PODCAST · religion
Auckland Unitarians
by Auckland Unitarians
A weekly (usually) service from Auckland Unitarian church. We are a group of free thinkers who are committed to supporting each other in our individual spiritual journeys in a generous, kind and compassionate community of progressive Christians, humanists, atheists, neo-pagans, and seekers, with the occasional Muslim and Hindu joining us. We respect all faith perspectives that concur with our seven principles.
Episodes
-
Jazz is Life — What Music Means, Talk Only
Speaker:- Caitlin Smith Celebrated local jazz singer/songwriter/poet. Worship Leader:-Rachel Mackintosh. Meditation / Conversation starter How do we keep our thoughts loving? How do we remain open to loving thoughts? Recorded at Auckland Unitarian Church 11th October 2026. For more information...
-
Jazz is Life — What Music Means, Full Episode
Speaker:- Caitlin Smith Celebrated local jazz singer/songwriter/poet. Worship Leader:-Rachel Mackintosh. Meditation / Conversation starter How do we keep our thoughts loving? How do we remain open to loving thoughts? Recorded at Auckland Unitarian Church 11th October 2026. For more information...
-
Blessing of the Animals - Talk Only
Speaker & Worship Leader:-Rachel Mackintosh. Today is St Francis of Assisi Day. Even those of us without much of a background in saints may know that St Francis is the patron saint of animals. In honour of St Francis, this service is for the blessing of animals. But do we, Auckland Unitarians…
more -
Blessing of the Animals - Full Episode
Speaker & Worship Leader:-Rachel Mackintosh. Today is St Francis of Assisi Day. Even those of us without much of a background in saints may know that St Francis is the patron saint of animals. In honour of St Francis, this service is for the blessing of animals. But do we, Auckland Unitarians…
more -
The Enchanted World - Talk Only
Speaker:- Niki Harré, Worship Leader:-Ted Zorn. Religions have strange, implausible stories, that assume there is a secret depth that sometimes seeps – or bursts – into ordinary life. While I have never ‘believed’ in an enchanted world, people thrive when they see beauty and meaning in what...
-
The Enchanted World - Full Episode
Speaker:- Niki Harré, Worship Leader:-Ted Zorn. Religions have strange, implausible stories, that assume there is a secret depth that sometimes seeps – or bursts – into ordinary life. While I have never ‘believed’ in an enchanted world, people thrive when they see beauty and meaning in what...
-
Spring Equinox Celebration - Talk Only
Speakers & Worship Leaders:-Barbara Thomborson, Karn Cleary. Today we’ll celebrate the Spring. The Equinox happens on September 23rd. marking a moment of balance before we transition into summer with longer daylight hours. This is an opportunity to consider what we want to leave behind in the...
-
Spring Equinox Celebration - Full Episode
Speakers & Worship Leaders:-Barbara Thomborson, Karn Cleary. Today we’ll celebrate the Spring. The Equinox happens on September 23rd. marking a moment of balance before we transition into summer with longer daylight hours. This is an opportunity to consider what we want to leave behind in the...
-
Te Wiki o te Reo Māori - Talk Only
Speaker & Worship Leader:-Maria Hayward. How empathy in language and culture can guide our humanity; and how good is your Te Reo? Some fun new ‘kupu’ (words) to learn! Today’s service honours Te Wiki ō Te Reo Māori and it is guided by our values of inclusion, justice and, if any of you are…
more -
Te Wiki o te Reo Māori - Full Episode
Speaker & Worship Leader:-Maria Hayward. How empathy in language and culture can guide our humanity; and how good is your Te Reo? Some fun new ‘kupu’ (words) to learn! Today’s service honours Te Wiki ō Te Reo Māori and it is guided by our values of inclusion, justice and, if any of you are…
more -
When Music Takes Our Breath Away: The Sounds of Reverence - Talk Only
with Ted Zorn Each Sunday including this one we take the opportunity to share our joys and concerns. For me, this talk is an extended joy. I’m no expert on music. I am not here to lecture you on the technicalities of music because I don’t really understand them myself. Instead I want to share the...
-
When Music Takes Our Breath Away: The Sounds of Reverence - Full Episode
with Ted Zorn Each Sunday including this one we take the opportunity to share our joys and concerns. For me, this talk is an extended joy. I’m no expert on music. I am not here to lecture you on the technicalities of music because I don’t really understand them myself. Instead I want to share the...
-
Music and Being Human / the beat and the borrowings / the song we become - Talk Only
Speaker & Worship Leader:- Alix Geard Exploring music as a development of pulse, breath and vocalisation, and also as a way of building culture through repetition, borrowing and repurposing. For more information see:-https://aucklandunitarian.org.nz/music-and-being-human/
-
Music and Being Human / the beat and the borrowings / the song we become - Full Episode
Speaker & Worship Leader:- Alix Geard Exploring music as a development of pulse, breath and vocalisation, and also as a way of building culture through repetition, borrowing and repurposing. For more information see:-https://aucklandunitarian.org.nz/music-and-being-human/ 00:00:00.000 Titles &...
-
Seeking Meaning: A Theology for Seekers - Talk Only
Speaker & Worship Leader:- Revd Dr Ralph Catts Ralph Catts is a Unitarian minister based in Melbourne, and it will be a privilege to have him lead one of our services, as he is the only Unitarian Minister in the South Pacific. He is the Learning & Development Coordinator for the Australia and…
more -
Seeking Meaning: A Theology for Seekers - Full Episode
Speaker & Worship Leader:- Revd Dr Ralph Catts Ralph Catts is a Unitarian minister based in Melbourne, and it will be a privilege to have him lead one of our services, as he is the only Unitarian Minister in the South Pacific. He is the Learning & Development Coordinator for the Australia and New...
-
Post-colonial Aotearoa - Talk Only
Speaker & Worship Leader:- Maria Hayward What does colonisation really mean and why should we, as Unitarians, care? Have you ever wondered what people really mean when they talk about the effects of colonisation? The korero today provides an example of embedded racism in the language of the...
-
Post-colonial Aotearoa - Full Episode
Speaker & Worship Leader:- Maria Hayward What does colonisation really mean and why should we, as Unitarians, care? Have you ever wondered what people really mean when they talk about the effects of colonisation? The korero today provides an example of embedded racism in the language of the...
-
Art and the ineffable - Talk Only
with Rachel Mackintosh Recorded at Auckland Unitarian Church 26 July 2026 Today our topic is art and the ineffable. By some irony, I will be using words to convey the ineffable: that which is too vast to be contained in words. That’s okay. Words have spaces between them. Art takes many forms...…
more -
Art and the ineffable - Full Episode
with Rachel Mackintosh Recorded at Auckland Unitarian Church 26 July 2026 Today our topic is art and the ineffable. By some irony, I will be using words to convey the ineffable: that which is too vast to be contained in words. That’s okay. Words have spaces between them. Art takes many forms...…
more -
An ECO-Peace Economy for Aotearoa NZ - Talk Only
With Laurie Ross This requires Transformation of the Neoliberal Economic System to serve our higher values (the 7 Principles of Unitarian Universalism). Talk first given @ Auckland Unitarian Church 19 July 2026 This recording was made 4th August 2026. For more information, see:-...
-
What do we gain from Diversity? - Talk Only
Speaker & Worship Leader:- Maria Hayward Refugees and migrants contribute towards making Auckland the second most diverse city in the world. As we celebrate World Refugee Day (June 20th) perhaps we can reflect on what is gained from this diversity - how we are enriched by this as individuals and…
more -
What do we gain from Diversity? - Full Episode
Speaker & Worship Leader:- Maria Hayward Refugees and migrants contribute towards making Auckland the second most diverse city in the world. As we celebrate World Refugee Day (June 20th) perhaps we can reflect on what is gained from this diversity - how we are enriched by this as individuals and…
more -
What the Secular World can learn from Religion - Talk Only
Speaker:- Niki Harré Worship Leader:- Rachel Mackintosh Niki Harré talks about her year as a self-appointed secular priest. She undertook three vows – simplicity, hospitality and pause, offered weekly services and personal conversations, and attended a Christian church. While she experienced...
-
What the Secular World can learn from Religion - Full Episode
Speaker:- Niki Harré Worship Leader:- Rachel Mackintosh Niki Harré talks about her year as a self-appointed secular priest. She undertook three vows – simplicity, hospitality and pause, offered weekly services and personal conversations, and attended a Christian church. While she experienced...
-
Travel Tips for Spiritual Journeys - Talk Only
Speaker & Worship Leader:- Alix Geard A continuation of our series on spirituality - and lack of it - in Unitarian experience. Explores how some of us adapt and adopt cultural metaphors, including considering "a free and responsible search for truth and meaning" as a kind of journey. Recorded @...
-
Travel Tips for Spiritual Journeys - Full Episode
Speaker & Worship Leader:- Alix Geard A continuation of our series on spirituality - and lack of it - in Unitarian experience. Explores how some of us adapt and adopt cultural metaphors, including considering "a free and responsible search for truth and meaning" as a kind of journey. Recorded @...
-
Reflections on a Spiritual Journey - Talk Only
With Maria Hayward Can spiritual journeys be something other than finding a religion or a God? A personal interpretation. My story’s a bit different – but maybe it’s yours too …. Recorded @ Auckland Unitarian Church 24 May 2026 For more information see:-...
-
Reflections on a Spiritual Journey -Full Episode
With Maria Hayward Can spiritual journeys be something other than finding a religion or a God? A personal interpretation. My story’s a bit different – but maybe it’s yours too …. Recorded @ Auckland Unitarian Church 24 May 2026 For more information see:-...
-
Evolution of Human Consciousness - Talk Only
with Laurie Ross Higher Common Values for an Ecological Economic System. Development of Spiritual Consciousness for Humanity and the Earth. Recorded at Auckland Unitarian Church 17 May 2026 For more information see:- https://aucklandunitarian.org.nz/evolution-of-human-consciousness/
-
Evolution of Human Consciousness - Full Episode
with Laurie Ross Higher Common Values for an Ecological Economic System. Development of Spiritual Consciousness for Humanity and the Earth. Recorded at Auckland Unitarian Church 17 May 2026 For more information see:- https://aucklandunitarian.org.nz/evolution-of-human-consciousness/ 00:00 Titles…
more -
Grappling with Spirituality, Second in the personal journeys series
with Kate Lewis How I came to Unitarianism and am still not sure how I define or participate in spirituality. Recorded at Auckland Unitarian Church 10 May 2026 For more information see:- https://aucklandunitarian.org.nz/grappling-with-spirituality-2/ 00:00 Welcome 01:38 Opening Words 03:07…
more -
West Papua — Justice for our Neighbours
with Catherine Delahunty Guest speaker Catherine Delahunty has had a lifetime of working for justice. She is an ally and champion of the people of West Papua, who live under occupation. Recorded at Auckland Unitarian Church 3 May 2026 For more information...
-
Courage to Change
with Keola Whittaker What if fear is not a flaw to be fixed, but an invitation to be answered? This sermon explores stories of courage – what it means to take trembling steps into the unknown and what holds us when we do. If you have ever stood at a threshold you did not choose, wondering whether...
-
Building Virtuous Circles
with Ted Zorn As a community, we have momentum that we want to build on and ultimately be able to hire a new minister. This talk focuses on the power of our community striving together, building on success, and creating virtuous circles. Recorded by Auckland Unitarian Church 26 April 2026 For…
more -
Resurrection 2026?
with Rachel Mackintosh In the Monty Python film, The Life of Brian, set in the time of Jesus, Brian’s mother confesses to Brian that his father was not Jewish, but was, in fact, a Roman. She reminisces: “Promised me the known world, ’e did.” This is funny. Although it is generally fatal to a joke...
-
Grappling with Spirituality
with Ruby Johnson Today’s service is part one of what we are aiming to be an ongoing series on spirituality, and addressing the question of what the spiritual needs of our congregation might be. I wanted to launch this series, because I think that a lot of us have a complicated relationship with...
-
The Power of Stories
with Maria Hayward Recorded at Auckland Unitarian Church 15 March 2026 Discovering the essence of humanity from stories – seminal moments in a teaching career. For more information see:- https://aucklandunitarian.org.nz/the-power-of-stories/ 00:00 Titles & Prelude 04:05 Welcome 05:48 Chalice...
-
Nothing is Permanent
with Rachel Mackintosh Recorded at Auckland Unitarian Church 8 March 2026 Today is International Working Women’s Day In 2017 the tide was in. It was a tide of transformation. One small second-hand car dealer in Invercargill sold 40 cars in a month. In Invercargill. The women who bought those cars...
-
Mental Health Awareness Part 2
with BarbaraThomborson In a continuation of the service done on Mental Health Awareness Week last October, this one focuses more on dealing with your own mental illness stigma and understanding mental health for anyone. Recorded at Auckland Unitarian Church 1 March 2026 For more information...
-
Listening into the Difficult Places
with Ted Zorn So much can be achieved if we share honestly and listen deeply to each other. But what if we do so and find that our beliefs, needs or values are fundamentally at odds? Recorded at Auckland Unitarian Church 22 February 2026 For more information see:-...
-
Nonbinary, Nondualist, Nonreductive
Please accept our apologies for the poor sound quality on this recording. The video mentioned @ 5:03 can be found at https://youtu.be/f8J9WssSj7Q with Dr. Tof Eklund Reflection on Rainbow Flags:- Maria Hayward Worship Leader:- Rachel Mackintosh If you find nonbinary gender(s) confusing, want to...
-
The Stones That Testify
Speaker & Worship Leader:- Keola Whittaker Instead of preaching about queer folks as people who need support, I’m inverting it to what can queer and trans people teach the rest of us about being fully human? Especially now, when authoritarianism and even AI are trying to flatten us all into…
more -
Introduction to Pride Month
Speaker & Worship Leader:- Ruby Johnson For more information see:- https://aucklandunitarian.org.nz/introduction-to-pride-month/
-
Water Communion 2026
Speaker & Worship Leader:- Rachel Mackintosh Why do we repeat this ritual every year? It isn’t just to brag about our travels. When we share our water in the common bowl, it reminds us that while we are separate people, we are also part of an interdependent community. For more information see:-...
-
The Grinch Who Found Christmas Anyway
Feeling a bit Grinchy this year? You’re not alone. This sermon is for everyone who has ever wanted to skip Christmas, escape the forced cheer, or hide from a holiday that asks too much. It’s also about what happens when love finds us anyway, in forms we didn’t expect, and in places we didn’t…
more -
Pacific Pay Gap Enquiry and Human Rights
Saunoama’ali Dr Karanina Sumeo is the immediate past Equal Employment Opportunities Commissioner and will speak about her experience leading the Pacific Pay Gap Enquiry.Speaker:- Karanina Sumeo Worship Leader:- Rachel Mackintosh Karanina Sumeo © 7 December 2025For more information, see:-...
-
Merge Café – Making a community-minded third space
A third space is neither home, school nor work but a space where people can be themselves, be with friends. A café, a bar, a museum, even a park. may be places where many of our most vulnerable communities do not feel welcome or feel they need to be out of sight. Similar to a church, Merge...
-
Navigating Neurodivergence and the Neurodiversity Paradigm
Neurodivergence. What does it mean – what are the challenges faced, and how can neurotypical individuals assist in mitigating these challenges and ensuring neurodivergent people are included, respected and accommodated?Speakers:- Nikki Smith-Eklund (she/they) M Hum Rts & Dr. Tof Eklund…
more -
Transgender Day of Remembrance
20 November is International Day of Remembrance of all those in the transgender community murdered in hate crimes in the previous 12 months. The transgender community have become the target of disinformation and vilification by politicians and the far-right. Perhaps it is time for the rest of us…
more
We're indexing this podcast's transcripts for the first time — this can take a minute or two. We'll show results as soon as they're ready.
No matches for "" in this podcast's transcripts.
No topics indexed yet for this podcast.
Loading reviews...
ABOUT THIS SHOW
A weekly (usually) service from Auckland Unitarian church. We are a group of free thinkers who are committed to supporting each other in our individual spiritual journeys in a generous, kind and compassionate community of progressive Christians, humanists, atheists, neo-pagans, and seekers, with the occasional Muslim and Hindu joining us. We respect all faith perspectives that concur with our seven principles.
HOSTED BY
Auckland Unitarians
CATEGORIES
Loading similar podcasts...
Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Auckland Unitarians have?
Auckland Unitarians currently has 137 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Auckland Unitarians about?
A weekly (usually) service from Auckland Unitarian church. We are a group of free thinkers who are committed to supporting each other in our individual spiritual journeys in a generous, kind and compassionate community of progressive Christians, humanists, atheists, neo-pagans, and seekers, with...
How often does Auckland Unitarians release new episodes?
Auckland Unitarians publishes regularly with 137 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to Auckland Unitarians?
You can listen to Auckland Unitarians on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Auckland Unitarians?
Auckland Unitarians is created and hosted by Auckland Unitarians.
URL copied to clipboard!