41°53′S 173°40′E / 41.883°S 173.667°E / -41.883; 173.667
105-559: Marlborough District or the Marlborough Region ( Māori : Te Tauihu-o-te-waka , or Tauihu ), commonly known simply as Marlborough , is one of the 16 regions of New Zealand , located on the northeast of the South Island . Marlborough is a unitary authority , both a district and a region. Marlborough District Council is based at Blenheim , the largest town. The unitary region has a population of 52,300 (June 2024). Marlborough
210-590: A "tangible history", although Hanegraaff expressed the view that most New Agers were "surprisingly ignorant about the actual historical roots of their beliefs". Similarly, Hammer thought that "source amnesia" was a "building block of a New Age worldview", with New Agers typically adopting ideas with no awareness of where those ideas originated. As a form of Western esotericism, the New Age has antecedents that stretch back to southern Europe in Late Antiquity . Following
315-513: A coming era, at this point it came to be used in a wider sense to refer to a variety of spiritual activities and practices. In the latter part of the 1970s, the New Age expanded to cover a wide variety of alternative spiritual and religious beliefs and practices, not all of which explicitly held to the belief in the Age of Aquarius, but were nevertheless widely recognized as broadly similar in their search for "alternatives" to mainstream society. In doing so,
420-422: A form of "popular culture criticism", in that it represented a reaction against the dominant Western values of Judeo-Christian religion and rationalism, adding that "New Age religion formulates such criticism not at random, but falls back on" the ideas of earlier Western esoteric groups. The New Age has also been identified by various scholars of religion as part of the cultic milieu. This concept, developed by
525-582: A human intermediary. Typically viewing history as divided into spiritual ages, a common New Age belief is in a forgotten age of great technological advancement and spiritual wisdom, declining into periods of increasing violence and spiritual degeneracy, which will now be remedied by the emergence of an Age of Aquarius , from which the milieu gets its name. There is also a strong focus on healing, particularly using forms of alternative medicine , and an emphasis on unifying science with spirituality. The dedication of New Agers varied considerably, from those who adopted
630-405: A major and universal change being primarily founded on the individual and collective development of human potential." The scholar of religion Wouter Hanegraaff adopted a different approach by asserting that "New Age" was "a label attached indiscriminately to whatever seems to fit it" and that as a result it "means very different things to different people". He thus argued against the idea that
735-573: A meeting of various figures within Britain's esoteric milieu; advertised as "The Significance of the Group in the New Age", it was held at Attingham Park over the course of a weekend. All of these groups created the backdrop from which the New Age movement emerged. As James R. Lewis and J. Gordon Melton point out, the New Age phenomenon represents "a synthesis of many different preexisting movements and strands of thought". Nevertheless, York asserted that while
840-407: A new era was emerging. Other terms that were employed synonymously with New Age in this milieu included "Green", "Holistic", "Alternative", and "Spiritual". 1971 witnessed the foundation of est by Werner H. Erhard , a transformational training course that became a part of the early movement. Melton suggested that the 1970s witnessed the growth of a relationship between the New Age movement and
945-401: A number of New Age ideas and practices to those who fully embraced and dedicated their lives to it. The New Age has generated criticism from Christians as well as modern Pagan and Indigenous communities . From the 1990s onward, the New Age became the subject of research by academic scholars of religious studies . One of the few things on which all scholars agree concerning New Age is that it
1050-890: A population of 49,431 in the 2023 New Zealand census , an increase of 2,091 people (4.4%) since the 2018 census , and an increase of 6,015 people (13.9%) since the 2013 census . There were 24,594 males, 24,681 females and 156 people of other genders in 20,187 dwellings. 2.6% of people identified as LGBTIQ+ . The median age was 46.1 years (compared with 38.1 years nationally). There were 8,232 people (16.7%) aged under 15 years, 7,119 (14.4%) aged 15 to 29, 22,239 (45.0%) aged 30 to 64, and 11,838 (23.9%) aged 65 or older. People could identify as more than one ethnicity. The results were 85.9% European ( Pākehā ); 14.9% Māori ; 3.7% Pasifika ; 5.4% Asian ; 1.5% Middle Eastern, Latin American and African New Zealanders (MELAA); and 3.0% other, which includes people giving their ethnicity as "New Zealander". English
1155-575: A process of bricolage from already available narratives and rituals". York also heuristically divides the New Age into three broad trends. The first, the social camp , represents groups that primarily seek to bring about social change, while the second, the occult camp , instead focus on contact with spirit entities and channeling. York's third group, the spiritual camp , represents a middle ground between these two camps that focuses largely on individual development . The term new age , along with related terms like new era and new world , long predate
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#17328523157851260-490: A scattered use from the mid-nineteenth century onward. In 1864 the American Swedenborgian Warren Felt Evans published The New Age and its Message , while in 1907 Alfred Orage and Holbrook Jackson began editing a weekly journal of Christian liberalism and socialism titled The New Age . The concept of a coming "new age" that would be inaugurated by the return to Earth of Jesus Christ
1365-482: A synthesis of post-Theosophical and other esoteric doctrines. These movements might have remained marginal, had it not been for the explosion of the counterculture in the 1960s and early 1970s. Various historical threads ... began to converge: nineteenth century doctrinal elements such as Theosophy and post-Theosophical esotericism as well as harmonious or positive thinking were now eclectically combined with ... religious psychologies: transpersonal psychology, Jungianism and
1470-447: A television mini-series with the same name (1987); and the " Harmonic Convergence " planetary alignment on August 16 and 17, 1987, organized by José Argüelles in Sedona, Arizona . The Convergence attracted more people to the movement than any other single event. Heelas suggested that the movement was influenced by the "enterprise culture" encouraged by the U.S. and U.K. governments during
1575-404: A variety of Eastern teachings. It became perfectly feasible for the same individuals to consult the I Ching, practice Jungian astrology, read Abraham Maslow's writings on peak experiences, etc. The reason for the ready incorporation of such disparate sources was a similar goal of exploring an individualized and largely non-Christian religiosity. — Scholar of esotericism Olav Hammer, 2001. By
1680-463: A variety of quite divergent contemporary popular practices and beliefs" that have emerged since the late 1970s and are "largely united by historical links, a shared discourse and an air de famille ". According to Hammer, this New Age was a "fluid and fuzzy cultic milieu". The sociologist of religion Michael York described the New Age as "an umbrella term that includes a great variety of groups and identities" that are united by their "expectation of
1785-539: A wider "New Age sentiment" which had come to pervade "the socio-cultural landscape" of Western countries. Its diffusion into the mainstream may have been influenced by the adoption of New Age concepts by high-profile figures: U.S. First Lady Nancy Reagan consulted an astrologer, British Princess Diana visited spirit mediums, and Norwegian Princess Märtha Louise established a school devoted to communicating with angels. New Age shops continued to operate, although many have been remarketed as "Mind, Body, Spirit". In 2015,
1890-430: Is life-itself". New Age religiosity is typified by its eclecticism. Generally believing that there is no one true way to pursue spirituality, New Agers develop their own worldview "by combining bits and pieces to form their own individual mix", seeking what Drury called "a spirituality without borders or confining dogmas". The anthropologist David J. Hess noted that in his experience, a common attitude among New Agers
1995-425: Is a mixture of elected councillors and government appointed commissioners. Councils may use a first-past-the-post or single transferable vote system. The chairperson is selected by the elected council members. Regional councils are funded through property rates , subsidies from central government, income from trading, and user charges for certain public services. Councils set their own levels of rates, though
2100-465: Is a range of spiritual or religious practices and beliefs which rapidly grew in Western society during the early 1970s. Its highly eclectic and unsystematic structure makes a precise definition difficult. Although many scholars consider it a religious movement, its adherents typically see it as spiritual or as unifying Mind-Body-Spirit, and rarely use the term New Age themselves. Scholars often call it
2205-530: Is difficult to define. Often, the definition given actually reflects the background of the scholar giving the definition. Thus, the New Ager views New Age as a revolutionary period of history dictated by the stars; the Christian apologist has often defined new age as a cult; the historian of ideas understands it as a manifestation of the perennial tradition; the philosopher sees New Age as a monistic or holistic worldview;
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#17328523157852310-491: Is divided into sixteen regions for local government purposes. Eleven are administered by regional councils, and five are administered by unitary authorities , which are territorial authorities that also perform the functions of regional councils. The Chatham Islands Council is not a region but is similar to a unitary authority, authorised under its own legislation. The regional councils are listed in Part 1 of Schedule 2 of
2415-469: Is intricately connected as part of a single whole, in doing so rejecting both the dualism of the Christian division of matter and spirit and the reductionism of Cartesian science. A number of New Agers have linked this holistic interpretation of the universe to the Gaia hypothesis of James Lovelock . The idea of holistic divinity results in a common New Age belief that humans themselves are divine in essence,
2520-463: Is known for its dry climate, the Marlborough Sounds , and Sauvignon blanc wine. It takes its name from the earlier Marlborough Province , which was named after General The 1st Duke of Marlborough , an English general and statesman. Marlborough's geography can be roughly divided into four sections. The south and west sections are mountainous, particularly the southern section, which rises to
2625-451: Is that doing so encourages dependency and conflicts with a reliance on the self. Nevertheless, within the New Age, there are differences in the role accorded to voices of authority outside of the self. Hammer stated that "a belief in the existence of a core or true Self" is a "recurring theme" in New Age texts. The concept of " personal growth " is also greatly emphasised among New Agers, while Heelas noted that "for participants spirituality
2730-416: Is the characterisation of divinity as "Mind", "Consciousness", and "Intelligence", while a third is the description of divinity as a form of " energy ". A fourth trait is the characterisation of divinity as a "life force", the essence of which is creativity, while a fifth is the concept that divinity consists of love . Most New Age groups believe in an Ultimate Source from which all things originate, which
2835-878: Is the region's main seaport. Interislander and Bluebridge both operate roll-on-roll-off ferry services between Picton and Wellington. There are 29 primary and secondary schools in Marlborough. There are 22 state primary schools, one state intermediate school (Bohally Intermediate in Blenheim), three state secondary schools ( Marlborough Boys' College and Marlborough Girls' College in Blenheim, and Queen Charlotte College in Picton), and one state area school (Rai Valley Area School). There are two state-integrated schools , one Catholic primary school and one Christian composite school, both in Blenheim. Regions of New Zealand New Zealand
2940-402: Is usually conflated with the divine. Various creation myths have been articulated in New Age publications outlining how this Ultimate Source created the universe and everything in it. In contrast, some New Agers emphasize the idea of a universal inter-relatedness that is not always emanating from a single source. The New Age worldview emphasises holism and the idea that everything in existence
3045-678: The Aetherius Society , founded in the UK in 1955, and the Heralds of the New Age, established in New Zealand in 1956. From a historical perspective, the New Age phenomenon is most associated with the counterculture of the 1960s . According to author Andrew Grant Jackson, George Harrison 's adoption of Hindu philosophy and Indian instrumentation in his songs with the Beatles in the mid-1960s, together with
3150-522: The Age of Enlightenment in 18th-century Europe, new esoteric ideas developed in response to the development of scientific rationality. Scholars call this new esoteric trend occultism , and this occultism was a key factor in the development of the worldview from which the New Age emerged. One of the earliest influences on the New Age was the Swedish 18th-century Christian mystic Emanuel Swedenborg , who professed
3255-858: The Church of Satan . Although there had been an established interest in Asian religious ideas in the U.S. from at least the eighteenth-century, many of these new developments were variants of Hinduism, Buddhism , and Sufism , which had been imported to the West from Asia following the U.S. government's decision to rescind the Asian Exclusion Act in 1965. In 1962 the Esalen Institute was established in Big Sur , California . Esalen and similar personal growth centers had developed links to humanistic psychology , and from this,
Marlborough District - Misplaced Pages Continue
3360-783: The Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) and part of the ECHELON network, is located in the Waihopai Valley 11 km (7 mi) southwest of Renwick. Marlborough is administered by a unitary authority , the Marlborough District Council . Between 1859 and 1876 Marlborough had its own provincial government, and was known as the Marlborough Province , which ended when the Abolition of
3465-503: The Local Government Act 1974 . The regional councils replaced the more than 700 ad hoc bodies that had been formed in the preceding century – roads boards, catchment boards, drainage boards, pest control boards, harbour boards, domain and reserve boards. In addition they took over some roles that had previously been performed by county councils. The boundaries of the regions are based largely on drainage basins . This anticipated
3570-464: The Local Government Act 2002 , along with reference to the Gazette notices that established them in 1989. The Act requires regional councils to promote sustainable development – the social, economic, environmental and cultural well-being of their communities. The current regions and most of their councils came into being through a local government reform in 1989 that took place under
3675-521: The New Age movement , although others contest this term and suggest it is better seen as a milieu or zeitgeist . As a form of Western esotericism , the New Age drew heavily upon esoteric traditions such as the occultism of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, including the work of Emanuel Swedenborg and Franz Mesmer , as well as Spiritualism , New Thought , and Theosophy . More immediately, it arose from mid-twentieth century influences such as
3780-550: The Resource Management Act 1991 : Regional councils have responsibility for functions under other statutes; Notes: (1) These regions have unitary authorities . (2) The Gisborne Region is still widely but unofficially known by its former name East Cape or as the East Coast. Some outlying islands are not included within regional boundaries. The Chatham Islands is not in a region, although its council has some of
3885-680: The UFO religions of the 1950s, the counterculture of the 1960s , and the Human Potential Movement . Its exact origins remain contested, but it became a major movement in the 1970s, at which time it was centered largely in the United Kingdom. It expanded widely in the 1980s and 1990s, in particular in the United States. By the start of the 21st century, the term New Age was increasingly rejected within this milieu, with some scholars arguing that
3990-588: The human potential movement emerged and strongly influenced the New Age. In Britain, a number of small religious groups that came to be identified as the "light" movement had begun declaring the existence of a coming new age, influenced strongly by the Theosophical ideas of Blavatsky and Bailey. The most prominent of these groups was the Findhorn Foundation , which founded the Findhorn Ecovillage in
4095-421: The "New Age" became a banner under which to bring together the wider "cultic milieu" of American society. The counterculture of the 1960s had rapidly declined by the start of the 1970s, in large part due to the collapse of the commune movement, but it would be many former members of the counter-culture and hippie subculture who subsequently became early adherents of the New Age movement. The exact origins of
4200-474: The 1980s onward, with its emphasis on initiative and self-reliance resonating with any New Age ideas. Channelers Jane Roberts ( Seth Material ), Helen Schucman ( A Course in Miracles ), J. Z. Knight ( Ramtha ), Neale Donald Walsch ( Conversations with God ) contributed to the movement's growth. The first significant exponent of the New Age movement in the U.S. has been cited as Ram Dass . Core works in
4305-590: The MP for the Te Tai Tonga electorate since 2023. A combined District and High Court at Blenheim serves the region judicially. Marlborough is served by four state highways : State Highway 1 , State Highway 6 , State Highway 62 , and State Highway 63 . State Highway 1 is the main highway in the region, connecting Picton and Blenheim, and connecting the region south to Christchurch via Seddon and Kaikōura . State Highway 6 connects Blenheim and Renwick, and connects
Marlborough District - Misplaced Pages Continue
4410-476: The Marlborough Region has a temperate oceanic climate ( Köppen Cfb ) with warm summers, cool winters, and rainfall distributed across the year. Marlborough District covers 10,457.89 km (4,037.81 sq mi) and had an estimated population of 52,300 as of June 2024, with a population density of 5.0 people per km. The district is home to 1.0% of New Zealand's population. Marlborough District had
4515-409: The New Age bore many similarities with both earlier forms of Western esotericism and Asian religion, it remained "distinct from its predecessors in its own self-consciousness as a new way of thinking". The late 1950s saw the first stirrings within the cultic milieu of a belief in a coming new age. A variety of small movements arose, revolving around revealed messages from beings in space and presenting
4620-512: The New Age community claim to represent ancient Albanian wisdom, simply because beliefs regarding ancient Albanians are not part of our cultural stereotypes". According to Hess, these ancient or foreign societies represent an exotic "Other" for New Agers, who are predominantly white Westerners. A belief in divinity is integral to New Age ideas, although understandings of this divinity vary. New Age theology exhibits an inclusive and universalistic approach that accepts all personal perspectives on
4725-417: The New Age could be considered "a unified ideology or Weltanschauung ", although he believed that it could be considered a "more or less unified 'movement'." Other scholars have suggested that the New Age is too diverse to be a singular movement . The scholar of religion George D. Chryssides called it "a counter-cultural Zeitgeist ", while the sociologist of religion Steven Bruce suggested that New Age
4830-499: The New Age draws ideas from many different cultural and spiritual traditions from across the world, often legitimising this approach by reference to "a very vague claim" about underlying global unity. Certain societies are more usually chosen over others; examples include the ancient Celts, ancient Egyptians, the Essenes , Atlanteans , and ancient extraterrestrials. As noted by Hammer: "to put it bluntly, no significant spokespersons within
4935-401: The New Age milieu as a "religion". York described the New Age as a new religious movement (NRM). Conversely, both Heelas and Sutcliffe rejected this categorisation; Heelas believed that while elements of the New Age represented NRMs, this did not apply to every New Age group. Similarly, Chryssides stated that the New Age could not be seen as "a religion" in itself. The New Age movement is
5040-401: The New Age movement remain an issue of debate; Melton asserted that it emerged in the early 1970s, whereas Hanegraaff instead traced its emergence to the latter 1970s, adding that it then entered its full development in the 1980s. This early form of the movement was based largely in Britain and exhibited a strong influence from theosophy and Anthroposophy . Hanegraaff termed this early core of
5145-487: The New Age phenomenon had ended. Despite its eclectic nature, the New Age has several main currents. Theologically , the New Age typically accepts a holistic form of divinity that pervades the universe, including human beings themselves, leading to a strong emphasis on the spiritual authority of the self. This is accompanied by a common belief in a variety of semi-divine non-human entities such as angels , with whom humans can communicate, particularly by channeling through
5250-402: The New Age phenomenon openly embraced the term New Age , although it was popularised in books like David Spangler 's 1977 work Revelation: The Birth of a New Age and Mark Satin 's 1979 book New Age Politics: Healing Self and Society . Marilyn Ferguson 's 1982 book The Aquarian Conspiracy has also been regarded as a landmark work in the development of the New Age, promoting the idea that
5355-624: The New Age were already present by the end of the 19th century, even to such an extent that one may legitimately wonder whether the New Age brings anything new at all. — Historian of religion Wouter Hanegraaff , 1996. A further major influence on the New Age was the Theosophical Society , an occult group co-founded by the Russian Helena Blavatsky in the late 19th century. In her books Isis Unveiled (1877) and The Secret Doctrine (1888), Blavatsky wrote that her Society
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#17328523157855460-610: The Provinces Act came into force on 1 November 1876. The Marlborough District Council consists of a mayor and 14 councillors. The councillors are elected from three wards: seven from the Blenheim ward, three each from the Marlborough Sounds and Wairau-Awatere wards, and one from the Marlborough Māori ward. The mayor is elected at-large. Elections are held every three years in conjunction with nationwide local elections , with
5565-474: The Scottish area of Findhorn , Moray in 1962. Although its founders were from an older generation, Findhorn attracted increasing numbers of countercultural baby boomers during the 1960s, to the extent that its population had grown sixfold to c. 120 residents by 1972. In October 1965, the co-founder of Findhorn Foundation, Peter Caddy , a former member of the occult Rosicrucian Order Crotona Fellowship , attended
5670-418: The ability to communicate with angels, demons, and spirits. Swedenborg's attempt to unite science and religion and his prediction of a coming era in particular have been cited as ways that he prefigured the New Age. Another early influence was the late 18th and early 19th century German physician and hypnotist Franz Mesmer , who wrote about the existence of a force known as " animal magnetism " running through
5775-536: The band's highly publicised study of Transcendental Meditation , "truly kick-started" the Human Potential Movement that subsequently became New Age. Although not common throughout the counterculture, usage of the terms New Age and Age of Aquarius —used in reference to a coming era—were found within it, for instance appearing on adverts for the Woodstock festival of 1969, and in the lyrics of " Aquarius ",
5880-422: The census question. Of those at least 15 years old, 5,586 (13.6%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, 22,905 (55.6%) had a post-high school certificate or diploma, and 10,971 (26.6%) people exclusively held high school qualifications. The median income was $ 39,400, compared with $ 41,500 nationally. 3,513 people (8.5%) earned over $ 100,000 compared to 12.1% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15
5985-562: The centre of the New Zealand wine industry. The fourth geographic zone lies along its north coast. Here, the drowned valleys of the Marlborough Sounds make for a convoluted and attractive coastline. The town of Picton is located at the southern end of one of the larger sounds, Queen Charlotte Sound . The town of Havelock is at the southern end of the Pelorus Sound; this sound feeds into Kenepuru Sound. In line with most of New Zealand,
6090-405: The community, with workshops and conferences being held there that brought together New Age thinkers from across the world. Several key events occurred, which raised public awareness of the New Age subculture: publication of Linda Goodman 's best-selling astrology books Sun Signs (1968) and Love Signs (1978); the release of Shirley MacLaine 's book Out on a Limb (1983), later adapted into
6195-401: The concept of a coming "New Age" and used the term accordingly. The term had thus become a recurring motif in the esoteric spirituality milieu. Sutcliffe, therefore, expressed the view that while the term New Age had originally been an "apocalyptic emblem", it would only be later that it became "a tag or codeword for a 'spiritual' idiom". According to scholar Nevill Drury , the New Age has
6300-413: The cultic milieu having become conscious of itself, in the later 1970s, as constituting a more or less unified "movement". All manifestations of this movement are characterized by a popular western culture criticism expressed in terms of a secularized esotericism. — Scholar of esotericism Wouter Hanegraaff, 1996. The New Age is also a form of Western esotericism . Hanegraaff regarded the New Age as
6405-553: The decades to come". Australian scholar Paul J. Farrelly, in his 2017 doctoral dissertation at Australian National University , argued that, while the term New Age may become less popular in the West, it is actually booming in Taiwan , where it is regarded as something comparatively new and is being exported from Taiwan to the Mainland China , where it is more or less tolerated by the authorities. The New Age places strong emphasis on
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#17328523157856510-488: The divine as equally valid. This intentional vagueness as to the nature of divinity also reflects the New Age idea that divinity cannot be comprehended by the human mind or language. New Age literature nevertheless displays recurring traits in its depiction of the divine: the first is the idea that it is holistic , thus frequently being described with such terms as an "Ocean of Oneness", "Infinite Spirit", "Primal Stream", "One Essence", and "Universal Principle". A second trait
6615-446: The early 1970s, use of the term New Age was increasingly common within the cultic milieu. This was because—according to Sutcliffe—the "emblem" of the "New Age" had been passed from the "subcultural pioneers" in groups like Findhorn to the wider array of "countercultural baby boomers" between c. 1967 and 1974. He noted that as this happened, the meaning of the term New Age changed; whereas it had once referred specifically to
6720-665: The emergence of the New Age movement, and have widely been used to assert that a better way of life for humanity is dawning. It occurs commonly, for instance, in political contexts; the Great Seal of the United States , designed in 1782, proclaims a "new order of ages", while in the 1980s the Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev proclaimed that "all mankind is entering a new age". The term has also appeared within Western esoteric schools of thought, having
6825-781: The export market, the Marlborough wine region now produces three quarters of all New Zealand wine . The most important varietal is Sauvignon Blanc , which is recognised as world-class; wine writers Oz Clarke and George Taber have described Marlborough's Sauvignon Blanc as the best in the world. Also, important is the production of méthode traditionelle sparkling wine made from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, which has attracted investment from large Champagne producers Mumm , Deutz , Moët & Chandon and Veuve Clicquot . The New Zealand Defence Force operates RNZAF Base Woodbourne , co-located with Woodbourne Airport west of Blenheim. The Waihopai communications monitoring facility , run by
6930-612: The fact that "New Age" is a "theoretical concept" does not "undermine its usefulness or employability"; he drew comparisons with " Hinduism ", a similar "Western etic piece of vocabulary" that scholars of religion used despite its problems. In discussing the New Age, academics have varyingly referred to "New Age spirituality" and "New Age religion". Those involved in the New Age rarely consider it to be "religion"—negatively associating that term solely with organized religion —and instead describe their practices as "spirituality". Religious studies scholars, however, have repeatedly referred to
7035-421: The human body. The establishment of Spiritualism , an occult religion influenced by both Swedenborgianism and Mesmerism, in the U.S. during the 1840s has also been identified as a precursor to the New Age, in particular through its rejection of established Christianity, representing itself as a scientific approach to religion, and its emphasis on channeling spirit entities. Most of the beliefs which characterise
7140-425: The idea that the individual and their own experiences are the primary source of authority on spiritual matters. It exhibits what Heelas termed "unmediated individualism", and reflects a world-view that is "radically democratic". It places an emphasis on the freedom and autonomy of the individual. This emphasis has led to ethical disagreements; some New Agers believe helping others is beneficial, although another view
7245-406: The internet in particular further popularized New Age ideas and made them more widely accessible. New Age ideas influenced the development of rave culture in the late 1980s and 1990s. In Britain during the 1980s, the term New Age Travellers came into use, although York characterised this term as "a misnomer created by the media". These New Age Travellers had little to do with the New Age as
7350-399: The late 19th century. Hanegraaff believed that the New Age's direct antecedents could be found in the UFO religions of the 1950s, which he termed a "proto-New Age movement". Many of these new religious movements had strong apocalyptic beliefs regarding a coming new age, which they typically asserted would be brought about by contact with extraterrestrials. Examples of such groups included
7455-415: The legislation were coordination of civil defence and development of a regional plan, although the constituent TLAs could agree on additional responsibilities at the point of formation of each united council. For example, in a number of cases the united council took responsibility for the allocation of revenue from regional petrol taxes. The united councils were based in the facilities of the largest TLA in
7560-731: The mechanism for collecting it usually involves channelling through the territorial authority collection system. The Auckland Regional Council (now the Auckland Council ) was preceded by the Auckland Regional Authority (ARA), which existed from 1963 to 1989. The Wellington Regional Council was first formed in 1980 from a merger of the Wellington Regional Planning Authority and the Wellington Regional Water Board. In 1978, legislation
7665-689: The movement the New Age sensu stricto , or "New Age in the strict sense". Hanegraaff terms the broader development the New Age sensu lato , or "New Age in the wider sense". Stores that came to be known as "New Age shops" opened up, selling related books, magazines, jewelry, and crystals, and they were typified by the playing of New Age music and the smell of incense. This probably influenced several thousand small metaphysical book- and gift-stores that increasingly defined themselves as "New Age bookstores", while New Age titles came to be increasingly available from mainstream bookstores and then websites like Amazon.com . Not everyone who came to be associated with
7770-577: The new MMP voting system . From 1938 to 1996, the region was covered by the Marlborough electorate . Marlborough is considered a safe area for the National Party , with the region held continuously by the party since the 1975 general election . Stuart Smith of the National Party has been the MP for the Kaikōura electorate since the 2014 general election . Tākuta Ferris from Te Pāti Māori has been
7875-673: The next election in 2025. As of October 2022, the mayor and councillors are: Nationally, Marlborough is part of the Kaikōura electorate , which also includes the Canterbury region north of the Ashley River / Rakahuri . For the Māori roll, Marlborough is part of the Te Tai Tonga electorate, as is the entire South Island. The electorate was first contested in the 1996 general election , the first under
7980-496: The older New Thought movement, as evidenced by the widespread use of Helen Schucman 's A Course in Miracles (1975), New Age music, and crystal healing in New Thought churches. Some figures in the New Thought movement were skeptical, challenging the compatibility of New Age and New Thought perspectives. During these decades, Findhorn had become a site of pilgrimage for many New Agers, and greatly expanded in size as people joined
8085-502: The only other crops with more than 100 hectares of planted area. The Marlborough climate has a strong contrast between hot sunny days and cool nights, which extends the ripening period of the vines. This results in more intense flavour and aroma characters in the wine. The first commercial vineyards were planted around Blenheim in 1973, and Marlborough subsequently grew to become New Zealand's largest and most internationally well-known wine-producing region. Due to this growth, particularly in
8190-559: The opening song of the 1967 musical Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical . This decade also witnessed the emergence of a variety of new religious movements and newly established religions in the United States, creating a spiritual milieu from which the New Age drew upon; these included the San Francisco Zen Center , Transcendental Meditation, Soka Gakkai , the Inner Peace Movement, the Church of All Worlds , and
8295-644: The peaks of the Kaikōura Ranges . These two mountainous regions are the final northern vestiges of the ranges that make up the Southern Alps , although that name is rarely applied to mountains this far north. Between those two sections is the long, straight valley of the Wairau River . This broadens to wide plains at its eastern end, in the centre of which stands the town of Blenheim . This region has fertile soil and temperate weather, which has enabled it to become
8400-471: The powers of a regional council under the Resource Management Act 1991 . The Kermadecs and the subantarctic islands are inhabited only by a small number of Department of Conservation staff and there is no regional council for these islands. Regional councils are popularly elected every three years in accordance with the Local Electoral Act 2001, except for the Canterbury regional council, which
8505-484: The propagating of New Age ideas included Jane Roberts's Seth series, published from 1972 onward, Helen Schucman's 1975 publication A Course in Miracles , and James Redfield 's 1993 work The Celestine Prophecy . A number of these books became best sellers , such as the Seth book series which quickly sold over a million copies. Supplementing these books were videos, audiotapes, compact discs and websites. The development of
8610-752: The railheads met at Kaikōura. Today, the line is used by the Coastal Pacific passenger train, which operates one return journey per day during the summer months. The line is also heavily used by freight trains between Christchurch and the Cook Strait rail ferry at Picton. Woodbourne Airport (trading as Marlborough Airport) is the region's main airport. Air New Zealand Link operates flights from Woodbourne to Auckland and Wellington and Sounds Air operates flights from Woodbourne to Wellington and Christchurch Airport . Sounds Air also operates flights from Picton Aerodrome to Wellington. Port Marlborough at Picton
8715-659: The region and largely dependent on the TLAs for resources. They were allowed to levy rates but in most cases had minimal operating budgets (below $ 100,000 per annum). The notable exception was Canterbury, where the united council had a number of responsibilities. Only one united council undertook any direct operational activity – a forestry project in Wanganui. Source: Summary of the Functions and Activities of United Councils . Dept of Internal Affairs, 1984. New Age New Age
8820-622: The region to Nelson and Tasman via Havelock . State Highway 63 leaves State Highway 6 at Renwick and travels via the Wairau Valley and Saint Arnaud to meet SH 6 again at Kawatiri, providing a direct route to the West Coast and bypassing Nelson. State Highway 62 is a short highway linking SH 1 at Spring Creek with SH 6 north of Renwick, providing a direct route between Picton and Nelson and bypassing Blenheim. The Main North Line railway serves
8925-622: The region, running roughly parallel to State Highway 1. The first section of the line in Marlborough opened on 18 November 1875 between Blenheim and Picton. The line south of Blenheim opened to Seddon in October 1902, to Ward in April 1911, and to Wharanui in December 1915. The line finally opened across the present-day Marlborough border in October 1942 when the line was extended to Clarence . The entire line through to Christchurch opened on 15 December 1945 when
9030-510: The responsibilities of the Resource Management Act 1991 . Most regional boundaries conform with territorial authority boundaries but there are a number of exceptions. An example is Taupo District , split between four regions, although most of its area is in the Waikato region. There is often a high degree of co-operation between regional and territorial councils as they have complementary roles. Regional councils have these specific functions under
9135-404: The scholar of religion Gordon J. Melton presented a conference paper in which he argued that, given that he knew of nobody describing their practices as "New Age" anymore, the New Age had died. In 2001, Hammer observed that the term New Age had increasingly been rejected as either pejorative or meaningless by individuals within the Western cultic milieu. He also noted that within this milieu it
9240-416: The scholar of religion Hugh Urban argued that New Age spirituality is growing in the United States and can be expected to become more visible: "According to many recent surveys of religious affiliation, the 'spiritual but not religious' category is one of the fastest-growing trends in American culture, so the New Age attitude of spiritual individualism and eclecticism may well be an increasingly visible one in
9345-443: The sheer diversity of the New Age renders the term too problematic for scholars to use. MacKian proposed "everyday spirituality" as an alternate term. While acknowledging that New Age was a problematic term, the scholar of religion James R. Lewis stated that it remained a useful etic category for scholars to use because "There exists no comparable term which covers all aspects of the movement." Similarly, Chryssides argued that
9450-484: The sociologist Colin Campbell, refers to a social network of marginalized ideas. Through their shared marginalization within a given society, these disparate ideas interact and create new syntheses. Hammer identified much of the New Age as corresponding to the concept of " folk religions " in that it seeks to deal with existential questions regarding subjects like death and disease in "an unsystematic fashion, often through
9555-420: The sociologist describes New Age as a new religious movement (NRM); while the psychologist describes it as a form of narcissism. — Scholar of religion Daren Kemp, 2004 The New Age phenomenon has proved difficult to define, with much scholarly disagreement as to its scope. The scholars Steven J. Sutcliffe and Ingvild Sælid Gilhus have even suggested that it remains "among the most disputed of categories in
9660-443: The study of religion". The scholar of religion Paul Heelas characterised the New Age as "an eclectic hotch-potch of beliefs, practices, and ways of life" that can be identified as a singular phenomenon through their use of "the same (or very similar) lingua franca to do with the human (and planetary) condition and how it can be transformed ." Similarly, the historian of religion Olav Hammer termed it "a common denominator for
9765-409: The term was used more widely, with scholar of religion Daren Kemp observing that "New Age spirituality is not an essential part of New Age Traveller culture, although there are similarities between the two worldviews". The term New Age came to be used increasingly widely by the popular media in the 1990s. By the late 1980s, some publishers dropped the term New Age as a marketing device. In 1994,
9870-563: The term. Rather than terming themselves New Agers , those involved in this milieu commonly describe themselves as spiritual "seekers", and some self-identify as a member of a different religious group, such as Christianity, Judaism, or Buddhism. In 2003 Sutcliffe observed that the use of the term New Age was "optional, episodic and declining overall", adding that among the very few individuals who did use it, they usually did so with qualification, for instance by placing it in quotation marks. Other academics, such as Sara MacKian, have argued that
9975-466: Was New Thought , which developed in late nineteenth-century New England as a Christian-oriented healing movement before spreading throughout the United States. Another influence was the psychologist Carl Jung . Drury also identified as an important influence upon the New Age the Indian Swami Vivekananda , an adherent of the philosophy of Vedanta who first brought Hinduism to the West in
10080-415: Was 17.4%, compared with 27.1% nationally. Although some people objected to giving their religion, 53.2% had no religion, 35.5% were Christian, 0.5% were Hindu, 0.1% were Muslim, 0.6% were Buddhist and 2.3% had other religions. The subnational gross domestic product (GDP) of Marlborough was estimated at NZ$ 3.25 billion in the year to March 2019, 1.1% of New Zealand's national GDP. The regional GDP per capita
10185-413: Was a milieu ; Heelas and scholar of religion Linda Woodhead called it the "holistic milieu". There is no central authority within the New Age phenomenon that can determine what counts as New Age and what does not. Many of those groups and individuals who could analytically be categorised as part of the New Age reject the term New Age in reference to themselves. Some even express active hostility to
10290-496: Was a theme in the poetry of Wellesley Tudor Pole (1884–1968) and of Johanna Brandt (1876–1964), and then also appeared in the work of the British-born American Theosophist Alice Bailey (1880–1949), featuring in titles such as Discipleship in the New Age (1944) and Education in the New Age (1954). Between the 1930s and 1960s a small number of groups and individuals became preoccupied with
10395-559: Was conveying the essence of all world religions, and it thus emphasized a focus on comparative religion . Serving as a partial bridge between Theosophical ideas and those of the New Age was the American esotericist Edgar Cayce , who founded the Association for Research and Enlightenment . Another partial bridge was the Danish mystic Martinus who is popular in Scandinavia. Another influence
10500-539: Was estimated at $ 66,277 in the same period. In the year to March 2018, primary industries contributed $ 650 million (21.3%) to the regional GDP, goods-producing industries contributed $ 1.55 billion (37.9%), service industries contributed $ 1.56 billion (51.2%), and taxes and duties contributed $ 260 million (8.6%). Marlborough has 25,045 hectares (61,890 acres) of horticultural land as of 2017, the second-largest area in New Zealand behind Canterbury. Wine grapes make up 23,050 hectares of that area, with sweetcorn and peas being
10605-431: Was not being replaced by any alternative and that as such a sense of collective identity was being lost. Other scholars disagreed with Melton's idea; in 2004 Daren Kemp stated that "New Age is still very much alive". Hammer himself stated that "the New Age movement may be on the wane, but the wider New Age religiosity ... shows no sign of disappearing". MacKian suggested that the New Age "movement" had been replaced by
10710-485: Was passed enabling the formation of regions with united councils . Twenty regions were designated, excluding the Auckland and Wellington areas. For most of the country this was the first regional level of government since the abolition of provinces in 1876. Councillors were not elected directly – they were appointed from the various territorial local authorities (TLAs) within the region. The only responsibilities mandated by
10815-556: Was spoken by 97.5%, Māori language by 2.8%, Samoan by 0.7% and other languages by 9.4%. No language could be spoken by 1.6% (e.g. too young to talk). New Zealand Sign Language was known by 0.4%. The percentage of people born overseas was 19.5, compared with 28.8% nationally. Religious affiliations were 30.6% Christian , 0.8% Hindu , 0.3% Islam , 0.6% Māori religious beliefs , 0.7% Buddhist , 0.4% New Age , 0.1% Jewish , and 1.1% other religions. People who answered that they had no religion were 57.5%, and 8.1% of people did not answer
10920-447: Was that "any alternative spiritual path is good because it is spiritual and alternative". This approach that has generated a common jibe that New Age represents "supermarket spirituality". York suggested that this eclecticism stemmed from the New Age's origins within late modern capitalism, with New Agers subscribing to a belief in a free market of spiritual ideas as a parallel to a free market in economics. As part of its eclecticism,
11025-590: Was that 20,424 (49.6%) people were employed full-time, 6,165 (15.0%) were part-time, and 699 (1.7%) were unemployed. Marlborough has three towns with a population over 1,000. Together, they are home to 72.9% of the region's population. (June 2024) Other towns and settlements include: Ethnicities in the 2018 New Zealand census were 87.8% European/Pākehā , 13.3% Māori , 3.1% Pacific peoples, 4.1% Asian, and 2.5% other ethnicities (totals add to more than 100% since people could identify with multiple ethnicities). The proportion of Marlborough residents born overseas
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