Exploring Sacred Spaces - SGI Buddhist Centre

The Soka Gakkai ('Society for Value Creation') is a global Buddhist movement dedicated to peace, culture and education. This event traces the history of SGI New Zealand's faith community, from Nichiren Buddhism's introduction by Hiroshima immigrant Yuki Johnston in the mid-1960s to the establishment of New Zealand's first Soka Gakkai district in 1975.

The Ellerslie Culture Centre has served as a longstanding community venue for five decades, hosting free public exhibitions, cultural performances, educational forums, youth activities and interfaith dialogue—including Peace City and Nuclear-Free New Zealand commemorations, the Tūmanako (Hope) Interfaith Art Exhibition, and other initiatives promoting dialogue and social cohesion.

This year's gathering will feature Transforming Lives: The Power of Human Rights Education, an international exhibition exploring how education empowers individuals to uphold human dignity and build peaceful, inclusive communities.