About us
The Nathaniel Centre – the New Zealand Catholic Bioethics Centre – was established on 1 May 1999 as an agency of the New Zealand Catholic Bishops' Conference. We seek to bring the light of the Gospel and the moral tradition of the Catholic Church to issues in bioethics.
The key functions of The Nathaniel Centre are:
- Offering educational opportunities in bioethics for different groups
- Acting as an advisory and resource centre in bioethics for individuals, and for educational and community groups
- Promoting the study and practical resolution of ethical, social and legal issues arising out of medical and scientific research and practice
- Publishing articles and information on topics in bioethics
- Carrying out research and taking action to support the Church's pastoral response to bioethical issues in the community, taking into account the needs of different cultures and groups in society.
The Nathaniel Centre is located in the Mercy Centre, Thorndon, Wellington, New Zealand. It provides assistance within New Zealand, and on request, to the Catholic dioceses of Oceania.
In January 2012 the Centre was formally affiliated with the newly formed Catholic tertiary institution - the Catholic Institute of Aotearoa New Zealand (TCI).
Our Name
The red flowers of the pohutukawa appear in December each year. At Cape Reinga on the northern tip of New Zealand there is a lone pohutukawa, thought to be 800 years old. In Māori tradition the spirits of the dying travel to Cape Reinga where they slip down the roots of the sacred pohutukawa into the sea, to journey back to their origin in Hawaiki.
Nathaniel Knoef was born on 12 December 1998, as the pohutukawa flowers were beginning to appear. He died on 2 February 1999 as the same flowers faded, giving way to the seed from which new pohutukawa would grow.
At his birth Nathaniel was diagnosed with incurable health problems, and in the few weeks of his life his parents faced many ethical issues associated with his care. Their story clearly highlighted the need ordinary people have for access to support in dealing with the growing number of ethical issues which surround the gift of life.
The naming of New Zealand's national Catholic bioethics centre in honour of Nathaniel is a sign of the Centre's commitment to those who are the most vulnerable in the complex ethical situations which develop in their lives.
Pohutukawa
The pohutukawa is one of New Zealand's national symbols. The brilliant red flowers appear each year in December making it New Zealand's own symbol of Christmas. In Māori mythology the red flowers represent the blood of Tawhaki, a spirit ancestor who showed the way to heaven and died in doing so.
Some pohutukawa are considered sacred, or tapu, by Māori. One of the most sacred is a small weatherbeaten pohutukawa which clings to the cliffs at Cape Reinga, the northernmost tip of New Zealand. This tree guards the entrance to a secret cave through which the spirits of the dead pass on their way to the next world. There are pohutukawa in other parts of New Zealand which are sacred because they have been the recipients of the placenta of the newborn.
The rich symbolism of the pohutukawa embraces the beginning and end of life which together with its spiritual significance, make it a very appropriate symbol for a Catholic bioethics centre in New Zealand.
Services
The Nathaniel Centre offers a number of services to individuals and groups.
Personal assistance will be given on request to people facing issues which have a bioethical component.
Resources are available on many bioethical issues, and Centre staff will assist in researching particular topics if needed.
Seminars, workshops, and talks tailored to the needs of particular audiences are conducted regularly by Centre staff.
Assistance with the ethical components of policy development and analysis is available for healthcare institutions and organizations.
The Centre seeks to respond wherever possible to requests from individuals or groups, and can generally tailor its response to fit the needs of the people involved. Please contact us if you wish to use our services. We will be pleased to be of assistance.
Personnel
Director
Dr John Kleinsman has worked at The Nathaniel Centre since 2001 and was appointed Director in May 2010. He brings a varied background of community experience to his work in bioethics as a result of previous employment in the disability support and drug and alcohol rehabilitation sectors.
His PhD research focuses on the potential contributions of contemporary 'thinkers of the gift' to a renewed theology of procreation and the implications of this for ethically evaluating the transmission of human life in an age of assisted reproductive technologies. John also holds a Master's degree in moral theology from the University of Otago.
John was previously a member of the Central Region Health Research Ethics committee and serves on a number of other ethics committees and advisory committees. He continues to teach part-time for The Catholic Institute of Aotearoa New Zealand as a lecturer in moral theology and ethics.
John is married to Kerry and they have three children.
Researcher/Administrator
Dr Sue Buckley started work with the Nathaniel Centre in November 2013. Prior to coming to the Centre worked as a researcher in a university research centre and within government. She has also worked as a teacher at a polytechnic, and as a mother.
Sue has been involved in a range of research projects and her particular interest is research into the issues that concern the well-being of children and young people. Her Master’s thesis was about bullying amongst school children, and her PhD research investigated how conceptualisations of young people, and particularly the view of 'youth as risk', affect policies and legislation concerning ages and the rights and responsibilities of young people.
Research Fellow
Dr Zachariah (Zach) Duke started work with The Nathaniel Centre in August 2018 as a Research Fellow. Zach is also the Acting Academic Dean and a Lecturer in Theology at The Catholic Institute of Aotearoa New Zealand. Prior to joining the Centre, Zach held a number of senior academic positions at BBI-The Australian Institute of Theological Education (formerly The Broken Bay Institute), as well as adjunct/affiliate lectureships with three other universities in Australia. Zach is known for his research in the field of disability theology. His doctoral dissertation was entitled, “A critical analysis of a theology of disability in the Australian Catholic Church: a qualitative study into contemporary inclusionary practices.” This ground-breaking research used qualitative and ethnographic methodologies to analyse the gap between the Australian Catholic Church’s policy statements around inclusion for people living with a disability, and its actual practice. Zach is a member of the Ethics Special Interest Group of the International Association for the Scientific Study of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.
Zach Duke
Panel of Advisors
The New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference appoints eight members to the Centre's Panel of Advisers. Current members are:
Professor John France of Auckland
Rev Grahame Connolly SM of Auckland
Mrs Nadja Tollemache of Auckland
Mrs Sharron Cole of Wellington
Rev Neil Vaney SM of Auckland
Related websites
The links provided on this page are to sites which may interest those looking for information about bioethics, and particularly Catholic bioethics. We have also provided links to key Church documents of relevance for bioethics, such as encyclicals, together with statements by the New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference and other Bishops Conferences. The commentary on each link is our synopsis of the nature of the site.
The Catholic Church in New Zealand
The Bishops and Dioceses links to statements by the New Zealand Catholic Bishops' Conference on bioethical issues.
The Vatican Website
Documents which can be found on this site include:
Evangelium Vitae (On the Value and Inviolability of Human Life)
Donum Vitae (On Respect for Human Life in its Origin and on the Dignity of Procreation)
Humanae Vitae (On the Regulation of Birth)
Declaration on Procured Abortion
Declaration on Euthanasia
Veritatis Splendour (The Splendour of Truth)
Declaration on the Production and the Scientific and Therapeutic use of Human Embryonic Stem Cells
Pontifical Academy for Life
This Vatican site has documents in English on cloning, stem cells, the dignity of the dying person, xenotransplantation, and many other topics, easily accessed through the site's search facility.
New Zealand Links
EPA New Zealand
EPA New Zealand (formerly ERMA) is the agency responsible for the implementation of the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act 1996. The Act was set up to protect the environment and health and safety of people and communities by preventing or managing the adverse effects of hazardous substances and organisms. It is the primary New Zealand legislation relating to genetic modified organisms.
International Links
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops - Pro-Life Activities
Maintained by one of the departments of The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, this site contains fact sheets, news releases, Church documents and many relevant articles on a wide range of bioethical issues.
The Kennedy Institute of Ethics
The Joseph and Rose Kennedy Institute of Ethics, Georgetown University, is a teaching and research centre offering ethical perspectives on major policy issues. The Institute also houses the most extensive library of ethics in the world, the National Reference Centre for Bioethics Literature; produces BIOETHICSLINE, an online medical ethics database; and conducts regular seminars and courses in bioethics.
The National Catholics Bioethics Centre (USA)
The mission of the National Catholic Bioethics Centre (formerly Pope John Centre) in the United States is to engage in research and reflection, within the Catholic tradition, on moral issues arising in health care and the life sciences.
The Anscombe Bioethics Centre
The Anscombe Bioethics Centre, formerly the Linacre Catholic Bioethics Centre, exists to help Catholics understand the Church's position on many contentious questions in medical ethics. Although its perspective is informed by Catholic moral teaching, in defending such teaching it seeks also to appeal to non-religious, philosophical reasoning to enable dialogue with those of no religious faith.
The World Federation of Catholic Medical Association
The World Federation of Catholic Medical Associations is made up of approximately 50 National Catholic Physicians' Associations worldwide and has its permanent Secretariat in Rome, Italy.
Catholic Health Association of the United States
The Catholic Health Association of the United States represents more than 1,200 Catholic healthcare sponsors, systems, facilities, and related organisations.
Euthanasia.com
Information for research on euthanasia, physician-assisted suicide, living wills, "mercy killing". This site is committed to the fundamental belief that the direct killing of another person is wrong, and has a deep sympathy for those people who are suffering.
The Queensland Bioethics Centre
The Queensland Bioethics Centre is a community service sponsored by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane, Australia. They provide regular briefings on current bioethical issues, an up-to-date resource library, workshops for professional and community groups and parishes, and an online resource centre.
Catholic Earthcare Australia
Catholic Earthcare Australia is an ecological agency recently established by the Australian Catholic Bishops' Conference. Its mission is to help promote understanding among people that creation is sacred and endangered, and must be protected and preserved for present and future generations yet unborn.
Caroline Chisholm Centre for Health Ethics
The Caroline Chisholm Centre for Health Ethics, Australia, began operation in March 1995. It began as a response to Catholic Hospitals' demand for greater understanding and advice on ethical issues in health care. The Centre publishes a quarterly Bulletin.The journals articles are short, solid, well researched, readable and directed to informed persons seeking moral truth in health ethics in the Catholic Christian tradition.
Disclaimer:
Please note that the websites listed above are not administered by The Nathaniel Centre, and therefore we cannot take responsibility for their content.