About Us

St Andrew’s Trust for the study of Religion and Society was incorporated in 1984 as a charitable trust to establish a centre in the city of Wellington to:

(a) explore the inter-relatedness of spiritual and human values within the activities of society;
(b) study the various activities which are found in the city, including the arts, business, economics, education, law, medicine, politics;
(c) investigate the impact on society of the development of science, techndogy, new methods of business, and new forms of the arts;
(d) clarify and work for the most worthwhile goals for our human future.

While St. Andrew’s Church is Presbyterian Christian, the trust enjoys exploring spiritual paths and recognises all spiritual seeking as valuable.

Lectures and Lecture Series

Each year the trust arranges three or four series of lectures by local, national and international speakers – from two to four lectures over as many weeks. 

One-off lectures are also organised to take advantage of visiting speakers of interest to trust members and the public.

From these lectures we produce booklets, CDs and DVDs. Increasingly we will be offering audio and video downloads also.

Speakers are encouraged to present their ideas within a framework of current societal trends and with reference to the relevance of religious belief and practice in an increasingly secular and globalised environment.

Lectures are normally held at St Andrew’s on the Terrace, Wellington.

The Lloyd Geering Lectureship Fund

In 1997 the Geering Lectures were inaugurated. Named after the trust’s principal lecturer, Emeritus Professor of Religious Studies, Lloyd Geering, and supported by this fund, a visiting lecturer is invited to St Andrew’s every two to three years.

Charitable Status

We are registered as a charitable entity number CC22233 under the Charities Act 2005, which means that New Zealand taxpayers who donate more than $5 are able to receive a tax rebate on your donation. Contact us if you need more information on this.