A call has been made to make more use of empty churches. Hundreds of church buildings around Auckland stand empty throughout the week and the council is being encouraged to look at ways to save money by using them.
The Pacific community came up with the idea at a meeting discussing submissions on the Auckland Unleashed document, which charts a course for the region’s future. The council’s Pacific People’s Advisory Panel led the meeting in West Auckland, the first of four forums to be held for the Pacific community around the region.
Chairman the Rev Uesifili Unasa said talks about business and economic strategies in the city got the public talking about the number of Pacific Island churches in Auckland that could be better used.
“It makes a lot of sense, doesn’t it? The argument is, why do you have to build, say, for example, a new Citizens Advice Bureau or another council facility when you’ve got hundreds of churches already up and running around Auckland?”
Read Article by Vaimoana Tapaleao