Announcing an inquiry into voluntary euthanasia on Wednesday, chairman of the health select committee, Simon O’Connor, said members were “ready to engage” on what was an “important conversation that needs to be had”. The inquiry will consider how best to involve the public and what questions and terms of reference need to be included, he Read more
Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’ quotes the New Zealand Catholic Bishops’ statement on the environment which they published in 2006. Paragraph 95 of Laudato Si’ reads: “The natural environment is a collective good, the patrimony of all humanity and the responsibility of everyone. If we make something our own, it is only to administer it for Read more
In a new encyclical, Pope Francis has acknowledged “very solid scientific consensus” that humans are causing climate change that is endangering the planet. In Laudato Si’, on Care for Our Common Home, released on June 18, Francis urged the world to embark upon a revolutionary ethical rethink and change of heart in its relationship with Read more
Last week 65 boat people from Sri Lanka and Bangladesh were intercepted by the Australian navy off eastern Indonesia. They were heading For New Zealand. In reply to their request for asylum in New Zealand, they have been advised to contact United Nations officials in Australia. Since at least 2010 the Prime Minister John Key Read more
A petition due to be presented to Parliament could be the catalyst for a fresh debate on voluntary euthanasia. Labour’s Iain Lees-Galloway says the End of Life Choice Society petition will be tabled at the first opportunity in Parliament and will go straight to a select committee. An editorial under the heading, the devil is in the Read more
A teacher who mentored Jerry Collins at St Patrick’s College in Wellington said he used to be called “chicken legs”. “Jerry used to get called chicken legs in his early days and once he got called that, and named that, he used to spend most of Friday afternoons in the gym instead of in the Read more
Women seeking an abortion are being offered easier access to the procedure with a free, national telephone consultation service that started this week. Using the freephone number the service has been set up by Wairarapa abortion doctor Simon Snook because of the delays, said to be potentially harmful, faced by many New Zealand women seeking Read more
Private investors are about be given the opportunity to invest in and make money from the provision of social services. The Government has given the green light to piloting social impact bonds in New Zealand. Social impact bonds are a way for non government entities to partner in delivering social outcomes – and be rewarded Read more
Catholics object to mockery of their religion, such as encasing a statue of the Virgin Mary in a condom, but show no signs of resorting to barbarism, said Tim Pankhurst, former editor of the Dominion Post. “The leader of the world’s Roman Catholics makes his point about inequality and injustice by washing poor people’s feet,” Read more
The Justice and Peace Commission for the Catholic Diocese of Auckland says that Thursday’s Budget offers welcome relief to vulnerable families. They have welcomed in particular the 2016 increases in family benefit rates and Working for Families payments for low income families. They also are pleased that money has been set aside for planting new Read more