New Zealand’s multicultural, multi-religious, multi-ethnic society is worth celebrating with a Te Tiriti-based public holiday says Multicultural New Zealand (MNZ) president Pancha Narayanan. We’re a multicultural nation At present, 28 percent of us identify as coming from a non-European migrant background Narayanan says. A 2021 MNZ initiative has already seen Multicultural Councils across the country Read more
King Charles III has pledged to “protect the diversity of our country, including by protecting the space for faith itself”. Speaking to faith leaders at a reception at Buckingham Palace, Charles emphasised his own strong Christian faith. It is a position the new king has long held. As Prince of Wales, he said he wished Read more
Few might guess at the 10 most common surnames given to New Zealand’s newborn’s last year. Our diversity is reflected in these 10 names, according to the Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Jeff Montgomery. The most common surname across New Zealand last year was Singh, with just under 400 babies registered under that name. Read more
Sikhism is booming faster than any other major religion in New Zealand, having more than doubled its number of followers here since 2013 – and more than quadrupled since 2006. But the surge has not come without growing pains, Read more
“I’d get in trouble with a lot of my fellow Christian ministers, but in schools, we don’t need Christian religious education, we need people to be literate about the religions that are in New Zealand,” said Anglican vicar John Hebenton, shortly after the Christchurch Mosque massacre. His voice is one a many that are calling Read more
After the response to the Christchurch murders, many Australians have looked more attentively to New Zealand for wisdom. Maori religious culture provides a way of exercising public religion. Public events include traditional Maori blessings, in which all are expected to join. Read more
The Destiny Church has been criticised for demonstrating outside the Al Noor Mosque in an attempt to reclaim Christchurch in the name of Jesus. The photo above shows Destiny Church Christchurch senior pastor Derek Marina Tait reaching out to a member of the Muslim community during the call to prayer and peace vigil at Hagley Park on Read more
“Following March 15 we have had a little time to take a breath,” says the child and adolescent psychiatrist Hinemoa Elder. “A chance to look at some of the ways we need to remember and be remembered. “It is a line in the sand: This our baseline. The only way from here is up.” Elder Read more
The study of religion has rapidly fallen into decline in New Zealand universities says Massey University’s Dr Wil Hoverd. “This follows a general trend occurring across the country, where religious diversity has been collapsed into broader discussions of biculturalism, ethnic diversity and superdiversity.” He says the result has been that “we lack the expertise to Read more
Muslim leaders are welcoming the chance to dispel myths about the faith, as more Kiwis reach out. They’re reporting a surge of interest in the religion in the wake of the Christchurch attacks. Ikhlaq Kashkari, president of the New Zealand Muslim Association, is delighted. He says everyday Kiwis are entering mosques for the first time Read more