by Peter Harrison | Nov 20, 2018 | News
Recently Auckland Council reviewed the rates paid by religious organisations. While the Local Government (Rating) Act 2002, enacted by the central government, has placed limits upon Council’s discretion by specifying categories of property that are fully...
by Colin Feslier | May 18, 2018 | News
I’ve been thinking about the recent discussions about Islam. The issue seems to be: what policies are needed, if any, to respond to 1) the growth of Islam in the west and 2) Islamic terror from a Rationalist and/or Humanist perspective? Here are my thoughts from a...
by Peter Harrison | May 9, 2018 | News, Schools Campaign
Three years ago the Ministry of Education committed in mediation to prepare guidelines for schools in relation to religious instruction in schools. The Ministry then refused to continue work while human rights litigation was in progress. Recently there has been an...
by Peter Harrison | May 9, 2018 | News, Schools Campaign
If there was ever a good example of why religious instruction in New Zealand primary schools is a bad idea Geoff Robson’s opinion piece would be it. If we want our schools to be a tolerant environment where children from any background or belief system can...
by Peter Harrison | Apr 15, 2018 | News
New Zealanders are increasingly stating that they have no religious affiliation. We’re fast approaching a tipping point where non-religious beliefs and values will be held by the majority. So, what happens in a country when the beliefs and values we share are based on...
by Peter Harrison | Mar 25, 2018 | News
Justice Minister Andrew Little has introduced legislation to repeal Blasphemous Libel, listed in the Crimes Act. The last prosecution for Blasphemous Libel was in 1922, but was unsuccessful. Publisher John Glover was prosecuted after publishing a poem concluding with...
