Only minutes after a hearing of the Royal Commission into child abuse wrapped up, a man was removing abuse survivors’ memorial ribbons at nearby St Patrick’s Cathedral. The bizarre incident on Tuesday followed ongoing controversy about the destruction of “loud fences” which commemorate abuse victims. Continue reading
New Zealand
Church submission calls for halt to predatory lending in NZ
Thursday, June 27th, 2019
The Catholic Church has made submissions on the Credit Contracts Legislation Amendment Bill The Bill amends the Credit Contracts and Consumer Finance Act by strengthening requirements to lend responsibly. It is designed to clamp down on predatory lending practices and stop borrowers being caught in a spiral of unaffordable debt. Writing in The SpinOff, business Read more
Church asks council for $500,000 loan to fund solar farm
Thursday, June 27th, 2019
Work on a multi-million dollar mega solar farm to power 400 low-income households in one of Hawke’s Bay’s poorest suburbs could begin as soon as December, the developer says. Power to the People, a charitable trust formed through St Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Hastings, hopes to set up a solar farm in Flaxmere with a Read more
End of Life Choice Bill – the real fight is still to come
Thursday, June 27th, 2019
On Wednesday evening David Seymour’s End of Life Choice Bill passed the second reading stage by 70 votes to 50; 9 votes more than the 61 votes required. It was a slimmer margin than the one achieved at first reading in December 2017. The vote then was 76 to 44. While the vote appears decisive with Read more
Royal Commission begins public hearings
Thursday, June 27th, 2019Abuse survivor advocates say they’re cautiously optimistic after hearing promises a new Royal Commission will shine a light on New Zealand’s “dark and uncomfortable shared history”. At its first public session in Auckland on Tuesday, members of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State Care and in the Care of Faith-based Institutions Read more
Leaky seminary in Auckland to be fixed
Thursday, June 27th, 2019The New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference has decided to remediate the leaky building issues faced by Holy Cross Seminary, Ponsonby, at an estimated cost of $7.6 million. NZCBC president and Auckland Bishop Patrick Dunn said the bishops considered three options: remediate, rebuild or relocate. Continue reading in NZCatholic
Pornography in schools: 300,000 searches blocked in four weeks
Thursday, June 27th, 2019The Ministry of Education says in a one-month period 300,000 searches for pornographic material were blocked on school networks. Ministry representatives appeared before the Education and Workforce select committee to discuss a petition calling for better, more inclusive sex education. Associate deputy secretary Pauline Cleaver said the ministry is working on a plan to give Read more
National Hui for Maori Pastoral Care
Monday, June 24th, 2019
The inaugural National Māori Pastoral Care Hui was held on 9 May 2019, at Connolly Hall, Wellington. Te Ohu Kai Manaaki, the Māori Pastoral Care Team of the Archdiocese of Wellington, organised the Hui. The bishops nominated the participants as those Church members who are working in Māori pastoral care and Ministry with Māori in Read more
New Zealand tops ratings for upholding Qur’anic principles
Monday, June 24th, 2019
New Zealand’s population is only 1 per cent Muslim, but according to one analysis, it is the country that most closely follows Qur’anic principles. The Islamicity Indices, compiled by the Islamicity Foundation, a US-based nonprofit, measure world governments by how well they adhere to the Islamic principles set forth in the Qur’an. The indices measure Read more
More than 1000 doctors sign letter against ‘assisted suicide’ Bill
Monday, June 24th, 2019
The Care Alliance, a charity which opposes physician-assisted euthanasia, has taken out a full-page advertisement in the New Zealand Herald. The letter has been signed by 1061 doctors, of the 17,000 registered doctors in New Zealand. Medical Association chair Dr Kate Baddock agreeds with the letter and the majority of their more than 5000 members oppose Read more