The February 2009 issue of IHN ran an article by Iain Middleton which, under the title 'Humanism in New Zealand,' was in fact only an account of the Humanist Society’s activities from the late 1970s to the early 1990s. I outlined some of the problems with the article in a letter published in the May 2009 issue, and here would like to offer a broader account of Humanism in New Zealand.

In a speech to the Human Rights Council on 16 June on behalf of IHEU, Professor Anthony Grayling called upon the international community to give far greater attention to the 1,500 maternity-related deaths that occur every day – the vast majority of the preventable. “We believe that wider recognition that this is indeed a human rights issue will provide additional momentum to efforts to reduce this appalling death toll.” (Pictures added.)

This has reference to Iain Middleton’s article, ‘Humanism in New Zealand’ in the February 2009 issue of the IHN. Contrary to Mr. Middleton’s claim that the Humanist Society of New Zealand is the ‘first and only exclusively Humanist Society’, there are three, four or five Humanist organisations in New Zealand, depending on how one understands the word.

Down under. It is a world I learned about during history lessons a long time ago. There was nothing positive that we were taught. England sent her worst criminals to that forgotten part of the world, and also women to keep the soldiers who guarded the prisoners, company. This was the image we got.

The Humanist Society of New Zealand (HSNZ), formed in 1967, has a proud forty-one year history as New Zealand's first and only exclusively Humanist Society. From its inception, it has supported the International Humanist and Ethical Union, and it has a history of innovation that others have sought to emulate.

In a new book, Max Wallace of the Australian National Secular Association argues that democracies should be republics characterized by constitutional separations of church and state and that it is not the role of a state to ‘advance religion’ through tax breaks.

South Australian Democrat MP Sandra Kanck has published a speech made to the South Australian parliament about euthanasia on a New Zealand site after the parliament voted to censor its own proceedings on its own web site.

Max Wallace

In my talk today I am going to argue there is no separation of church and state in Australia and New Zealand. There is formal separation in the United States and France. While there is no separation in Australia and New Zealand it is also true there is no separation in England. But the situations in Australia, New Zealand and England have to be distinguished.

I will argue separation of church and state is a basic requirement of democracy. Any nation that has not formalised it remains to a lesser or greater degree under the influence of the churches and has compromised its taxing powers. I say that is undemocratic and unacceptable.