The New Zealand Parliament has rejected legislation to allow Easter trading for the 11th time. 10 bills have been put up by National members and one by Labour. The present bill was sponsored by National MP for Waitaki Jacqui Dean and proposed allowing shops to open over Easter in Waitaki and Wanaka. It was voted Read more
A visiting United States psychiatrist says in sexuality – “and I’m not talking about morality, I’m a physician” – the ideal was one sexual partnership for life, delayed until adulthood. “People that are able to achieve that – not that this is so easy – never have to worry about these myriad health issues.” “Health issues Read more
Plans to lock up refugees arriving in groups to New Zealand have drawn concern from across the Tasman. The Australian Catholic Migrant and Refugee Office (ACMRO) has opposed the mandatory detention provisions in the Immigration Amendment Bill, in a written submission on the Bill currently before Parliament. ACMRO and Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand will appear Read more
Pacific Island churches have supported the Advance Pasifika March which took place in Auckland last Saturday. The call to march came from the Auckland City Council appointed Pacific Peoples Advisory Panel, which says it wants to stop being a “rubber stamp” for council policies and create an independent Pacific forum. The chairman of the Advisory Read more
In Fiji more than 500 children are involved in the worst form of child labour according to a December 2010 summary of reports from the International Labour Organisation (ILO). The work includes commercial sexual exploitation of children, drug trafficking, begging and hazardous work where children under the age of 15 are involved. On World Day Read more
A violent rampage by Indonesian soldiers in the town of Wamena in Papua province has sent thousands of residents fleeing to the bush. At least one person is confirmed to have been killed and several seriously injured by the soldiers from the Baliem Valley-based Battalion 756. An Indonesian military spokesman denied anybody had died and Read more
A TVNZ One News Colmar Brunton poll shows nearly two-thirds support for same sex marriage. Asked if they think same-sex couples should be able to get married, 63% of respondents said yes, 31% said no and 6% did not know or preferred not to say. The Catholic church remains staunchly opposed to gay marriage. “The Read more
Ohakune kuia Vera Whakaaronui Wilson has been made a member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for her services to Maori, music and the Ohakune community in the Queen’s Birthday Honours. Vera says she will receive the NZOM on behalf of her late brothers and sister, Rihari and Matiu Mareikura, and older sister Joan Read more
The newly formed Catholic Institute of Aotearoa New Zealand (TCI) has integrated eLearning into its course offerings. A series of online modules, Faith Updates, has been created to complement the Institute’s courses and has been designed to offer people a learning experience that they can access from the comfort of their own home. “By utilising Read more
Short-sighted policy changes, taking with one hand while giving with the other, may leave vulnerable groups short-changed in this year’s Budget, says Catholic social justice agency Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand. Caritas Director Julianne Hickey says the Catholic agency assesses the impact of Budget measures through the lens of the common good: what will contribute to Read more