Brian McGuinness, the Wellington Company, Erskine Chapel Restoration, Doug Hauraki and Adrian Orr were acknowledged.

The event acknowledged the exceptional contributions of four of the city's most influential business leaders who have helped Wellington's business community prosper.

Lifelong dedication to integrity and quality construction

Among the honourees was Brian McGuinness who has dedicated more than 50 years to LT McGuinness, a family-founded construction company.

McGuinness' leadership and commitment are instrumental in transforming Wellington's urban landscape.

"Brian has shown exceptional leadership and made enduring contributions to the Wellington urban landscape.

"His dedication to building excellence, his ability to develop long-standing local relationships and his commitment to his word have contributed to the success of many of Wellington's iconic buildings" says Business Central in a press release.

McGuinness' work includes seismic strengthening of St Mary of the Angels Church and Sacred Heart Cathedral, both critical projects for the city's heritage preservation.

Archbishop Paul Martin commended McGuinness' dedication at the June opening of Sacred Heart Cathedral, saying "Putting plans into practice, pictures into reality, is a skill and craft that we have seen carried out here through our main contractor, LT McGuinness".

"It seems that. all over this city, we see signs of this fine company whose work ethic, skill and integrity have them being asked to lead so many significant projects in our capital.

"We're deeply grateful to you, Brian, and the wider family and the firm."

Reviving Erskine Chapel

Another major recognition was awarded to The Wellington Company for its 23-year-long effort to restore the Erskine Chapel in Island Bay.

Many others would have shied away from the challenge of restoring the Category-1 listed Erskine Chapel.

The 1929 landmark had been neglected, vandalised and red-stickered for many years.

However, rather than walking away from the project, The Wellington Company took the step many would not, undertaking a $7 million restoration and strengthening project to preserve it for generations to come.

Adrian Orr

The Wellington Pasifika Business Network (WPBN) recognised Dr Adrian Orr as the Pasifika honouree for this year's Wellington Address.

The WPBN identified Orr as a trailblazer in his chosen profession.

They say he has a strong intergenerational view of economic and social issues and solutions.

Doug Hauraki

Te Awe Wellington Maori Business Network nominated recognised Doug Hauraki as its honouree.

The network acknowledges Hauraki's more than 55 years of service to Maori in both the private and public sectors and his lifelong devotion to better education and employment opportunities for Maori and Pasifika people.

Stronger together than we are apart

Simon Arcus, CEO of Wellington Chamber of Commerce, praised their resilience, stating "These awards are a celebration of the very best of our business community - hard work, dedication, innovation and a commitment to improving our city".

Arcus highlighted this partnership as a cornerstone of the event, remarking "The Address is a symbol of a powerful insight: we are stronger together than we are apart.

"At times like these, it's a powerful reminder of Wellington's character and its potential in years to come."

The event celebrated individual achievement and the city's collective spirit, showcasing Wellington's resilience and determination.

Sources

• Scoop
• Wellington Address
• Archdiocese of Wellington

With 41,600 Kiwis not knowing where they will sleep tonight, and many not having access to a shower or laundry services demand for Orange Sky services has doubled.

And, it needs more volunteers.

Orange Sky, offers a mobile laundry and hot shower service working on the streets and in particular it asking Wellingtonians to volunteer some of their time.

Eddie Uini​, who leads New Zealand's branch of Orange Sky, says unlike Auckland, which is inundated with volunteers, the opposite is true of Wellington.

Finding volunteers in the capital is one of the charity's challenges.

"We'd welcome people with open arms," says Orange Sky's Wellington team leader Debs Burson. "Every day when the van is not used is a sad day."

"The day when our vans aren't needed, I'll celebrate more than anyone but there is a need in both Auckland and Wellington."

Unemployment has risen to 151,000 last September - 37,000 more than in the previous quarter. That was the biggest quarterly increase since 1986.

Food parcels are needed now more than ever.

Since the pandemic, there has also been an increase in single-income families using the charity to help reduce living costs, says Uini.

Orange Sky's distinctive orange-painted mobile laundry van is a self-contained unit. It has two washing machines, two dryers and a shower. It also has its own power, water and waste systems.

The charity's services are free of charge and open for anyone in need.

Orange Sky helps people experiencing homelessness or those who for various reasons don't have or can't afford hot water or a washing machine.

Burson​ can't speak highly enough of her involvement with the mobile laundry service.

It's a family affair, she says. Her husband is the vehicle co-ordinator and her 12-year-old daughter is the youngest person on the Wellington team.

"We've been part of Orange Sky since its launch - it's amazing, we love it."

"A lot of people who come to my shift are families and there's always kids running around. It's an incredible community. We really feel part of it."

Another volunteer comments: "You build trust and build friendships because everyone is consistently there every Friday. You're there for the highs and lows, and to celebrate the successes."

Wellington service leader Cathy Knowsley​ said the demand for its service had been consistent.

There were about 25 volunteers and the van did about 30 to 40 loads of washing a week.

"We currently have six shifts, and we'd love to have more, and reach more of the region," Knowsley said.

In the capital, the van visits the Compassion Soup Kitchen in Te Aro, Wellington City Mission in Newtown, Raukawa Community Centre in Strathmore Park and Linden Community Centre in Tawa.

Source

• Stuff
• Image: Stuff

Well over a thousand people attended the event called "Festival of the Stars - Ave Maris Stella," held at St Patrick's College, Wellington.

Sponsored by St Mary of the Angels, the singing, music, dance and food event brought together the many diverse cultural elements of the city parish community.

Parish Priest of St Mary of the Angels, Fr Scannell SM described the event as "wonderful" and "very inner-city".

"It's fantastic to be able to express and show the wide variety of cultures and to do it in a way that helps the seismic strengthening of St Mary of the Angels.

"Maori, Chinese, Korean, Philippino, Tongan, Irish, Polish, Indonesian, English and New Zealand cultures all participated", he said.

It is the first time St Mary of the Angels has hosted such an event and event organiser, Mr Robert Oliver already has plans for 2016.

"I hope it is going to be bigger and even better.

"Ave Maris Stella encapsulates something very Wellington, very New Zealand at the moment", he said.

Mr Oliver explained the genesis of "Ave Maris Stella" as the bringing together of two ideas; the opportunity to celebrate mid-winter and the need to raise another $4.5m to strengthen the St Mary of the Angels church.

Mr Oliver said he tested the idea of a mid-winter festival with people in the parish community and it sort of spread out into the other elements of the wider community.

Asked how much the event will raise, Mr Oliver described the amount as "peanuts" in comparison to what is required.

"It's not really just about the money", he said.

"Ave Maris Stella shows we want to offer something to the community, we are part of the community.

"It also shows we're trying to do something towards raising this massive sum of money", he said.

Last week the St Mary of the Angels Charitable Trust received $1.7m from the Lottery's Commission, leaving it with a further $4.5 to raise.

"It also shows we're trying to do something towards raising this massive sum of money", he said.

Mr Oliver said he tested the idea of a mid-winter festival with people in the parish community and it sort of spread out into the other elements of the wider community.

"Ave Maris Stella encapsulates something very Wellington, very New Zealand at the moment", he said.

The irony of holding a inner-city event in Wellington's eastern suburbs was not lost on Mr Oliver.

"We're in exile at the moment while this beautiful inner-city Church is closed for strengthening, and we are very lucky to have such a strong relationship with St Patrick's College", Mr Oliver told CathNews.

Last week the St Mary of the Angels Charitable Trust received $1.7m from the Lotteries Commission, leaving it with a further $4.5 to raise.

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

Rough sleepers were counted on every downtown city block and in known locations for such people in suburban areas.

Fifty volunteers helped in the count between 4am and 6am.

Counters were recruited from Te Aro, The Soup Kitchen, Wellington City Council, and community partners such as Regional Public Health, Night Shelter and the Downtown Community Ministry.

Each counter was partnered with a volunteer recruited from Rotary Club, Central Baptist Church and willing and able-bodied friends and family.

Wellington Police supported the planning and safety of the counters.

The street count is part of Wellington City Council's project Te Mahana: Ending Homelessness in Wellington Strategy, whose ultimate aim is to end homelessness in Wellington by 2020.

The street count's main goals are to connect homeless people to social services and also provide data, which will better prepare services to get resources to people who need them.

Continue reading

But it would be no surprise if anyone attending the opening Mass thought they had been carried off to the Pacific Islands, with the vibrant contribution of the Samoan and Tokelauan communities.

It was one of those moments when I realised how deep is the communio, the life of the Trinity we share at baptism that binds us together as the Catholic Church in Oceania.

When you look at a map or, better still, a globe of Oceania, you realise how huge it is, covering more than one-third of the earth's surface. What a responsibility comes with this beautiful gift of God's creation and the people who live here.

As bishops we were aware of this, especially when, on the opening day, Bishop Eugene Hurley of Darwin addressed the question of Australian immigration policy, detention centres and the treatment of asylum seekers who are currently detained on Manus Island, Nauru, Christmas Island and several camps in Australia.

These places are located in three of the four FCBCO areas, but it also challenges us as New Zealanders - are we doing all we can to respond with gospel hospitality towards those who approach our shores? Continue reading.

John Dew is Archbishop of Wellington, and outgoing President of the Federation of Catholic Bishops of Oceania.

Source: WelCom

Image: WelCom

Wellington Women's Homeless Trust (WHWT) spokesperson Frances Broatch (pictured above left) said the housing unit opened in July and had been busy ever since. The Trust's accommodation unit can take up to five women at any one time.

The accommodation is for single women who find themselves without a home for some reason. The women can live there for a period of up to three months. During this time they are fully supported and coached to make and achieve some positive goals in their lives.

"We've already had women who have moved in and spent some time with us, who have been encouraged and supported, and have now moved on to new homes and jobs," Ms Broatch said.

"We'd like to thank those in the community who are supporting us, our staff and the amazing women and organisations we work with."

A lot of planning has gone into establishing the accommodation facility, its objectives and how it operates. The response to date shows that this emergency accommodation for single women is very much needed and can make a positive difference to those who stay in it.

The Trust is run by a group of volunteers, three of whom are religious sisters. It has funding for up to two years from the private sector and hopes to continue to receive support from the community to continue with its vision to provide support and accommodation for homeless women who want to improve their situation, in Wellington, New Zealand.

Source: Wellington Homeless Women's Trust press release

Image: Wellington Homeless Women's Trust

In 2003, the pastor was 37 years old and addicted to spending, going as far as committing insurance fraud and stealing from members of his church to fuel his need.

Now he is the senior pastor at Palmerston North's Central Baptist Church, and preparing for a relocation to Wellington after being named the dean of Wellington's Anglican Cathedral of St Paul. 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

He will also go through the process himself.

Archbishop Dew, Tuesday, wrote to all priests and deacons in the Archdiocese saying that following recent incidents throughout the country, the Education Review Office requires police vetting for all volunteers who visit schools regularly.

The Archbishop said the question was raised because priests work in schools, and often attend school camps, picnics, sports days etc.

The Archbishop told CathNews that priests and deacons should be like all other volunteers who visit schools regularly.

"As pastors and chaplains we are in a privileged, sacred and trusted position. Therefore it is essential that we are open, transparent in undertaking a police vet which is required for all other volunteers who visit a school regularly.

"Undertaking to complete the vetting process is one way that we can honour our commitment to learning from our past and providing transparency and reassurance to those who trust us," he said.

Archbishop Dew is confident priests will respond positively to his request.

"Priests have already indicated to me that they appreciate the request to do so because it offers another opportunity to reassure people that we have the wellbeing and safety of our children as our first priority," he told CathNews.

He is also asking that parish volunteers and employees also go through the vetting process.

When asked what impact he thought this might have on volunteers, for example helping coach sport in a school, the Archbishop was clear that we are living in different times, and that he sees police vetting as becoming a normal part of ministry, of working with young people.

In an attached "Consent to disclosure of information" form, the archdiocese points out the police vetting process is not a complete background check.

It says the police vetting involves a check for convictions and a search of other information held by the police, including whether a person, even if not convicted, has any record of violent or sexual behaviour.

The Archdiocese says strict procedures are in place to protect the privacy of those being vetted to avoid inappropriate information being released by either the New Zealand Police or the Archdiocese.

The archbishop has appointed Mr David Mullin as the Archdiocesan Vetting Officer who will receive a summary of the police report.

Police vetting status lasts only for three years. Priests and youth workers who continue working with young people need to complete the vetting process every three years.

The police vetting process is free.

On Tuesday, CathNews reported that in Pope Francis' first public statement on clerical sex abuse he called for decisive action in the promotion of measures for child protection.

Sources

• CathNews
• Image: Caritas

The church held a hui in Porirua on Sunday and plans another in the South Island next weekend to discuss issues such as it having fewer clergy, less money and earthquake-prone buildings that need repair.

Archbishop John Dew says some of 47 parishes in the Wellington diocese are quite small and he would like each one to consider how they can best serve the needs of the church and the parish in the future.

Source: Radio NZ

The news was broken to Wellington's Catholics during morning mass at Sacred Heart Cathedral.

A messenger entered the chapel and handed a piece of paper with Cardinal Bergoglio's name to Archbishop John Dew.

Archbishop Dew, the leader of the Catholic Church in New Zealand, said he met the new pope at a synod in 2005.

"I believe he is very well liked and much respected in Argentina," he said.

"It is a good sign someone from Latin America [has been elected].'

Archbishop Dew said his chosen pontifical name, Francis, suggested he retained his commitment to social justice, following the example of St Francis of Assisi.

Mass attendee Jenny Gordon said the pope's choice of name was striking and the election of an Argentinian was a sign of change.

She immediately thought of St Francis and his fight for social justice when she heard the news, she said.

"He is someone from outside the established pattern. It's fitting that Pope Benedict changed the pattern by his resignation, to bring in new ideas and think differently." Continue reading

Image: DomPost

Raised in Berhampore and educated at St Patrick's College Wellington, Gifford was a tireless charity worker and was publicly known as the "caring cop".

The Wellingtonion of the Year finalist, Gifford turned his predicament with cancer into a 'silver lining', for while in hospital he was struck by children who were only beginning their lives but were in the same situation as him.

Gifford's life changed and he began regularly visiting the ward bringing along All Blacks, organised through his friend Conrad Smith, police dogs and the national dive squad.

In his homily Fr Peter Head, until recently Police chaplain at the Police National Headquarters, recalled how Dean had loved being a policeman and while with the Police he had made his contribution to trying to make a difference to New Zealand society.

He also paid tribute to Penny, Dean's wife, for the way in which she had accompanied Dean especially during the last 6 years.

At the end of the church Service, Dean's son, Carter, aged 7, read a letter he had written to his father.

The police guard of honour on Boulcott Street and the performing of the haka as the hearse left for the cemetery were fitting tributes to the "caring cop" who died of cancer aged 42.

So when one hears of a street in southern Tawa called Redwood Ave, it is easy to conclude that it is named after one of the largest and tallest trees in the world.

However, that is not the case.

In 1852, Governor George Grey issued a grant gifting 108 acres of land to Bishop Viard, the first Roman Catholic Bishop of Wellington.

It was intended that a school be built on the land, under the control of the Catholic Church.

The Catholic Church held it in reserve for more than 100 years.

During this time, the Church leased the land for farming purposes.

Not until 1960 was the original purpose for the land fulfilled, when a Catholic school, Saint Francis Xavier School, was built.

The rest of the land was sold to the Tawa Development Corporation on the condition that the subdivision was named "Redwood" after the long-serving Archbishop of Wellington, Francis William Redwood.

This land is now known as Redwood, a southern part of Tawa, and Redwood Ave is the main street, connecting Redwood to Tawa's Main Rd.

The Staffordshire-born bishop completed his early schooling in Nelson after his family immigrated to New Zealand in 1842.

He returned to Europe in 1855 for further education, and was consecrated in 1874 as Bishop of Wellington. He returned to New Zealand in 1874.

At the time, he was the youngest bishop in the world, and when he died, aged 95, he was the oldest.

Bishop Redwood was well known for his interest in education, and established numerous churches, hospitals and orphanages.

He founded St Patrick's College, Wellington, in 1885, the first permanent Catholic boys' secondary school in New Zealand, and lived to open the new St Patrick's College, Silverstream, in 1931.

In 1934, his diamond jubilee and service was marked at the Basin Reserve with a function that drew many thousands.

He died in 1935 and is buried in the Karori Cemetery.

The Catholic connection is further highlighted in the Redwood area by several Catholic street names, including McKeefry Grove named after Cardinal McKeefry, and Lane Cres, which commemorates Fr John Lane, well remembered for his time in Tawa. Source: The Streets of Tawa, by Bruce Murray (2005).

Sources

• The Wellingtonian
• Image: Collections of the Alexander Turnbull Library

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

Ben Hana, who had been living on the streets of Wellington since the 90s, died recently in hospital, in the course of a regular 3 monthly check. Could he have been helped to recover from his addictions?

Concerned individuals made efforts to help him, but he seemed too unwell to respond. After his death, there were letters to the editor, reports on television and an improvised memorial on the spot where he existed; a philanthropist paid for his funeral, and whanau and city dwellers gathered at Waitangi Park in a howling gale to remember him. He is gone now, God be good to him.

What lessons may be drawn from his life and death? One compassionate and practical course of action could be the reiterated plan put forward by Stephanie McIntyre, of the Downtown Community Ministry in Wellington, most recently in January in the Wellington newspaper the Dompost. She is clear that there is a need in Wellington for a ‘wet house', where recovering alcoholics may be assisted, but where they will be permitted to have alcohol.

Recent American research indicates that wet houses lead to a marked reduction in alcohol intake. When this initiative was last proposed, neighbours in the suburb where a house had been selected felt so threatened by what they imagined to be a risk to their children, that the idea was dropped. The same difficulties are being experienced by the people who are searching for a house for homeless women in Wellington. Are we so heartless that we turn our backs on vulnerable men and women, our neighbours?

In this season of Lent, soon to begin, can we respond to the ‘call by faith to act with generous hearts'? I intend to post a donation towards establishing a wet house in Wellington, to Stephanie McIntyre at the Downtown Community Ministry (Wellington) Inc, P.O. Box 6133. I hope you will join me.

• Image: Fixed and Floating
• Read Rosemary McLeod, 'Blanket man's slow suicide' in The Dominion Post

What I want from the police and the mayor when people are being viciously attacked in the small hours of a weekend morning, and with a fellow journalist murdered going home from his night shift, is tough talk.

There are people who think a good night out means ruining someone else's life for fun, or for the meagre contents of a wallet. Sometimes they work in groups - as happened in Courtenay Place last weekend - and sometimes they're soloists, and all of them deserve to be pursued and punished. The cruel must be made to pay. I want to hear this from the authorities, not statements questioning whether the streets have really become unsafe when manifestly they have.

Continue reading Rosmary McLeod's column 'The cruel should have to pay for random violence' in the Dominion Post

Image: Kevin Stent/FairfaxNZ Stuff.co.nz

Rosemary McLeod is best know as an outspoken columnist, cartoonist and journalist. Her columns regularly appear in Fairfax Media publications.

Fifty four of the 220 students at St Teresa's School in Karori were home sick on Monday, and 48 at the start of Tuesday. That number crept up as sick students were sent home.