Following the merger of its Paraparaumu and Waikanae parishes, the church has decided to sell both its existing churches and the current St Patricks School site in Paraparaumu.

In their place, the church has bought a 4.2 hectare block of land on Milne Dr to build a new church and school, which would open at the start of 2017. Read more

It is part of a 5700 acre piece of land given to the church by a Mr Campbell.

The Anglican Archbishop of Polynesia, Winston Halapua, said the church has kept aside 300 acres for Melanesians living on the land.

He explained the land was given to the church with the instructions that it be used for the mission of the church.

"In the Anglican Church, property is vested with our trustees so this transaction because it has to do with the land and the purpose falls under the trustees and they do things according to the will of the person who gave it," Archbishop Halapua said.

Responding to questions on the valuation of the land, he said the church trustees and the Kiribati Government came to an agreement on the value of the land.

"Well they have to agree, there was a lot of negotiation and fact-finding, and waiting on those who have other say on this because this is in the Government of Fiji and there is a proper channel."

Halapua said the money from the sale would be invested to serve the purpose of the church.

Source

• The Fiji Times
• Image: fijilandsales.com

This week, the Fiji Ministry of Lands, a business, Williams and Gosling, the Archdiocese of Suva and the mataqali (a section of a family) Natodre of Waiqanake Village in Lami will sign a memorandum of agreement for a piece of land to house the seven families.

Director Housing Kolinio Bola said the government had allocated $150,000 for the relocation process of 15 people who had been squatting on land belonging to the Father Law Home for over 16 years after being forcefully removed from Daku Village in Tailevu.

Part of the land at Wailekutu where the Father Law Home is situated belongs to Williams and Gosling which has agreed to give a piece of land for relocation purposes.

The Father Law Home was built in 1955. It is home for 25 men and women of mixed cultures.

Father Law worked in Fiji in the 1950′s. He started the home, initially , to care for elderly Chinese men who had no family and could not return to China. Father Law passed away in 1988.

Williams and Gosling are freight forwarding operators which was initially established in the mid 1920′s by Captain Williams & Captain Gosling who were at the time involved in pilotage services for the vessels entering the Fiji group.

Source

• Fiji Times
• mccarthypsychology.com.au
• Cultured Views
• Image: FBC