An union conference and a symposium, organized by the Oceania Division at the IMS under the motto "We Need leaders like Nehemiah", started this week, on June 29, 2026, in Christchurch, the largest city in the South Island and the second largest city by urban area population in New Zealand, Pastor Hens Hendri Karinda confirmed via publishing photos of the event on his Facebook profile. Pastor Tzvetan Petkov, General Conference President at the IMS, Pastor Sanaila Kenivale, Leader of the Oceania Division, and Elder Steven Sander from New Zealand participated in the event. In addition, a video of the symposium was published via Facebook and YouTube as well: https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?ref=watch_permalink&v=1377280697648740.
New Zealand, an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, comprising two main landmasses – the North Island and the South Island, and over 600 smaller islands, is the sixth-largest island country by area and is situated east of Australia across the Tasman Sea and south of the islands of New Caledonia, Fiji and Tonga. According to Wikipedia, in 1769, the British explorer Captain James Cook became the first European to set foot on and map New Zealand. New Zealand became a dominion in 1907, while it gained full statutory independence in 1947, retaining the monarch as head of state.
Written by Margarit Zhekov
Pastor Sanaila Kenivale and Pastor Tzvetan Petkov during the Christian symposium; a photo from the archive of Pastor Hens Hendri Karinda.
