The 245 member Baptist Church Union has been quick to distance itself from the comments of West City Baptist Church pastor Logan Robertson who urged a gay writer to kill himself. The union has confirmed that the West City Bible Baptist Church is not affiliated with them. “I’m appalled by the comments made by the West Read more
Monsignor Patrick Edward O’Connor, long-time parish priest and first Superior of the ‘Missio Sui Iuris’ of Tokelau, one of the most isolated places on earth, died at the St Joseph’s Home of Compassion at Silverstream in New Zealand, on Wednesday 3rd December. Pat got to know the Tokelau people through the migrant Tokelau community that Read more
The Labour Party has been advising the Diocese of Auckland about how to resolve issues that have arisen regarding Hato Petera College. An Education Review Office (ERO) report says there is a lack of accord between Hato Petera College and the Auckland Diocese. The report says it is not clear who has responsibility for the Read more
The Chairman of Samoa’s National Council of Churches, (NCC) Deacon Le’aupepe Kasiano, has challenged suggestions that abandoning babies is part of the Samoan culture. The suggestion has been made following the incident in Australia where a Samoan woman has been charged for abandoning her baby in a drain. She is the 30 year old daughter Read more
New Life Churches International is urging Christians to oppose any changes in the parliamentary prayer. Rasik Ranchord, spokesperson on public issues for New Life Churches International, has sent out an email asking church leaders to get their members to write to members of parliament urging them to retain the present prayer. On 17 November the Read more
Fr. Stephen Lowe has been appointed the third Bishop of Hamilton in New Zealand. He replaces bishop Denis Browne who has retired. He is at present Director of formation at the National Seminary, Holy Cross College. Hearing of the announcement Bishop Browne said, “I am delighted that Hamilton will receive a Bishop with such pastoral Read more
New Zealand cannot stand aloof from involvement in the Middle East when so many people are suffering and dying says Archbishop John Dew, President of the New Zealand Catholic Bishops’ Conference. He has written to Prime Minister John Key, offering the support of the New Zealand Catholic Bishops for the cautious and measured approach to making Read more
A well-known kaumatua, Paul Pōnui Kimiora Carr, passed away suddenly and peacefully in his home on Thursday 13 November 2014. Paul was a great story teller and had many stories to tell. One was how on one occasion, when he was working as a driver for the government, he was blessed with the honour of Read more
Eggs, sperm and embryo samples of almost 2000 people are set to be lawfully destroyed as a ten year storage time deadline approaches. In 2004, the Human Assisted Reproductive Technology Act was passed governing the practice of fertility treatment. In 2010 the legislation was amended allowing the retrospective 10-year storage period for eggs, sperm and Read more
New Zealand Catholic Bioethics Centre director John Kleinsman wonders how free Brittany Maynard really was. Maynard, a terminally ill 29 year old American ended her life last week home in Oregon, using drugs supplied legally to her under the state’s Death with Dignity Act. She worked as a volunteer advocate for the nation’s leading end-of-life choice organisation, Read more