About 150 people of all faiths and denominations will gather in Hamilton for the ninth National Interfaith Forum this weekend.

The theme is ‘Spiritual Identity in a Secular Society.’

Waikato Interfaith Council secretary Todd Nachowitz said the annual event was about promoting tolerance and engagement between people of different belief systems.

"As we often fear what we do not know, a better understanding of these differences can help us in our daily lives and improve our interactions with others, especially in an increasingly diverse workplace," he said.

People representing a range of different faiths from across New Zealand and Australia are attending the annual event, which was last held in Hamilton five year's ago.

Mr Nachowitz, who is Jewish and married to a Catholic, said he believed that all belief systems were equally valid and this was celebrated at the forum.

The pōwhiri will begin on Saturday at 9am. The first key speaker is Dr Anna Halafoff, whose presentation is entitled ‘The Multifaith Movement and Common Security’.

Dr Halafoff is a United Nations Alliance of Civilisation global expert in the fields of multifaith relations, religion and peace-building, a Political and Social Inquiry lecturer, and a researcher for the UNESCO Chair in Interreligious and Intercultural Relations.
 
Chris Nichol is the second key speaker and will deliver a presentation called ‘Source for spiritual identity: the secular supermarket’.

Mr Nichol has worked in and on the edge of both church and television for most of the last 30 years. He presented the Television ONE series of conversations about New Zealanders' spiritualities, My God (available on DVD), and presently fronts Sunday morning's hymn programme Praise Be.
 
Session themes include religious diversity in New Zealand; religion and the state; spirituality, health and ecology; Māori spirituality; Women’s leadership and spiritual parenting; Islamic engagement and religious diversity and human rights.

A conference dinner on Saturday evening will include music, dance and cultural performances from a diverse range of entertainers.
 
A multifaith service will be held on Sunday from 9-10am. It will be led by local and regional faith leaders.

The service is open to the public and will be held in the LDS Auditorium at Church College, 435 Tuhikaramea Road, Temple View, Hamilton.
           
On Sunday concurrent sessions of the Annual Youth Interfaith Forum and the Annual Women’s Interfaith Forum will take place.

The National Interfaith Forum will also include the first National Men’s Interfaith Forum, which will feature former All Black and Waikato Chiefs rugby player Todd Miller. He will discuss the challenges of being a spiritual man as a professional rugby player.