Latest Press Releases
At times we choose to enter the public discourse, when important topics of relevance to those with no religious belief are being discussed. One way we do this is through the publication of Press Releases, and our recent releases can be read below.
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Skeptics & Rationalists Put Their Money Where Their Mouth Is
From April 1st 2023 the NZ Skeptics, along with the NZ Association of Rationalists and Humanists, are offering a one hundred thousand dollar (NZ $100,000) prize as part of the NZ Skeptics Challenge – and this is definitely not an April Fool’s joke! Until recently the well known skeptic Stuart Landsborough, of Wanaka’s Puzzling World, […]
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2021 Freedom of Thought Report
Humanist New Zealand, promoting humanism, secularism, reason, and science is pleased to see the Launch of the Freedom of Thought Report 2021 prepared by Humanists International. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1948 enshrines the fundamental right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion in article 18. Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil […]
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Please Help Nigerian Humanist Mubarak Bala
Humanists around the world have been eagerly watching and waiting for developments in the case of human rights advocate Mubarak Bala, President of the Humanist Association of Nigeria. On 28 April 2020, Mubarak was arrested and taken from his home in Kaduna state, Nigeria, by officers from Kano State Police Command, after he was accused […]
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New Bill Ends Court Case
Hema Paterson, President of the New Zealand Association of Rationalists and Humanists, has applauded Tanya Jacob and David Hines for their tireless work challenging religious instruction allowances in the Education Act. Jacob and Hines worked for years to gather evidence to bring a legal case before the High Court, in order to have the Education […]
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No religion overtakes Christianity in 2018 census results
Humanists are calling for an end to the concessions afforded to Christian groups, as the number of non-religious people overtakes all other belief groups in New Zealand combined. This week, the release of data from the latest census has confirmed that New Zealand’s non-religious population continues to grow, with 48% of the population now identifying […]
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Humanist Society welcomes the repeal of New Zealand’s Blasphemy Law
Humanist New Zealand congratulates members of the New Zealand parliament on their unanimous vote this week to repeal Section 123 of the Crimes Act 1961, the law against Blasphemous Libel. Humanist NZ has long called on the government to scrap our outdated blasphemy law. This landmark decision is a clear sign of our country’s commitment […]
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Rationalists condemn Christian privilege
In November last year Trevor Mallard made the decision to modify Parliament’s opening prayer to be more inclusive. The NZARH applauded this decision, although we believe it could have gone further to be inclusive of over 40% of New Zealanders who are not religious. It has been reported that the Celebration Church of Wellington will […]
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Freedom of Thought report for sixth year running shames New Zealand for discrimination against non-religious people
The 2017 edition of the 2017 Freedom of Thought Report has today highlighted “severe discrimination” against non-religious people in New Zealand. The report, published by the International Humanist and Ethical Union, has called New Zealand out for the severity of our outdated blasphemy law that is still lingering in our legislation, despite repeated attempts to […]
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New Zealand’s embarrassing Blasphemy Law to stay
Yesterday a bid to repeal New Zealand’s outdated blasphemy law was voted down, after the National and Maori parties voted against it. Chris Hipkins, the MP who tabled a Supplementary Order Paper to add our Blasphemy Law to the Statutes Repeal Bill currently making its way through Parliament, posted on his Facebook wall at 9pm […]
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Humanist call for repeal of New Zealand’s outdated blasphemy law
The Humanist Society today renewed calls to repeal New Zealand’s outdated blasphemy law. The group cites the blasphemy investigation by Garda Síochána in Ireland against Stephen Fry as an example of how blasphemy laws are used to limit free speech and human rights. New Zealand received a ranking of extreme in the 2016 Freedom of […]
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Rationalists lay complaint against Human Rights Commission
A complaint against the Human Rights Commission has been laid by the New Zealand Association of Rationalists and Humanists, citing the HRC’s failure to address state sanctioned religious discrimination in primary schools. Peter Harrison, President of the Rationalists said “It is about time that the Human Rights Commission take a long hard look at how […]
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Humanist Society of New Zealand elects new President
The Humanist Society of New Zealand has today announced the election of Sara Passmore as President, with a commitment to work on behalf of New Zealanders who are not religious and provide them with a crucial voice in public life. In the last census, over 41% of New Zealanders said they did not have a […]
