New Zealand representative pistol shooter Raymond O'Brien and his wife Victoria Pichler are opening what they say will be the southern hemisphere's best shooting facility.

"The Mediation Centre hosts up to 1,500 meditators a year. They attend a 10-day residential courses and are not meant to talk for the first nine days.

"This is a very beautiful valley and extremely quiet. It offers a pristine and tranquil environment for our students. We don't know how it will affect us," head meditation teacher Ross Reynolds said.

The gun club, two valleys away, will eventually sport 30 gun ranges - including two shotgun ranges and a 300 metre rifle range.

Residents in the wider rural community of Makarau are also concerned.

"We can hear their bell as they start meditation classes so they will certainly be able to hear any gun fire," said Lesley Rowntree, one of the 15 lifestyle block residents and immediate neighbours of the new gun club.

Another neighbour, Chris Allen, fears for the safety of his two young children and is also angry at the prospect of the noise.

"They say the sound would be like rainfall on the roof, but who wants to listen to that all weekend."

O'Brien say he is between a rock and a hard place - wanting to be a good neighbour, while growing shooting as a sport in New Zealand.

"I approached the council asking where an appropriate piece of land with the right zoning would be.'

"Acoustic testing has been carried out and we're below the threshold."

"A bird call from 10 metres away is 60 decibels, while our readings were 48 and lower."

"There is a demand for a facility like this - it's a growing sport and if we want to be competitive in it we need a facility that will foster training and growth."

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The New Zealand Community for Christian Meditation (NZCCM) is hosting the prestigious John Main Seminar, an event that is held in a different country each year.

NZCCM national coordinator, Vincent Maire, says the seminar is named after Fr. John Main "an English Benedictine who re-discovered Christianity's tradition of prayer using a mantra."

The seminar and pre-seminar silent retreat have so far attracted more than 230 registrants.

"We are thrilled that almost half of those coming to the event are from overseas. At least 11 countries are represented and we are expecting up to 300 by the time registrations close at the end of November," said Maire.

The week-long event starts on Monday 12 January with a three-day silent retreat led by Fr. Laurence Freeman

Fr Laurence is the spiritual leader of the World Community for Christian Meditation and he will be talking on Meditation as a Modern Spiritual Path.

The seminar commences later afternoon on 15 January.

Melbourne academic and writer Prof. David Tacey is presenting on Spirituality and Religion in a Secular Age.

"David Tacey is the author of numerous books about the way religion and spirituality have diverged over recent decades."

"His view is that while it's not popular in today's climate to point to the ongoing connection between the two, in ideal conditions they have a great deal to offer each other," says Maire.

Further information can be found on the event's website,
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