A bill that enables a change that allows existing bereavement leave to be automatically made available for those families that have been through a miscarriage or a stillbirth had its second reading in parliament on Wednesday 29 July. The bill will make it clear that the unplanned end of any pregnancy by miscarriage or stillbirth Read more
The Catholic Diocese of Christchurch will be applying to disinter three bishops who are buried in the earthquake-damaged Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament. Bishop Grimes, Bishop Edward Joyce, Bishop John Cunneen, are buried under the floor of a side chapel of the cathedral. Grimes, the first bishop of Christchurch, was the driving force behind the Read more
Outgoing Labour MP Clare Curran says she is afraid an MP will kill themselves before the news media takes a serious look at itself. She said political reporting had evolved into a level of commentary that was destructive, and while MPs were reflecting on their own culture, she hoped the media would too. “What is Read more
In the wake of the Covid-19 lockdown, Reverend Gordon Taylor is poised to relaunch an initiative, that he began in 2017, to talk over a cuppa in Zuma, a Nelson cafe. For many people unable to work over lockdown, “I think that was a good time to reassess our values.” “My expectation is – linked Read more
On Sunday 26th July a Covenant (Kawenata) was signed at Pukekaraka, Ōtaki. The original agreement set up an inalienable relationship. The present Covenant renews the original agreement. It recalled the partnership established when local Māori invited the Catholic church to come and live there. It marks the “sharing of these lands in perpetuity for the Read more
The Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Wellington is to receive $8.5 million in Government funding from the “shovel ready” infrastructure fund. The cathedral in Hill St, Thorndon, has been closed since 2018, and the money will go towards restoring and earthquake strengthening the building. The $8.5 funding will create almost 300 construction jobs. The Read more
Excerpts from a poem by poet James K. Baxter have been removed from a Dunedin church. In a recent edition of the Mercy Parish newsletter, Father Gerard Aynsley wrote that the Parish Pastoral Council had met to discuss the quote from the poem My Love Came Through the City, which was displayed in the foyer Read more
Judith Collins, the new leader of New Zealand’s National Party is seen as one of the more right-wing MPs in the party with a reputation for supporting hardline law-and-order legislation. But a Newshub article says her record shows some surprising votes for socially liberal policies. Same-gender marriage In 2004, Collins voted against the Civil Union Read more