The following is an excerpt from Nigel Heywood's reflections on the The Imam and the Pastor tour in New Zealand from 21 - 28 August 2019. Nigel travelled with Pastor Dr James Wuye and Imam Dr Muhammad Ashafa for seven days through Dunedin, Christchurch, Wellington and Auckland as they met and shared their stories with a wide range of audiences.

Women building Peace- TableTalk Luncheon hosted by Creators of Peace, Salaam Group and Pan Pacific South East Asia Women's Association

Imam Dr Muhammad Ashafa and Pastor Dr James Wuye
New Zealand visit – 17 to 28 August 2019

Becca Barrow talks about her experience being part of the Caux Scholars Program in India.

At the launch of Islam Awareness Week in Wellington, NZ, last month, IofC NZ was presented with the annual Harmony Award by the Federation of Islamic Associations in NZ (FIANZ). Congratulating IofC NZ, the CEO Sultan Eusoff said it was 'in recognition of (IofC's) dedication and sincerity to create sustainable peace and harmony in our lives and our surroundings by connecting people of all religions, races and cultures'.

We were very pleased that Suliana and Priscilla were able to provide insight into the Fijian context that we would be working under. Ratu Meli opened the first Circle and spoke movingly about the importance of women working in their communities to bring peace where it is much needed.

There are sometimes misperceptions that the Creators of Peace Circle Programme was developed solely for trouble-spots of conflict, and questions raised to how relevant it would be in a (relatively) peaceful country like New Zealand.

Facilitators of Creators of Peace Circles are trained for the role. In recent weeks trainings have taken place in three countries. Jean Brown gathers the stories

As part of her schedule while in New Zealand to train Creators of Peace Circle facilitators, Shoshana Faire ran a public seminar on Wednesday 10 February in the Federation of Islamic Association of New Zealand (FIANZ) boardroom in Kilbirnie, Wellington, New Zealand.

The Imam and the Pastor and An African Answer, were screened at the Wellington Islamic Centre. The Abrahamic Council were hosts to the 40 who gathered to see the films. The initiator Sultan Eusoff, Co-Chair of the Council, welcomed everyone.