A “shining light” of the Taranaki faith community, and arguably one of the country’s oldest altar servers, has died. Sam, who had Down syndrome, became an altar server in 2002 and also regularly welcomed parishioners to weekly services, as a host at the door. On March 1, he died at Chalmers rest home after a short illness, with Read more
New Zealand
Iranian delegation refuse to shake hands with female Labour MP
Monday, March 12th, 2018Labour MPs have taken offence at an Iranian agricultural delegation after they were told the Iranians wouldn’t shake hands with their female counterpart. Labour’s Jo Luxton is the deputy chair of the Primary Production select committee, which held a meeting with the Iranians last month. She says as a woman it made her uncomfortable, but Read more
Councils choosing karakia over prayers to open meetings
Monday, March 12th, 2018Hawke’s Bay councils choosing karakia over prayers to open meetings. Across Hawke’s Bay/Tararua only half of the six councils have an official prayer which references religion. Of these three, two favour a karakia (a Maori formal greeting similar to a prayer). Continue reading
Prominent atheist backs out of NZ tour amid allegations
Thursday, March 8th, 2018
A prominent atheist facing allegations, posted on BuzzFeed, of inappropriate behaviour towards women has backed out of a New Zealand tour. Physicist Lawrence Krauss was due to speak on a double-bill with Richard Dawkins at the Science in the Soul tour in May in Auckland and Christchurch, but the promoter has announced he would no Read more
NZ Bishops will to use their own pastoral guidelines with respect to children of priests
Thursday, March 8th, 2018
The New Zealand Catholic bishops will continue to follow their own pastoral practices with respect to the children of priests rather than adopting the Irish bishops’ guidelines. The bishops’ spokesperson, Amanda Gregan, responding to questions from RNZ, said the bishops had “read with interest the Irish Bishops’ guidelines concerning children of priests”. However, “They will Read more
Euthanasia bill poses risks for disabled says Disability Commissioner
Thursday, March 8th, 2018
The Disability Commissioner and some people with disabilities say legalising euthanasia could lead to the erosion of rights for disabled people who choose to live. Disability Rights Commissioner Paula Tesoriero says David Seymour’s private member’s the End of Life Choice Bill, which was currently before the Justice Select Committee, undermined years of work to change perceptions Read more
New Anglican primate for Maori church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia
Thursday, March 8th, 2018The two existing primates of the Anglican Church of Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia (ANZP) have announced that the province’s third primate will be Bishop Don Tamihere, currently bishop of Tairawhiti. The Church of ANZP is unique in the Anglican Communion in having three primates of the whole province, but with special responsibility for the Read more
A quarter of Kiwi kids reported to child protection services
Thursday, March 8th, 2018Almost one in four Kiwi kids have been reported to child protection services, a new study has found. The report, titled Cumulative Prevalence of Maltreatment Among New Zealand Children, followed the 55,443 children born in 1998 until 2015 when they would be 17. It determined the frequency of notifications, maltreatment cases and first entries into Read more
Suspicious fire at Upper Hutt School – then two days later it was burgled
Monday, March 5th, 2018
A playground at Upper Hutt’s St Joseph’s School was badly damaged by fire – then two days later burglars stole six iPads. The fire which occurred on Sunday caused major damage to the junior playground. A police spokeswoman said they were in the process of establishing if the fire was suspicious and inquiries were ongoing. The Read more
Business-like approach bears fruit for St Vincent de Paul in Hamilton
Monday, March 5th, 2018
When Mike Rolton arrived at St Vincent de Paul in Hamilton, revenue was about $180,000. And there were about 40 volunteers. It is now a $1 million non-profit business. There are seven paid staff and more than 260 volunteers. The former Fletcher Challenge and Waikato-Tainui fisheries manager agreed to help out the St Vincent de Read more