endorse the Statement, and to provide suggestions for further amendment, with a view to the Statement being reviewed in time for consideration at the annual New Zealand Diversity Forum in two year's time (August 2009).  For free copies of the booklet please email. 

FUTURE EVENTS

2007 New Zealand Diversity Forum 25-28 August. The fourth annual New Zealand Diversity Forum will take place in Auckland from 25-28 August 2007. Workshops and the plenary forum will on Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 August, but they will be preceded by a national youth forum on diversity and other events on Saturday 25 August and Sunday 26 August. A business forum and the EEO Trust annual awards (including a new workplace diversity award) are also planned for Wednesday 29 August and Thursday 30 August. All these events will form part of the overall New Zealand Diversity Forum 2007.

On Monday afternoon there will be Diversity Issues Forums which will include an Interfaith Forum on Religion and Schools hosted by the Victoria University Religious Studies Programme and the Auckland City Council. This year's interfaith forum will explore the issue of religion in schools in our increasingly diverse society.  Professor Paul Morris of Victoria University will give a challenging introduction to the three issues on which the forum will focus: teaching about religions, faith based schools, and religious instruction.  There will be panel discussions on each of these topics.  The forum will be of special interest to those involved in education - teachers, boards of trustees, parents, as well as policy makers and members of faith communities.

The Auckland Interfaith Council is hosting Building Bridges: a briefing with delegates attending the Regional interfaith dialogue meeting at Waitangi at 3pm Sunday, 27 May at the Auckland Cathedral, Chr St Stephen's Avenue & Parnell Road. This pre Waitangi briefing meeting is an opportunity to meet and engage with delegates attending the Regional Interfaith Dialogue meeting at Waitangi. New Zealand delegates will be present to discuss some of the issues that will be part of the agenda.  The overall emphasis of the Waitangi meeting will be on developing relations - or building bridges - between faith communities. Please contact Suzanne Mahon

The Auckland City Council will hold their second Interactive Community Forum on Interfaith Initiatives in June. The forum is organised to provide a space for dialogue and information sharing between various faith-based and interfaith groups. Auckland City Interfaith project team is also planning an Interfaith and Media forum for 2007. This forum will be modelled on an Ethnic and Media forum hosted by Auckland City in 2005. The forum provided mainstream media the opportunity to dialogue with ethnic community members in order to address issues around reporting in a multicultural environment. For more information please contact Abigael Vogt,  

The Auckland Interfaith Council will host the third in the series of Interfaith "lifecycle seminars" entitled Youth on 6 June at the LDS Chapel at 172-178 Surrey Crescent, Grey Lynn. Young people from five different religious backgrounds will each share briefly the significance of "coming of age" in their faith and the expectations and rites of passage associated with this life-cycle milestone. There will be opportunity for questions and discussion. The "Life-Cycle" series of seminars is supported by the Auckland City Council and is the Auckland Inter-Faith Council's contribution for 2007 to the New Zealand Diversity Action Programme. The seminar will be preceded by the annual general meeting of the Auckland Interfaith Council. The AGM is expected to last only 45 minutes. All welcome. Nominations for executive membership should be received by the secretary (P.O. Box 21-551, Henderson; or fax 837 4898 or email before that date. Nominations need to be accompanied by a signed acceptance by the nominee, who should be a paid-up member of the Auckland Inter-Faith Council. Refreshments will be served at 6.45 p.m. and the seminar will begin at 7.15 p.m. with the evening concluding at around 9.00 p.m.

When Freedoms Collides, The Very Rev, The Hon Dr Lois Wilson tour finishes with meetings at Dunedin on Sunday 20 May 4pm, Knox Hall, 449 George Street and Christchurch Monday 21 May 5.30 - 7pm, WEA 59 Gloucester Street. Admission $10. The Dr Lois Wilson tour has been well attended throughout the country with 350 people present at one of her earlier engagements at an intra-church panel discussion on the National Statement on Religious Diversity in Auckland. All talks have been filmed and can be purchased from Joan Buchanan. You can contact Joan on 0274853128.

The Islamic Womens Council of New Zealand is holding their National Islamic Women's Conference in Palmerston North on 29 June - 1 July. The theme of this year's conference is on Family Rights in Islam - Issues from the New Zealand perspective. Topics will include marriage, separation and divorce, inheritance and will, domestic violence and children at risk and adoption. The conference includes an open session for guest speakers and the wider community to join the delegates to discuss topical social issues relating to women  Please contact Aisha Shariff on 063576984 for further information.

Islam Awareness Week 2007 will run from 13-19 August. Planning is under way to define the theme and programme. Islam Awareness Week is a week of information and activities organised by the Federation of Islamic Associations of New Zealand to increase New Zealanders' awareness of their beliefs, values and practices, and to tackle misinformation about their religion in a positive way. Please contact Tariq Ashraf for enquiries.

 DID YOU KNOW ABOUT?

NZ to host two international dialogues on building understanding across cultures and faiths

Prime Minister Helen Clark said today that New Zealand will host two important international meetings this month which are aimed at promoting understanding across civilisations, culture, and religion.

Helen Clark said that New Zealand can play an important role in bringing diverse peoples together to build the basis for a more peaceful world.

Helen Clark said that the Government has organised the first symposium in the Asia-Pacific region on the major United Nations report on the Alliance of Civilisations initiative.

As well, the Third Asia-Pacific Regional Interfaith Dialogue will be held at Waitangi from 29 to 31 May. The dialogue is co-sponsored by New Zealand, Australia, the Philippines, and Indonesia.

The Prime Minister is expected to be joined at the opening session of the Interfaith Dialogue by Philippines President Gloria Arroyo, Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, and Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda. Foreign Minister Winston Peters will also attend.

"New Zealand strongly supports regional and international work to encourage inter-religious and inter-cultural understanding and co-operation. These dialogues have the potential to make an important contribution to world peace and security," Helen Clark said.

"The Alliance of Civilisations meeting, in Auckland on 24 May, will consider an initial regional response to the global UN Alliance of Civilisations initiative launched by the Secretary General in mid-2005. The initiative was first promoted by the Governments of Spain and Turkey.

"New Zealand sees the initiative as an important way of building relationships across the boundaries of civilisations, and in particular of working to reduce the level of suspicion and fear which has grown between the Islamic world and the West.

"The Symposium will bring together around forty current and former government ministers and eminent people, including academics and other experts, and religious and media figures, drawn mainly from the Asia-Pacific region. The symposium is being co-sponsored by the Government of Norway," Helen Clark said.

Symposium participants will develop a regional response to the report presented late last year to the United Nations by the Alliance's High Level Group of experts and will be the first event world-wide to focus a region's attention on the High Level Group's report and its implications.

The report is divided into two parts: the first focused on the Middle East, and the second setting out a series of practical recommendations in the fields of education, media, youth, and migration.

It proposes actions to reduce the barriers between civilisations, including strengthening education about other cultures and religions; encouraging media literacy; expanding internet access, particularly in Muslim countries; promoting youth exchanges; and improving the way in which migrants can be included into their new country.

Helen Clark said that the Interfaith Dialogue at Waitangi the following week brings together Asia-Pacific faith and community leaders and other civil society representatives from fifteen Southeast Asian and South Pacific countries to address potential causes of religious conflict and extremism in the region.

New Zealand will be represented by a delegation of eleven members drawn from its faith communities and those involved with community relations issues, such as the Race Relations Commissioner.

"The Waitangi meeting will focus on building bridges between the diverse communities in our region in the key areas of peace, development, security, and education," Helen Clark said.

New Zealand has been active in the Interfaith Dialogue since it first met in Indonesia in 2004. Helen Clark attended the Philippines-hosted second meeting last year.

O'Connor Asks Corrections To Review Communion Wine Rule

Press Release by New Zealand Government at 12:26 pm, 26 Apr 2007

Corrections Minister Damien O'Connor has asked the Corrections Department to reassess its decision banning communion wine in prisons.

Wine is a banned drug under the 2004 Corrections Act, and effectively means prisoners cannot celebrate mass, which involves tiny quantities of wine for ceremonial purposes.

Mr O'Connor said he was concerned when informed about the implications of the decision and this week asked the department to reassess its interpretation of the rule.

"The ban is clearly an unintended consequence of the Act. I understand a legislative change is not required and I hope we can continue to accommodate the invaluable services of the church through the prison system.

"My commitment is to run a system that encourages prisoner rehabilitation and facilitates the involvement of the community, including churches, which assist in the goal of rehabilitation."

Wearing of veils in UK courts by Muslim women

The Times of 24 April 2007  

The wearing of the Muslim veil in court was backed by new official guidelines today.

Senior judges who examined whether Muslim women should be allowed to wear the full facial covering, known as the niqab, said it should be decided on a case-by-case basis.

Muslim women should be permitted to wear the garment providing it did not interfere with the administration of justice, the Judicial Studies Board's Equal Treatment Advisory Committee said.

The guidance follows a case at an immigration court in Stoke-on-Trent last November where the judge, George Glossop, ordered an adjournment because he was having difficulty hearing legal executive Shabnam Mughal.

The guidelines said: "Each situation should be considered individually in order to find the best solution in each case."

Forcing a woman to choose between participating in a court case or removing the veil could have a "significant impact on that woman's sense of dignity", it added, and could serve to "exclude and marginalise" her.

Committee chairwoman Mrs Justice Cox said: "At the heart of our guidance is the principle that each situation should be considered individually in order to find the best solution in each case.

"We respect the right for Muslim women to choose to wear the niqab as part of their religious beliefs, although the interests of justice remain paramount.

"If a person's face is almost fully covered, a judge may have to consider if any steps are required to ensure effective participation and a fair hearing - both for the woman wearing a niqab and for other parties in the proceedings.

"This is not an issue that lends itself to a prescriptive approach - we have drawn on a wealth of cases that demonstrate that, and we have drawn up guidance for different court personnel and parties."

If the wearer is appearing as a victim, it should not be "automatically assumed" that the niqab would create a problem, the guidelines said.

"Nor should it ever be assumed without good reason that it is inappropriate for a woman to give evidence in court wearing the full veil," it added.

If a judge felt it necessary to ask a victim to remove her veil, he or she should consider the request carefully, and be "thoughtful and sensitive".

The courtroom could even be cleared of anyone not directly involved in the case for her to proceed with her evidence, it said.

Asking a witness or defendant to remove the garment may be appropriate but "careful thought" should be given to any such request, the guidelines said.

Regarding a Muslim woman appearing as a barrister, solicitor or other advocate, judges should assume they are entitled to wear the veil, it went on.

"There are few instances where an advocate or representative appearing in a niqab would be likely to present any real issue," it said.

"Just as in any case where a judge might have difficulty in hearing any party, witness or advocate, sensitively inquiring whether they can speak any louder or providing other means of amplification should suffice and such measures should be considered with the advocate before asking her to remove her veil."

Regarding jurors in niqabs, a judge may wish to consider excusing her if a challenge is made by one of the parties, it said, providing there is a genuine basis for the objection.

The guidelines come after widespread concern over the wearing of the niqab in schools - by both children and staff - as well as in other areas.

In February, a 12-year-old Muslim girl who wanted to wear a full-face veil in class lost her legal battle when a High Court judge dismissed a challenge to her school's uniform policy.

Mr Justice Silber rejected her claim that the school in Buckinghamshire had interfered with her right to freedom of religion under the Human Rights Convention

Note: The Human Rights Commssion produced a paper entltled "Muslim women, dress codes and human rights: an introduction to some of the issues."  Copies can be downloaded from our website http://www.hrc.co.nz/ on key search.

For more information about the Human Rights Commission Te Korowai Whakapono: NZ inter-faith Network, please contact:

Rohan Jaduram

09 3758640