On Tuesday 5 November 2024 the Humanist Society of New Zealand voted to formally wind up and operate as an informal branch of the New Zealand Association of Rationalists and Humanists.

The change is timely. The NZARH and the Humanist Society have increasingly worked together. For example, in 2018 we worked jointly to host the International Humanist Congress in 2018. We also both supported the advertising campaign in 2018 and 2023 to encourage people who are not religious to tick the “not religious” option in census, and in 2023 we worked together to raise funds to support Nigerian human rights activist and President of the Humanist Association of Nigeria, Mubarak Bala, who was sentenced to 24-years in prison after an eighteen-count charge of blasphemy and public incitement. 

Members of the Humanist Society of New Zealand have been asked if they would like to have their membership transferred to the NZARH.