It will be 100 years before Māori life expectancy catches up with Pākehā, new research has found. The research also discovered the wealthiest 10 percent of New Zealanders can expect to live a decade longer than the poorest 10 percent. Widening social and economic gaps are driving health inequities that successive governments have failed to Read more
Efforts to reduce child mortality rates appear to have stagnated. That is the finding of the government’s Child and Mortality Review Committee, which analysed 2666 children aged between 28 days and 24 years, who died between 2015 and 2019. The committee, which is part of the Health Quality and Safety Commission, also found the mortality Read more
Financial pressures, including lockdowns and job losses have led to a 43 percent rise in KiwiSaver members withdrawing funds for financial hardship. And an 18.8 percent rise in first-home withdrawals shows more Kiwis are turning to KiwiSaver to help them save for a first home. A KiwiSaver annual report released by the Financial Markets Authority Read more
Homes of Hope is thanking the community for helping it deliver tangible outcomes for children in New Zealand society. Homes of Hope is foster care that keeps siblings together and ensures they are not moved from placement to placement whilst in care. This stability and consistency of care is crucial to their healing journey and Read more
A group of health professionals opposed to abortion have lost a court case over their rights being infringed by new sections of the Abortion Legislation Act 2020. The Health Professionals Alliance claimed their rights were infringed under sections 14 and 15 of the Act. They said the law change infringed rights of freedom of thought, Read more
The New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference says evidence shows that engaging in conversion practices causes people harm and suffering. The bishop’s conference made the comment in a submission to Parliament’s Justice Committee on the Conversion Practices Prohibition Legislation Bill. “Any harmful, coercive or abusive practice under any name is abhorrent to the Church and the Read more
A group opposed to a housing development in Nelson’s Kākā Valley are calling on the council to vote against land rezoning that would enable hundreds of homes to be built near the Maitai River. The Nelson City Council will consider a private plan change request to rezone approximately 287 hectares of land in Kākā Valley Read more
Christchurch’s cardboard cathedral has become a permanent fixture for the city after the Anglican church was granted last-minute permission to keep the building. The $5.3 million Transitional Cathedral was built in 2012 and 2013 under emergency legislation as a temporary replacement for the earthquake-wrecked Christ Church Cathedral. That legislation allowed consents lasting until June 30 Read more
A small Port Chalmers Catholic school may close after more than 120 years. The school roll has been shrinking for years. At present, there are just seven pupils at St Joseph’s. After writing to the Ministry of Education about the state-integrated school, Dunedin’s Catholic bishop, Michael Dooley and the ministry are consulting on the school’s Read more
Consumer NZ says that a change to household electricity charges may disadvantage vulnerable households hardest while higher users could benefit. Energy Minister Megan Woods has accepted a 2019 recommendation by the Electricity Price Review to phase out the requirement for power companies to offer “low fixed charge” electricity tariffs. Power companies will be able to Read more