Plans have been made for 16 men from Vietnam to come to this country to study and prepare to be diocesan priests in New Zealand dioceses. When they arrive in New Zealand, it is planned that they will work to complete level 6.5 IELTS academic (English language), while living in their “home” dioceses in this Read more
New Zealand’s Catholic bishops have been asked to help persuade the government to review the Covid vaccine mandate. In their over 3000-word letter, a group identifying simply as “catholic men” tell the bishops not to “try to combine faith … with the making of distinctions between classes of people”. They say “practical reason makes evident Read more
Power companies have started advising customers that the fixed daily charge on their power bills is doubling from 34.5 cents a day to 69c from April. The country’s largest power company, Meridian, and Nova Energy are among those that have begun sending out new pricing to customers. The doubling of the daily charge stems from Read more
The Anglican church has been granted a $48,000 fees waiver to avoid another divisive hearing with the Palmerston North City Council over plans to preserve the historic All Saints’ church building. The Anglican Diocese of Wellington was declined consent to earthquake strengthening and to alter the front of the building after a resource management hearing Read more
With Omicron spreading at an alarming rate, one South Auckland church leader is calling on fellow priests and ministers to put their hands up to help those needing to self-isolate. A defining feature of Māngere in South Auckland is the number of large churches. The suburb is also full of sleep-outs, converted garages and portable Read more
St Mary’s Church in Carterton is due to be sold by tender, with many local Catholics feeling they have been kept in the dark. The sale is being managed on behalf of the diocese by Peter McCardle, chairman of the Wairarapa catholic finance committee. Tenders closed 24 February. McCardle said that parish priests had been Read more
Wellington’s St Mary’s College is the second school adjacent to the parliamentary protest to close due to ongoing fears for its students’ and staff’s safety. The school will be closed until Tuesday 1 March. Wellington Girls’ College has also announced it will be shut until at least then, with the school citing an ‘increasingly volatile’ Read more
A religious objection to the Covid-19 vaccine by police and defence force personnel is part of a new challenge to the mandate in the High Court. The basis of their objection is about the use of aborted foetal cells. The cells, collected decades ago, are used to grow cells that the vaccines are tested on. Read more
The Government is fully funding a national telehealth abortion service in an effort to remove barriers for those seeking an abortion. The free service will focus on enabling people to access early medical abortions and will include information, advice, referrals, counselling and consultations with health practitioners, giving women a free and flexible option. The national Read more
Teachers at two Wellington schools are doing double-duty as teachers and security escorts. Along with security guards, the teachers are helping students from St Mary’s College Wellington and Sacred Heart Cathedral School, walk to and from public transport hubs. The move comes as protests at Parliament spill over into the streets and students are being Read more