Participant Information

Research Team

This ‘Safe Faiths’ survey is hosted by the Kingi Ihaka Research Centre, and has been co-created with Diverse Church. The Kingi Ihaka Research Centre is a Christian, kaupapa Māori research centre. Diverse Church is a network of safe faith communities in Aotearoa.

The small team conducting this survey includes Rev’d Dr Paul Reynolds (Kingi Ihaka Research Centre), Craig Watson (Diverse Church NZ), Jessica Hughes (ADJust, Community of Ordinary Saints), Rev’d Richard Bonifant (Vicar, St Matthew-in-the-City), & Rev’d Dr Laiseni Liava’a (Researcher). There are others who have helped us along the way, and we wish to acknowledge their support also.

Amongst us, we identify as queer, cis, takatāpui, gay, lesbian, Māori, Pākehā, Pasifika, bisexual, aromantic, and asexual. We also represent lay and clergy from the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia, the Methodist Church, Diverse Church and people who no longer worship in a church.

The principle researcher for this project is Rev’d Dr Paul Reynolds from the Kingi Ihaka Research Centre.

What is this survey about?

This project is led by five Christians who have created this ‘Safe Faiths’ survey because they are concerned that there is little or no research or quantitative data that explores whether Takatāpui/Rainbow people of faith feel safe attending their church or faith community.

This project replicates a 2021 survey that was conducted in the UK and carried out by the Ozanne Foundation and a coalition of nine Rainbow Christian organisations. It was overseen by an independent academic research advisor. This survey gathered Rainbow Christian perspectives on how safe they felt within the churches they attended. More information about this survey is available here. The Ozanne Foundation has given us permission to replicate their survey and to modify it to suit our context of Aotearoa New Zealand.

The results of this survey will be used to raise awareness of issues faced by Takatāpui / Rainbow people of faith in Aotearoa New Zealand and to support Takatāpui / Rainbow advocacy work, both within the church and more widely.

Who can take the survey?

This survey is open to all people of faith over the age of 16 in Aotearoa New Zealand who attend Christian faith community gatherings, would like to attend Christian faith community gatherings, or who choose not to attend such gatherings.

It is important for us that this project is as inclusive as possible. Although the primary focus of this survey relates to experiences of Christian communities, we have chosen to use the phrase ‘faith community’ in order to capture the wide variety of Christian experience, which include church communities, worship spaces, and other places where people of faith gather. Please feel free to respond to the survey questions thinking about your own community of faith and faith spaces.

We use the term ‘Takatāpui/Rainbow’ here to describe anyone who identifies with a minority sexual orientation or gender identity or expression.

How long will the survey take to complete?

The survey will take about 20 minutes to complete. This timeframe is an estimate and it might be shorter or longer, depending on how much you choose to share.

Pastoral Support

Some of the questions in the survey ask about your experiences in Christian faith communities. We recognise these questions may cause some stress and could be upsetting. Please consider your capacity to engage with these ideas and experiences when completing the survey.

We understand this is a difficult and sensitive topic for some people and so want to stress that answering this survey is totally voluntary and your responses will be anonymous. If you feel uncomfortable answering any question, please choose "prefer not to say" and move to the next question.

If something causes you distress when or after you do the survey, you can also get support from these free and confidential places:

Call or free text 1737 any time to talk to a trained counsellor.

Call LIFELINE (0800 54 33 54) or free text HELP (4357) any time to talk to a trained counsellor.

Call OUTline NZ (0800 688 5463) any evening from 6-9pm, or email them at info@outline.org.nz

Or contact one of our Chaplains to set up a time for a korero.

Rev. Jacynthia Murphy at jacynthiamurphy5@gmail.com

Rev. Petra Zaleski at petra.zaleski@auckland.ac.nz

What are your rights?

Taking part in this survey is your choice. It is completely voluntary. You can stop taking the survey at any time without any disadvantage to you.

You may choose not to answer any questions or questions that you find difficult to respond to.

This survey is anonymous. We do not collect anyone’s name or any other information that might mean someone can identify you.

Anonymity and Confidentiality

The survey tool used for this project is called Qualtrics. This survey is anonymous, which means that it does not record your identity in a way where responses could be linked directly to you.  Your questionnaire will be identified by a unique code.  An encrypted electronic copy of all responses will be stored for six years for research purposes on the Principal Researchers computer. Only the ‘Safe Faiths’ survey team listed above will have access to this information. 

Data Usage, Storage, and Retention

The survey results will also be used for publications and conference presentations.

Findings of this ‘Safe Faiths’ survey will be published on our website - please follow this link: https://www.safefaiths.nz

Electronic files will be stored on a password protected USB drive.

All data will be destroyed after 6 years.   

Who can I contact if I have any questions or problems?

If you have any questions, concerns or complaints about the study at any stage, you can contact:

Rev. Dr Paul Reynolds

Director, Kingi Ihaka Research Centre

Email: paulfa.reynolds@gmail.com

This ‘Safe Faiths’ survey has been reviewed by a Community Ethics Review Board, consisting of members from a variety of experience and expertise areas, including kaupapa Māori research, national ethics committee members, priest and lay people, counsellor, university professor, lecturers and researchers, church governance, theologians, seminary student, LGBTQIA+, wahine, tane, rangatahi.