Farid Ahmed, a survivor of an attack on his mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand spoke at the opening of the US State Department’s second Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom on Tuesday (July 16). He emotionally recalled having to go home after the March 15 mass shooting and tell his daughter that her mother would no Read more
New Zealand
Erstwhile seminary destroyed by fire
Monday, July 15th, 2019
Antonio Hall in Christchurch has been destroyed by fire. For three decades it housed Holy Name Seminary. More than 50 firefighters spent hours trying to save the building on Riccarton Rd after a “significant” fire erupted about 5.20pm on Friday. Catholic Diocese of Christchurch bishop’s pastoral office director Mike Stopforth said the diocese used the building as Read more
No room in the church for extremist anti-gay views
Monday, July 15th, 2019
In February two gay men were assaulted by Joden Martin who claimed he was offended by the fact that Aziz Al-Sa’afin and his friends were standing beside a church. When Martin appeared for sentencing in the court last Friday, Al-Sa’afin said there is no place for extremist views in the church. Martin’s lawyer had said Read more
Young adults don’t feel at home in many church communities
Monday, July 15th, 2019
“Young people don’t feel particularly welcome” in many church communities, says Isabella McCafferty. She said young people are looking for an encounter with each other, with the church and with the sacraments, in ways that are relevant for them. It requires a willingness to “interlink with each other more and hold each other up.” McCafferty Read more
$3m grant for NZ’s first 100% recycled plastic food packaging
Monday, July 15th, 2019The government is investing $3 million in the creation of New Zealand’s first 100 percent recycled plastic food packaging range. Ms Sage said recycling plastics for food containers was part of an effective response to China’s National Sword policy that restricted the amount of waste imports it accepted. Read more
Māori students: education system broken,
Monday, July 15th, 2019Educators need to throw out a “broken system” that has repeatedly been shown to fail Māori learners, a former principal says. Keri Milne-Ihimaera was the principal of Moerewa School in Northland for 10 years. For two of those years, the school was under statutory intervention, governed by a commissioner brought in by the Ministry of Read more
Church’s roofing iron stolen overnight
Monday, July 15th, 2019Members of a Taranaki church are devastated after thieves stole a quarter of the iron they fundraised $28,000 for, before it could be used to fix the leaking roof of their rural church. Continue reading
A lot of people said you can’t do that… but they did
Thursday, July 11th, 2019
Rotorua has the second-highest number of homeless people in New Zealand. Only Auckland has more. In 2017 Tiny Deane decided to do something about it. Everyone told him he wouldn’t be able to. But he was not put off. He and his wife Lynley sold their rental property and remortgaged their family home to establish the Read more
Involuntary euthanasia for repeat offenders
Thursday, July 11th, 2019
A man associated with the Coalition New Zealand Party is calling for the Government to introduce involuntary euthanasia for paedophiles who are repeat offenders. Jevan Goulter describes himself as the campaign manager and chief strategist for the Coalition New Zealand Party led by Hannah Tamaki. On his Facebook page, he has posted a link to an Read more
A beautiful study of Jean Vanier and L’Arche
Thursday, July 11th, 2019
Jean Vanier who died earlier this year features a documentary being screened in New Zealand this month. Summer in the Forest Summer is a beautiful and moving study of this extraordinary man and the organisation he founded. Vanier founded L’Arche, a community based outside of Paris for individuals with developmental disabilities, in the 1960s. His goal Read more