Sometimes the most powerful acts of peacebuilding happen in spite of circumstances, not because of them. UPF New Zealand’s commemoration of the United Nations World Interfaith Harmony Week 2023 — held on Saturday 4 February at the Peace Embassy, 24 St Stephens Avenue, Parnell — was one such occasion.
Just days before the gathering, Auckland had experienced its heaviest rainfall in 170 years of recorded history. Severe flooding had damaged thousands of homes across the city. Roads were compromised, communities were reeling, and the UPF New Zealand committee faced a difficult question: should the event go ahead?
The answer came from the Ambassadors for Peace themselves. Their collective willingness — their refusal to let a crisis silence a message about harmony — meant the gathering proceeded. And as if by grace, the day itself arrived sunny and warm. The theme chosen for 2023 could not have been more fitting: “Creating Harmony in a World in Crisis.”
A Community That Shows Up
Around 25 Ambassadors for Peace and faith leaders gathered at the Peace Embassy for the event — a number made all the more remarkable by the conditions of the week preceding it. Their presence was itself a statement: that the work of interfaith peacebuilding does not pause for hardship.
The programme was opened by Geoffrey Fyers, Secretary General of UPF New Zealand, who served as emcee and welcomed the gathering. Rev. Suamalie NT Iosefa Naisali, Chairman of the Interreligious Association for Peace and Development (IAPD) New Zealand, offered an inspiring opening prayer — grounding the occasion in the spiritual conviction that people of all faiths are, at their core, members of one human family.
Kenji Watanabe, Chairman of UPF New Zealand, then introduced the IAPD and offered a challenge to the assembled leaders: that religious communities must unite, so that the shared values of the world’s faiths can function as the conscience of society. In a world increasingly fragmented by ideology and fear, he argued, the moral voice of faith is indispensable.
Reaffirming a Shared Resolution
A significant moment in the programme was the reaffirmation of the Resolution adopted at the inauguration of IAPD New Zealand in 2019 — originally signed by approximately 70 participants. The Resolution was read aloud by Mrs. Ruth Cleaver, former President of the Auckland Interfaith Council, whose long history of interfaith service in Aotearoa lent the moment particular weight.
The act of reaffirmation was deliberate and meaningful. In a time of crisis — both local and global — it was a reminder that the commitments made in more settled times are exactly the commitments that must be renewed when the world becomes difficult.
Voices from Across the Faith Spectrum
The heart of the programme was a series of presentations from representatives across Auckland’s diverse faith communities. Each was invited to offer prayers for world peace and harmony, to share reflections on their tradition, or to give words of insight befitting the occasion:
- Rev. Sirr Christoffersen — representing the Sufi tradition
- Dr. Sheikh Mohammed Amir — representing the Muslim faith
- Mr. Rajender Kumar — representing the Sikh faith
- Mrs. Daisy Lee — representing Falun Gong, a Buddhist-based organisation
- Mr. Tej Ram — representing the Hindu faith
- Tuvaluan ministers — representing Pacific Island Christianity
The diversity of voices gathered in the Peace Embassy that Saturday reflected something of the extraordinary multicultural fabric of Auckland — a city where, within a short distance, you may find mosques, mandirs, gurdwaras, churches, and temples. UPF New Zealand’s interfaith gatherings exist to bring those communities into genuine dialogue, not merely symbolic proximity.
Looking Ahead to 2023
The event also served as UPF New Zealand’s kick-off meeting for 2023, with the organisation announcing its calendar for the year ahead. The flagship event — Youth and Family Peace Day on 11 November — was previewed as a major celebration of marriage and family culture, to be held at the Due Drop Events Centre in Manukau.
The announcement generated quiet excitement in the room. Youth and Family Peace Day would go on to become UPF New Zealand’s most significant public event to date, drawing over 350 people — a number that would have been hard to imagine on that February morning in the aftermath of the floods.
Refreshments were shared at the conclusion of the programme, and the atmosphere — despite everything the week had held — was one of warmth, resilience, and genuine community. As the 2023 theme declared: harmony is not the absence of crisis. It is what we choose to build within it.
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