What we believe

Presbyterians are a passionate bunch of people, and we believe that our society can be judged by the treatment of its most vulnerable members. We have been, and will continue to, take a stand to work with those on the margins and to build communities and an environment that we - and our children - can be safe in. We will be speaking out on these and other important issues facing our communities.  To find out more about the Church’s position on these matters, read on:

Family violence

The Church believes that nurturing and supporting families is the best way to improve the health of our society.  An important aspect of this is having a zero tolerance to violent behaviour. We believe in, and will advocate for, the importance of individuals taking action to stamp out acts of violence committed by family members against their partners and children. Through our work, we aim to create a culture within our society where violence is unacceptable. [more]

Caring for the environment

We say yes to a sustainable and zero carbon economy: we say no to policies and practices that contribute to unsustainable growth such as dependence on fossil fuels and excessive lifestyles. We advocate for movement towards clean and sustainable energy and action to limit destructive human impacts on the environment, and support the Government's ratification of the Kyoto protocol. [more]

Euthanasia

The Church believes that all life is precious. It is our view that we are created in God’s image and accordingly human life is sacred. That Church declared in 2018 that it does not support provision for euthanasia and medically-assisted suicide as proposed in the End of Life Bill. We believe that any legally-sanctioned provision for doctors to actively end people’s lives or assist them to die is ethically unacceptable and would in the long-term be dangerous for public safety - especially for those who are seriously ill, depressed, disabled or very elderly. [more]

Marriage

The Presbyterian Church upholds the historic Christian understanding of marriage as the loving, faithful union of a man and a woman. Consistent with this view, the Church has decided that its ministers may only conduct marriages between a man and woman. [more]

Youth suicide

Every suicide is one too many.  We will advocate for much-needed funding to strengthen the mental health system so that it can better support young people.  The Government’s recent (May 2007) $23.1m commitment over the next four years doesn’t go far enough.  Adolescent mental health is a really complex area to work in and needs more resources committed to it. [more]

Getting older

The Church supports the right of older Kiwis to stay in their own homes as long as possible through “ageing in place” and urges the Government to make this a reality rather than just a policy objective.  In particular, intervention is required to implement universal building design principals that will minimise the cost of building adaptation to meet the needs of those with disabilities.  The Church also calls for further resources to be committed to improving the status, training and pay for aged care workers. [more]

Cultural diversity

Immigration and diversity contribute to the richness of our country.  The Church endorses the strategy to attract skilled migrants to New Zealand. We, however, urge the Government to strengthen its commitment to re-settling migrants - especially in the area of access to employment.  Increased focus is needed on strategies to help migrants obtain work that is appropriate to their skills and experience. Through our social service arm - www.ps.org.nz - the Church continues its long involvement in serving those in need.  Check out the Presbyterian Support website for real-life programmes and examples of Presbyterian mission in action. [more]