Pope Francis has appointed Bishop of Hamilton Stephen Lowe as the new Catholic Bishop of Auckland. The appointment was announced in Rome at midnight New Zealand time and means the dioceses of Hamilton, Palmerston North and Christchurch are without bishops pending Pope Francis announcing new appointments. Bishop Lowe replaces Bishop Pat Dunn, who has served Read more
The bishops and congregational leaders of the Catholic Church in Aotearoa New Zealand will closely study the interim Redress report of the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care and look at how they can implement the recommendations. The report — He Purapura Ora, he Māra Tipu; from Redress to Puretumu — was tabled in Parliament Read more
Integrity, courage and compassion marked the life of the policeman whose courageous testimony at the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Erebus Disaster altered the view of the presiding judge. It led Justice Peter Mahon to describe the testimony of others as an “orchestrated litany of lies”. Retired Inspector Greg Gilpin (pictured) died on November Read more
Three Catholic institutions – Wellington archdiocese’s Ecology, Justice and Peace Commission, Challenge 2000 and Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand have presented submissions to parliament supporting the proposed Matariki Public Holiday Bill. “As Indigenous people we need to take back and understand what time looks like for us. How do we observe the seasons, how do we Read more
Immigration lawyers and advocates in New Zealand are echoing similar concerns Pope Francis made during his recent trip to Cypris. In Cypris, Francis warned Europe of its indifference to migrants, saying migration issues are something society is getting used to. He went on to label the indifference “a grave disease for which there is no Read more
Wellington’s Pacific community has reached the 90 percent mark for first Covid-19 doses, as the region’s general population nears 90 per cent fully vaccinated. While the community is celebrating the milestone, the fact Pacific people have once again been left one step behind is not lost on the community and health leaders. As the country Read more
An Invercargill couple celebrating their 70th wedding anniversary believe they were lucky in love. Reaching a platinum anniversary would be a challenge for many couples, but for Lenox and Betty Allison it seemed to have been an easy task as they said had not noticed the time passing. “Honestly, it did not seem that long. Read more
A Catholic school principal claims many educators suffered unnecessary stress ahead of the government’s vaccine mandate deadline. The Government’s handling of the issue lacked compassion, says Jarlath Kelly (pictured) who is the principal of Invercargill’s Verdon College. The Government’s implementation of the policy left a lot to be desired, he suggests. While Kelly agrees vaccination Read more
Funeral directors are concerned about the difficulties the new orange level pandemic restrictions will make for grieving families when they try to organise a ceremony for their loved ones. Although a more joyful occasion, people organising weddings will also face some difficult choices. In essence, under the new rules, families will have two choices. They Read more
Workplace burnout is soaring as workers find it harder to balance their work-life with pressures from the Covid-19 pandemic. Among those suffering burnout are people working from home and people working in the not-for-profit sector, like church workers. As worker burnout soars Covid looms behind the new high-stress figures. The Wellbeing@Work study, led by Professor Read more