News & Views
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Out of Control?
Some years ago, I visited a friend who had a young hunting dog. He was very proud of how he was training his dog and how the dog was performing at competitions.When I asked him to give me an example, he took me to a nearby lake where he had been training his dog. He…
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AI and the Sorcerer’s Apprentice
Pride, laziness, impatience and over-confidence without carefully evaluating the consequences. An apprentice wants to imitate the master without having either the full knowledge nor the wisdom that the master had acquired over years.This story might be as old as humanity, but nobody described it so poignantly as the German poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe in…
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Tūmanako – Hope for Peace in the World
“Peace cannot be attained through violence. It can only be attained through understanding.” A wise statement coming from a young student who painted a flying peace dove with an olive branch.On the 9th of August 2026, the 81st anniversary of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, three days after the anniversary of the atomic bombing of…
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Liturgical Spirituality
Catholics are aware of rules and regulations when it comes to celebrating Mass. During the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) many existing rules were revised. The participants of the Council looked at the roots of the practices in the Church, the origin of some traditions that were introduced in later centuries and which might have led…
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Virtues – Our Special Qualities
Virtues are part of being human – they are “values in action”.At this year’s Auckland Inter-Faith Council’s Dialogue & Learning event, Margaret Mohamed introduced the participants to the Virtues Project which was developed in Canada 35 years ago and offers tools for personal growth and healing, and a path to deeper meaning, purpose and joy…
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Religious Diversity in Aotearoa New Zealand
The new edition of the document “Religious Diversity in Aotearoa New Zealand”, a Statement on Religious Diversity was launched in Auckland on the 1st of July 2026. Members of the Auckland Inter-Faith Council were also included in the consultation phase of this 4th edition since 2004.The introduction to the document starts with these words:“Aotearoa New…
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Our Common Future Built on Faith
“A happy and engaging event of people of faith” – a comment made by one of the attendees summing up a celebration organised by the AIFC (Auckland Inter-Faith Council) on 15 June 2026.In 2023, when the AIFC celebrated its 20th anniversary of its first inaugural meeting of the Council which was held on 11 June…
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Meeting under God’s Rainbow
Members of the Abrahamic traditions celebrating 30 years of the Auckland Council for Christians and Muslims (CCM) The big windows in the Selwyn Chapel of the Auckland Anglican Trinity Cathedral provided an amazing view: the sun and rain taking turns – and sometimes they even seemed to be visible at the same time…This was a…
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Ecumenical Walk 2026
More than 150 people joined the traditional Good Friday Ecumenical Walk in Beach Haven and Birkdale in 2026. In imitation of the beginning of Matthew’s account of the Passion of Jesus, we began by gathering in the Cedar Centre’s Community Garden. Standing between vegetable plants and herbs in the Anglican Community Garden gave us a…
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NZCBCIR Meeting 2026
“Our Kaupapa is Dialogue” Aotearoa New Zealand is ranking as the 16th most religiously diverse nation in the world. With only about 4.6million people and about half of the population considering themselves as not affiliated to any religion, the other half is religiously very diverse. Even the diversity of Christian churches and denominations is increasing.…