Graeme Reeves: Is New Zealand a “secular” society or have we descended into a “sectarian” society?

Noted humanist and author Jim Herrick defines secularism as follows,” Secularism in the largest sense means that people do not refer to religion to make decisions, to adopt policies, to run their lives, to order their relationships, or to impel their activity.”  

For our purposes we can substitute the word    “people” with the word “state”.

The Cambridge Dictionary defines a sectarian as, “a person who very strongly supports the religious or political group that they are a member of, in a way that may cause problems with people of other groups.”

At the inaugural meeting on the Kaipara District Council’s Council meeting the New Mayor intervened when the newly elected Maori Ward Councillor attempted to recite, without notice or consent, a Karakia.

The Mayor justified his action as follows,” This is a council that’s full of people who are non-religious, religious, of different ethnicities and I intend to run a secular council here which respects everybody and I will not be veering from that .”