Religious Instruction means teaching and endorsing a faith in its own right, for example the practice of Church volunteers ”leading children to a faith in Jesus”. There is a significant difference between religious instruction and religious studies .
Religious Studies teaches a comparative overview of the major world religions, taken by qualified teachers in a neutral manner. New Zealand state primary schools do not currently have this program.
The Secular Education Network (SEN) has the primary goal of removing Religious Instruction from New Zealand state primary schools. Ultimately this will involve repeal of the New Zealand Education Act (1964) Section 78 . While SEN is supportive of Comprehensive Religious Studies that includes non-religious viewpoints, this subject is more appropriate for high school. It is incidental to our core goal of inclusive primary schooling.