Cultural Panel Reflection
Title: Standing Together in Life and in Farewell — Reflections on the Cultural Panel
On 13 September 2026, I had the honour of sitting alongside three extraordinary leaders at Wellington Central Library — Te Matapihi ki te Ao Nui — as part of a Cultural Panel exploring Traditions, Rituals, and Religion in how we approach death, dying, and grief.
This free public event, organised as part of Dying Matters Week and facilitated by Vicky Ellison, brought together four distinct voices: Te Ao Māori, Samoan Presbyterian, Islamic, and Hindu. We gathered not to speak at one another, but to speak with one another — and with all who came — about how our cultures hold us in the most tender and vulnerable moments of our lives.
I represented the Islamic community, sharing our traditions around death, preparation, burial, and how we care for those who have passed — and those left behind. I spoke of the gentleness of ghusl (washing), the simplicity of kafan (shrouding), the speed of burial, and the deep belief that in life and in farewell, every soul is equal before the Creator. I spoke of how grief is honoured, how community surrounds the bereaved, and how patience and prayer walk hand in hand with sadness.
And then I listened — deeply.
I heard Tau Huirama speak from the Māori world, of wairua, of whānau, of karakia and the enduring connection between those who have gone before and those who remain. I felt the warmth and wisdom in his words, and how they remind us that death is not an end to relationship, but a change in how we hold it.
I listened as Rev. Dr Fei Taule’ale’ausumai shared the Samoan and Presbyterian perspective — of faith, of family, of community gathering around in love and prayer, and how farewells become acts of gratitude as much as remembrance.
And I learned from Dr Pushpa Wood ONZM about Hindu traditions — of the cycles of life, the importance of ritual, and how faith and community weave together to guide people through parting and beyond.
What struck me most deeply was not our differences, but what we shared. Across four rich, ancient traditions, we spoke of the same things:
- The importance of honouring the person who has lived
- The need to care gently for the body in death
- The strength found in community
- The comfort of faith and ritual
- The reality that grief is love with nowhere to go — and that is okay
For me, this was more than an event. It was a reminder that in Wellington, we are building something beautiful — a place where diverse cultures do not just exist side by side, but stand together. Where we can speak openly about the things that matter most, and learn that our ways of caring are more alike than they are different.
I am grateful to Go With Grace, Wellington City Libraries, and everyone who came and sat with us that afternoon. To my fellow panelists — thank you for your wisdom, your grace, and your friendship. We may walk different paths, but we walk them together.
May we continue to listen, to learn, and to stand beside one another — in life, and in farewell.
Category: Interfaith & Harmony
Tags: Cultural Panel, Dying Matters Week, Go With Grace, Wellington, Interfaith, Grief, Islamic Traditions, Community
— Tahir Nawaz , Wellington, New Zealand
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