A long-running court battle over Bible studies being allowed in state primary and intermediate schools has been dropped after an opt-in clause was added to the Education and Training Act 2020. The August 2020 update to the Education and Training Act requires state primary and intermediate schools to enforce an opt-in process for religious instruction. Read more
With this year’s General Election approaching, voters are preparing and reflecting on who to vote for. Catholic social teaching is an essential body of thought that offers some insight on how to think about today’s social issues. Social Justice Week runs from 6-12 September and is based on the theme of Catholic social teaching. Caritas Read more
Health Minister Chris Hipkins said an investigation into claims that the church held meetings during Auckland’s level 3 restrictions is underway. But, one of the church leaders has denied those claims and says there have been no official prayer meetings held while restrictions were in place. Read more
White New Zealanders are much more likely to get a new, more generous welfare payment introduced in response to Covid-19. The Government was warned that it was creating a “two-tier” welfare system which could potentially worsen racial inequality when it introduced the higher, tax-free, more accessible benefit in May. Read more
Leo Hanssen, senior minister at the Majestic Church, says their recently reopened complex was built with its modern design to stop it from looking like “an old church.” “We didn’t want it to look like a church [and we] didn’t want it to feel like an old church. We wanted it to be a place Read more
Two drug policy experts have identified gaps and challenges in New Zealand’s proposal for legalizing recreational cannabis. Associate Professor Chris Wilkins and Dr Marta Rychert of Massey University argue in Addiction that New Zealand’s Cannabis Legislation and Control Bill (CLCB) needs to be strengthened in two critical areas: Set a formal minimum price for cannabis Read more
The one-month postponement of the general election will see thousands turn 18 before October 17. One for these people will be Gina Dao-McLay. She’ll turn 18 on September 27. She said she would be focusing her vote on climate action and poverty. Dao MClay also said people were talking about the political parties’ policies, and Read more
The Borrin Foundation has funded a report which is the first stage of a national, multi-year project led by 16 Māori legal researchers associated with Ngā Pae o Te Māramatanga, New Zealand’s Māori Centre of Research Excellence. The project and the report explore systemic change in the legal studies curriculum at Aotearoa New Zealand universities Read more
A trickle of rough sleepers returning to Auckland streets is not a sign of rising homelessness, NGOs say. However, they are bracing for a second wave of homelessness in the city as the recession starts to bite. Read more
Although there is an improving trend in ethical investment, $4.1 billion of KiwiSaver funds is still invested in companies that the public wants to avoid and $2.3 billion of retail investment funds. This is one of the findings revealed in the most recent annual surveys undertaken jointly by Mindful Money and the Responsible Investment Association Read more