People’s response to Catholic Social Service’s (CSS) appeal welcoming refugees from Afghanistan has been remarkable, says archdiocese general manager, John Prendergast. On 2 September, the social agency launched an appeal for housing, furniture and household packs. “Every action, small or large, will greatly benefit the individuals and families fleeing a desperate situation and seeking safety Read more
More members of the Māngere church, which is New Zealand’s largest sub-cluster of the Covid-19 Delta outbreak, have come forward to get vaccinated, most of whom recently came out of managed isolation. On Tuesday, members came with families to get jabbed at the South Seas Vaccination Centre in Ōtara. A lot of them were young Read more
The Salvation Army is calling on the Government to impose rent freezes, among other measures, to help those most in need as demand for food and housing support skyrockets. Since lockdown began at 11:59pm on August 17, there has been an 84 percent increase in demand for emergency food parcels, with the rising need concentrated Read more
A funeral director has published a video exposing the heartbreaking reality of lockdown funerals. It shows a grieving daughter calling messages of sorrow as the hearse carrying her mother drives into a cemetery without her. New Zealanders in Level 3 lockdown are facing tight restrictions, with all funerals and tangihanga limited to 10 people. Distressingly, Read more
Dunedin’s Holy Name Catholic Church will hold a memorial service for local identity Joan Butcher who died on Sunday a week ago. A social media post from Mayor Aaron Hawkins says there was a small funeral for Butcher last week. Although attendance was restricted because of Level 3 restrictions, Hawkins says the memorial service will Read more
The New Zealand Catholic bishops are standing with those innocent people who have been injured in the terrorist attack at the LynnMall supermarket. “To those who have been injured, we hold you in our prayers and pray for your recovery. “We are deeply saddened, and our hearts go out to you, your whānau, and the Read more
Nearly 30 children have died in state care since Oranga Tamariki’s inception and an expert says the organisation has failed to deliver on its promises. Of the 27 children who have died since April 2017, five died by suicide, 15 from natural causes, five from accidents, and two as a result of child abuse, homicide Read more
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s latest report on climate science makes the Earth’s current situation clear. It confirms with greater certainty and immediacy the need for rapid action to cut greenhouse gas emissions. It confirms we must prioritise the poor and future generations in adapting to an uncertain climatic future, says Caritas Aotearoa New Read more
A novena sent by email doing the rounds in New Zealand has left a number of recipients concerned it is a scam. The novena asks that Jacinda Ardern and her advisors, Grant Robertson, Chris Hipkins, Andrew Little and Dr Ashley Bloomfield “always seek the ways of righteousness, justice and mercy and to lead the country Read more
COVID-19 vaccination rates among Māori are low. Changing this reality is challenging healthcare providers. Although they are making inroads into the poor COVID-19 vaccination rates, health statistics show the low uptake is part of a difficult yet familiar reality. At present, for every one non-Māori or Pacific person who has received their first dose of Read more