Max Rashbrooke : Inequality: A New Zealand Crisis (PDF summary).

The gap between the rich and the rest has widened faster in New Zealand than almost anywhere else. So what does this mean for our values? Are we still an egalitarian country? And what is this widened gap doing to the social fabric of our country? Our guest speaker (whose great-great-great-grandfather and family were Unitarians from the UK who settled in New Plymouth), will discuss these issues and more in a thought-provoking look into one of the issues of our time. Max Rashbrooke is the editor of Inequality: A New Zealand Crisis, published in June 2013 by Bridget Williams Books, and the author of The Inequality Debate: An Introduction, published in March 2014, in paperback and as an e-book. He has written stories for national newspapers and magazines in Britain and New Zealand, including the Guardian, the National Business Review and Metro. He was also the recipient of the 2011 Bruce Jesson Senior Journalism Award. No audio available this week.

Reflections Upon Conflict and Reconciliation

by Myrna Mitchell

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A sermon based on her research on various contemporary approaches to peacemaking a propos the centenary of the Great War. Myrna Michell is a trained Unitarian minister who moved to New Zealand from the UK in January 2014 and is working now as an independent vocal teacher and piano accompanist.

The Quiet War on Asylum

by Tracey Barnett

Tracey Barnett has been a contributing commentator and columnist for The New Zealand Herald, The Sunday Star Times, and TV3, among others. She is the author of the new book, “The Quiet War on Asylum”, an introduction to asylum issues in New Zealand and the region and is the creator of the asylum rights campaign, “We Are Better Than That” (Facebook Page) for anyone who wants to learn more and stay up to date on refugee and asylum issues in NZ. No audio available this week.

A Spiritual Practice for Living our Seven Principles

by Rev. Jean McElhaney

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. Rev. Jean McElhaney, LPC, LCSW. will explore how the principles of Compassionate Nonviolent Communication (NVC) can help us align with and embody the 7 principles of Unitarian Universalism in our everyday lives. Jean is ordained as an interfaith minister and certified as a trainer with the Center for Nonviolent Communication.

by Rev. Myrna Michell

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Some people live outside and beyond their time, leaving an indelible footprint behind them. Abbess Hildegard of Bingen in Germany was one such person.

by Rev. Dr. Kim Jewel Elliott

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The traditional time for “Halloween” in the Northern Hemisphere where the veils between the world of the living and the dead are the thinnest.

with guest speaker Amanda Fleming

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Amanda will overview a framework for life that encourages you to activate your human superpowers. These powers — when matured to full adult functioning — will enable you to tune in to your evolutionary integrity – so you can be what you were designed to be.

Amanda is Director of PRESENTER AT LARGE LTD, an Auckland-based organisation dedicated to contributing to the evolution of human consciousness in individuals and organisations.

with guest speaker Julian McCusker-Dixon

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Julian’s dream, commitment, and passion is to live life in a state of abundant well being, choosing to live ‘heaven on earth’, inspired by a simple faith and hope, seeking only understanding.

with guest speaker Margaret Mohamed

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A child asked the Master “What is the purpose of our life?” He smiled lovingly and replied “To acquire Virtues”.

All religions teach us to be people with good character. The Virtues Project strategies are one powerful way to awaken, nurture and grow these qualities that make us human.

This work offers an approach to the virtues: the qualities of character and the simple elements of spirituality honored by all cultures and sacred traditions. However, it does not promote the practices or the beliefs of any particular religion. It’s grounded in the simple wisdom of many world religions, all of which describe the human virtues as the highest aspiration for humanity.

with guest speaker Don Smart

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Don was born in London and had a retired Quaker school teacher as his governess for the first 12 years of his life. He went on to be educated at Oxford. Don has been involved in setting up the National Centre of Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Otago.