The school doesn’t have a blade of grass to play on, but that hasn’t stopped St Mary’s College in Wellington from being pitch perfect in Japan. The team received an emotional welcome at Wellington Airport on Thursday morning, after claiming the Sanix World Youth Tournament’s rugby sevens title just days ago. Continue reading
New Zealand
After 67 years Catholics included in WWII honours board
Monday, May 1st, 2017
It has taken 67 years but at last an honours board immortalising 23 of the the district’s World War II soldiers has been placed in St Alban’s, a little Anglican church in Pauatahanui, Porirua. The project first saw the light of day in 1950, but it did not come to fruition because the Reverend Maurice Pirani, the Read more
ANZAC Day peace vigil: Respect for the fallen or freedom of speech?
Monday, May 1st, 2017
On Anzac Day a group small elderly Whanganui women took part in a peace vigil. They were Quakers, members of the Religious Society of Friends, who strive to “bring about God’s will without the use of force or violence.” Quakers refuse to take part in war and preparation for war; and oppose the culture of militarism. Read more
Millennials world-wide flocking to C3 church – started by a couple from Masterton
Monday, May 1st, 2017
The C3 church was begun by a couple from Masterton. It has gone from one small church to more than 450 churches in 64 countries, including New Zealand. Christian City Church, better known as C3, has its origins in a church started up in Sydney by a New Zealand couple Phil and Chris Pringle in 1980. Read more
Changes in immigration rules will halt flow of health workers from Philippines
Monday, May 1st, 2017A significant number of workers in the health care sector in New Zealand are from the Philippines. Health worker Aeziel Niegos came to New Zealand in 2008 with a dream of settling here and becoming a Kiwi. But the 39-year-old, who is earns $19.54 an hour as a house leader in an Albany health care Read more
Easter at Messy Church in Kapiti
Monday, May 1st, 2017The Anglican Parish of Kāpiti, says the Messy Church is providing a vehicle for teenagers to grow in their connection with God and their expression of devotion and hospitality. Messy Church is not a denomination, but a world -wide movement that attempts to provide “a relaxed style of church suitable for all ages.” It values Read more
New “non P.C.” Christian political party tests the water
Thursday, April 27th, 2017
GOdsownNZ is yet another attempt to establish a Christian political party, but it wants to appeal to all New Zealand voters that have felt let down by their previous parties of choice. The party is based in Greymouth. The party is currently on an enrolment campaign to reach the threshold of 500 registered financial members that Read more
New Zealander shares international peace prize
Thursday, April 27th, 2017
A New Zealander working with an NGO has been awarded the 2017 Félix Houphouët-Boigny Peace Prize by UNESCO. Shaun Cornelius is a Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors without Borders Logistician Manager on the SOS Méditerranée asylum seekers rescue boat Aquarius in the Mediterranean. Shaun, who comes from Wellington, is on his fourth assignment with MSF. He previously Read more
Bolger’s faith helped him negotiate turbulent waters
Thursday, April 27th, 2017
Jim Bolger, former New Zealand Prime Minister, says his faith helped him negotiate his way through the turbulent waters of the 1990s. Bolger was interviewed by Guyon Espiner as part of the RNZ series The Ninth Floor in which Espiner conducts extended interviews with former New Zealand Prime Ministers. “That was the value system that I grew Read more
Married At First Sight NZ will trivialise marriage, church says
Thursday, April 27th, 2017A spokeswoman for the Catholic bishop of Auckland said Christian marriage was “a sacred covenant”. Married At First Sight trivialised marriage for ratings and did not give the couples their best chance at success, she said. Married At First Sight pairs couples “at the altar” as they embark on an experiment to see if they can Read more