Monte Cecilia Housing Trust chief executive officer Bernie Smith puts the increased demand down to reduced working hours and increasing unemployment.

Smith told NZ Catholic the Catholic housing trust received 10-15 inquiries a day during the second Auckland lockdown, however, 12 months ago they received 15 enquiries a week.

Smith's statistics mirror figures released by the Ministry of Social Development showing the number of applicants on the Housing Register was 18,520 as of June 30, an increase of 50.4 per cent as against the same time last year.

Smith says the Trust is waiting with "bated breath" to see what will happen when the wage subsidy comes off.

He says the Trust needs 600 houses in the next 12 months.

The demand for housing is wider than Auckland and general concern is rising with the COVID-19 rent freeze due to be lifted on Friday.

Renters United says tenants are already being told their costs will go up and president of the organisation Robert Whitaker says it's going to make life "really hard" for renters.

The advocacy group for tenants want the Government to limit rent increases to no more than inflation.

"For those on low incomes, it forces impossible choices between paying the bills, feeding themselves and their family, and losing their home. With the looming recession caused by COVID-19, renters face even greater hardship."

However, NZ Property Investors Federation executive officer Sharon Cullwick says it's effectively been eight months since landlords have been able to activate rent increases and some catch-up was inevitable.

"In total, that's quite a long time to go without any increase in rent. So it won't be surprising to see may landlords activating rent rises after the 26th."

The housing markets in Wellington, Rotorua, Hawkes Bay, Queenstown and Dunedin are also under considerable pressure.

The average price for property in the Capital is now $689,000, while worsening housing markets in Rotorua and Queenstown means many people who hadn't had to rely on community support were seeking it.

Prior to the 2017 General Election, some 600 people joined Bishop Justin Duckworth, Anglican bishop of Wellington, assistant Anglican bishop of Wellington, Eleanor Sanderson, and Cardinal Dew at a housing forum in the Anglican Cathedral of St Paul.

While Dew reminded those present that on a global scale, New Zealand had the worst rate of homelessness in the OECD - according to a Yale University study, Duckworth said the 2017 housing crisis was the greatest issue facing New Zealand.

Duckworth asked if the politicians actually cared.

"We're talking about probably the issue that in the polls is the greatest issue facing New Zealanders. For me, this is no longer about housing, it's just simply about do you (politicians) care? Do you actually care?", Duckworth asked.

Sources

• Newshub
• NZ Catholic
• Good Returns
• NZ Advisor
• ODT
• CathNews

Bishop Justin wrote an editorial for online magazine The Spinoff, and you can read it here. You can also check out some photos on our Facebook page.

They were asked to kit out homes, and people have been giving from right across the region.

So far religious groups in the lower North Island have gathered household supplies for the first 95 Syrian refugees to settle in Wellington.

Preparing homes for the refugees has been a partnership between government agencies, religious and volunteer organisations.

The government refugee resettlement programme has been responsible for providing 25 homes as well as furniture for each family.

All other household items are being provided by the Anglican and Catholic churches who are taking responsibility for setting up 10 homes respectively.

The New Zealand Islamic Centre is catering for the final five homes.

The Red Cross will assign volunteers to each family so as to provide ongoing support as they settle.

This month's refugee intake is the first of several, and Anglican Bishop Duckworth said they were already preparing for the next one in April.

Duckworth said that generosity extended well beyond the church.

Watch interview with Bishop Justin Duckworth.

He said he had heard stories of people going into shops looking for items like rice cookers and the shops selling the items at cost when hearing about who they were for.

"It's not just the churches and the Islamic centre - it's actually everyday New Zealanders and small businesses saying we want to get behind and say refugees, you are welcome."

Duckworth said, "The question is not the inconvenience it is for us.

The question is what will happen if we don't do this?

What will happen to the refugees who don't get to come here?

For us, to double the quota is just saying we would like to see... 1500 [refugees] a year because for those extra 750 that'll make a huge difference."

Source

• radionz.co.nz
• radionz.co.nz
• wellington.scoop.co.nz
• Image: nzherald.co.nz

But this is complicated as he lives in church-provided accommodation, the New Zealand Herald reported.

The new living wage level, calculated by the Anglican Family Centre, increased from $18.80 an hour last year in line with average wage increases.

It is defined by its supporters as "the income necessary to provide workers and their families with the basic necessities of life".

Bishop Duckworth said his diocese was committed to paying the living wage in all "diocesan entities" by later this year.

But Anglican schools, aged care homes and social services such as the Wellington City Mission are not bound by the policy because they are independent entities.

"The City Mission are wrestling with this issue as well. Most of the diocese [is] wrestling with this issue," Bishop Duckworth told the Herald.

"I, like every high income earner, needs to reflect on their own personal commitment to supporting the living wage in their organisation, and therefore the appropriate policy that they might have in relation to their wage," he said.

About one-third of all Kiwi workers earned below the living wage rate, said research leader Rev. Charles Waldegrave of the Anglican Family Centre in Lower Hutt.

Rev. Waldegrave said it would be unrealistic to raise the legal minimum wage to $19.25 an hour, but he said the living wage was meant as a voluntary "aspirational" target.

The adult minimum wage in New Zealand will increase from $14.25 an hour to $14.75 an hour from April 1, Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Michael Woodhouse announced on February 25.

Sources

• New Zealand Herald
• New Zealand Herald
• Stuff
• Image: 3News

Many people on the walk, he said, wanted to talk to him about his role as a Bishop, and his experience of God.

He was surprised that monasteries and churches appeared not to engage with pilgrims, and a final Mass he attended notably failed to invite pilgrims to reflect on their journey.

‘People are hungry to talk about faith', he said ‘but not interested in the institution of the church'.

Bishop Justin was addressing the Synod of the Wellington Anglican Diocese which took place last weekend in Palmerston North.

Bishop Justin continued, ‘People want to engage with issues of faith, but they do not want to belong to an institution. People want deeply to belong, and they want to be gathered around the table, to be called in from the highways and byways'.

‘We need to change our culture', he said. ‘How we do things is just as important as what we do; if we get the right culture, then the other stuff will flow'.

Bishop Justin made three points:

• We are family, not ‘islands'.
• We cannot disciple people unless we are disciples ourselves.
• We are a church of the lost, last, least, and a church that prioritises the proclamation of the Gospel, good news to the poor.

Source

• Anglican Taonga
• Image: Synod News

Catholic Archbishop John Dew and Anglican Bishop Justin Duckworth invited the Children's Commissioner, Dr Russell Wills, and politicians to speak on child poverty in the lead-up to the election.

At the forum on August 5, Dr Wills said child poverty affected not just the poor but the entire country.

Calling for a plan for children, he said inadequate housing, debt, low incomes, alcohol and gambling harmed the young most of all.

Social pressure was the key to policy change, he added.

Archbishop Dew called on politicians to make reducing poverty their top priority and prayed that they are "genuinely disturbed by the state of society and the lives of the poor".

But he also said that poverty "is not just for the politicians to ‘fix', but something we are all called to do something about as a community".

Attorney-General Chris Finlayson (National) admitted that child poverty is a reality in New Zealand. But he insisted that the present Government are making significant improvements.

Hone Harawira (Mana-Internet) spoke against those who devised grandiose plans on how to run the country, while being oblivious to the widespread nature of child poverty.

Labour leader David Cunliffe called child poverty a "national shame", and referenced to policies to reduce unemployment and raise the minimum wage.

Peter Dunne (United -Future) stressed the need to first of all help parents and families.

Jan Logie (Green) advocated for a smarter, greener economy that works for all, and called for a range of measures to deal with the root causes of child poverty.

Marama Fox (Maori Party) spoke of her personal experience of having to keep children from school because she couldn't afford lunches. She said when we look after our children, we look after our future.

Mataroa Paroro (New Zealand First) called for the removal of GST on basic food items.

Bishop Duckworth urged everyone to keep the conversation going.

He encouraged those present to go back to their communities and push the message about the priority of ending child poverty.

Sources

• Anglican Taonga
• New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference
• Fr Thomas Rouse
• Image: Wellington Archdiocese

The aim of the forum is to highlight the issue of child poverty in New Zealand. An estimated 270,000 children (1 in 4 children) in New Zealand live in poverty.

Click here to read the Child Poverty Action Group Report.

Archbishop John states that "Children are among our most vulnerable citizens. We all have a responsibility to care for them and to ensure they have what they need to survive and thrive".

Children's Commissioner Dr Russell Wills will give a key note address.

Archbishop John Dew and Bishop Justin Duckworth will offer a short presentation on a Christian perspective on poverty.

Other speakers include:

• David Cunliffe Leader Labour
• Peter Dunn Leader United Future
• Hone Harawira Leader Mana
• Te Ururoa Flavell Co-Leader Maori
• Metiria Turei Co-Leader Green Party
• Chris Finlayson Attorney General National

New Zealand First is yet to confirm a spokesperson.

The Forum will take place at St Paul's Anglican Cathedral on Tuesday 5 August.

Snacks and drinks will be provided at 5:45pm.

The forum itself will begin at 6:30pm starting with whakatau and prayer.

There will be opportunities for people to share in small groups.

The forum also provides an event specifically for young people with a Young Voter Forum beginning at 8.15pm.

There will also be a few displays on the general topic of poverty and a few books on sale.

Source

• Supplied by Mary-Ann Greaney, Justice, Peace and Development, Catholic Centre, Wellington.
• Image: Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand

Justice Minister Judith Collins implied it was ridiculous and suggested this "sort of display" is "why people are leaving the Anglican Church".

Perhaps the symbol of a fenced in cell is upsetting to the journalist and the politician but Bishop Duckworth was just doing his job, albeit in a colourful way.

Last week Anglican churches around the country were focusing on penal reform. We have some serious problems in New Zealand. We incarcerate people at a greater rate than almost all like countries and we have a very high recidivism rate.

This is a problem for all of us because a prison system that is not rehabilitating people becomes a school for further crime. That in turn puts us all at risk.

The bishop's question is, "Do we want a system that simply punishes offenders or do we want one that changes behaviour and leads to less reoffending?"

The time in the cell drew public attention to the question and allowed him a week to contemplate and pray.

We all understand the former. The latter is perhaps a mystery for some, but you have to admit that is what you would expect of a bishop.

So what is the substance? The rate of imprisonment in New Zealand more than doubled from 91 per 100,000 people in 1987 to 197 per 100,000 in 2010. Today's figure shows a small improvement, sitting on 192.

These very high imprisonment rates are well above like countries with the exception of the United States. Britain imprisons 148 per 100,000, Australia 130, Canada 118 and France 105.

The picture gets worse if we look at the imprisonment of Maori. They are imprisoned at a rate of 700 per 100,000, three and a half times more than non- Maori, or over five times more than the total Canadian rate.

So are New Zealand's streets safer as a result of all this very expensive locking up? It does not appear so because the recidivism rates are very disturbing. Around half New Zealand's prisoners (49 per cent) return to prison having reoffended over the four year period after being released.

The figures suggest some smart thinking is needed. We lock up more people than other like countries. We have a shameful ethnic bias within those figures and a very high reoffending rate.

The bishop didn't blame the Government or the justice or correction systems. He stated that his vigil was not a protest. It was a call to think, discuss and act. This problem has grown over the last 25 years under successive governments, but there are hopeful signs within the corrections and justice systems. Continue reading

Sources

• Charles Waldegrave in Stuff
• Image: Anglican Taonga

Charles Waldegrave leads the Anglican Church's family centre social policy research unit.

Bishop Justin Duckworth emerged from the prayer vigil for prisoners and associated victims yesterday and, after delivering a sermon, headed straight to a Ghuznee St Malaysian restaurant to break his fast and renew his faith in curry. Continue reading

The archbishops, John Dew, Justin Duckworth and Philip Richardson (above) say a justice system, levels of offending, and victims' needs and rights, are often summed up through statistics when it is actually about people.

They say, victims have needs and rights and offenders also need to face what they have done and be reintegrated into society.

The leaders share a concern that while the crime rate is falling in New Zealand, the level of incarceration in prisons has increased in the past four years and rates of reoffending remain high.

The archbishops question whether prison is the effective remedy for all who offend to be able to turn their lives around.

Their request accompanies the prayer vigil for victims, prisoners and their families outside Wellington Cathedral of St Paul by the Anglican Bishop of Wellington, Justin Duckworth.

The archbishops went and prayed with Bishop Justin today and want to encourage conversations and awareness about the issue.

The archbishops believe the Christian community can express hope and influence across society.

They say while there have been some good initiatives taken to reduce reoffending by prisoners on release, we need to ask ourselves as churches and society if there is more that can be done for victims and offenders and so for the common good of all.

Source

• Media Release NZCBC
• Image: NZCBC

This week, the Anglican Church is focusing on prisoner rehabilitation and how to stop reoffending with alternatives other than prison.

Bishop Justin preached at the 10am service in the Cathedral on Sunday and then entered the "cell".

He will lead a communion service each day at 12:15pm with an address on the daily focus points.

He will leave the "cell" next Sunday morning.

The Church says the vigil is not a protest against current policies but the Bishop says there are alternatives to prison that are often more effective at reducing crime.

Source

• Radio New Zealand
• TVNZ
• Image: Radio New Zealand

Bishop Justin Duckworth, a dreadlocked, Jandal-wearing priest who was an upset choice as bishop last year, is also challenging other high-income earners to take less to fund higher wages for the 39 per cent of Kiwi workers who now earn less than the living wage, defined by union and church groups as $18.40 an hour.

His current salary is about $63,000, or $30 an hour, plus a house. Continue reading

Nikki Macdonald talks to Bishop Justin Duckworth about his colourful past and his greatest challenge yet - revitalising the Anglican Church.

By the glow of a candle stub cradled inside a coconut shell, Justin Duckworth says sorry for letting anxiety and stress get in the way. And at morning prayers the next day, in the tiny chapel he helped build in the foothills of the Tararua Range, the Bishop of Wellington asks God for insight into a difficult problem.

It's a rare glimpse into the weight of the task facing the head of Wellington's Anglican Church, a year on from his surprise election to an erstwhile fusty old boys' club.

The dreadlocked, barefoot bolter who'd lived a life on the edge of society and the church, is now charged with reviving an institution in decline.

If there's one thing the 45-year-old wants to drive home to the church, it's the need to enact their faith and live "peculiar lives". And few could be more peculiar than Duckworth's own - the boy from Stokes Valley turned urban missionary turned modern monastic.

That simple wooden chapel is the centrepiece of Ngatiawa River Monastery, the spiritual community Duckworth and his wife Jenny founded, which has been their home for the past 10 years.

The couple bought the dilapidated old Presbyterian camp, tucked under the hills behind Waikanae, as a refuge for "strugglers, seekers and servants".

It's a place of contemplative quiet, and listening without judgment. Of a thrice-daily rhythm of prayer rung in by an old railway iron. Of communal meals seasoned with laughter. Of home kills, fruit trees, roaming sheep and escaped ginga pigs. Continue reading

Sources

• The Dominion Post
• Image: Masterton Anglican

"In today's world, I believe extreme poverty and inequality are unjustifiable and unfair, and that's why I am taking part. Live Below the Line demonstrates the problem in a concrete way, while raising money to address the problem," said Bishop Duckworth.

"As a family, we took part last year, and it was amazing how much time we spent thinking about food. It made us realise how much we take our abundance of food for granted. Because Live Below the Line is over five days, it connects us in solidarity with the poor. It is no easy task as you wrestle with what you are going to put on the plate every day. It is humbling to realise that this is the daily reality for more than 1.4bn people in our world living in extreme poverty."

Live Below the Line is an initiative of the Global Poverty Project, an education and campaigning organisation whose mission is to increase the number and effectiveness of people taking action against extreme poverty.

In 2012, Live Below the Line is running in New Zealand, the UK, Australia and the USA, with more than 20,000 people spending 5 days living below the line.

Last year, Global Poverty Project's Live Below the Line was held in NZ for the first time.

Source

• Scoop
• Image: Suff.co.nz

Bishop of Wellington Justin Duckworth, ordained last month, said that over the three-day conference it had become clear that the clergy needed to focus on parents and families.

"As a church we need to work out how to better equip children and their families ... The young are the future of our church.

"If we're not helping young people, the church is not supporting a large percentage of our parishes," he said.

Continue reading

• having a Jesus centre
• belonging deeply together
• giving our best for the least

Bishop Duckworth told the cathedral congregation of close to 2000 who attended his ordination that he was thinking about those who couldn't be with them today - that is, the inmates - and he told the congregation of a wero that those inmates, who are in the faith-based unit at Rimutaka, had laid upon him.

Please, never forget us. We need you to stand up for us, and to stay faithful to those of us who need you most.

Bishop Duckworth was ordained in the Cathedral of St Paul in Wellington on Saturday 30 June.

Bishop elect Duckworth was led into his cathedral by about 140 supporters. They included his wife, Jenny Duckworth, and his family and members of the two movements which he and his wife helped to found: Urban Vision, and a contemporary monastery of St Andrew's at Ngatiawa, near Waikanae, where they have been living.

Archbishop David Moxon was the chief presider, supported by Archbishops Brown Turei and Winston Halapua.

Source

• Anglicantaogna
• Anglican Communion News Service
• Image Anglicantaonga

Organisations have a life of their own, a strange combination of power and vulnerability, dreams and missions, factions that control various parts of their functioning, ways of ritualizing what's important and an overwhelming entanglement in a culture that has grown them, and to which they owe some allegiance. It's a balancing act.

Continue reading Sande Ramage's Blog

Sande Ramage is an Anglican priest and Blogger

Dreadlocked and often barefoot and in shorts, he may not look like a typical church leader - but the Diocese of Wellington has spoken with its votes.

The 44-year-old, who has been involved in the region's ministry for 25 years, said he felt "humbled, privileged, excited - and terrified" to have been chosen as bishop.

Continue reading