St Mary’s Catholic Church in the Christchurch East parish has been awarded a Green Star by the New Zealand Green Building Council. It received a “four-star” award which represents “New Zealand Best Practice”. Foley Group Architecture building architect and parishioner Paul Foley said the quest for green star rating had been driven by the Catholic Diocese. Read more
A Taranaki woman dubbed a taonga to the Catholic community has received a prestigious Papal honour. Margaret Hurley was awarded a Benemerenti Medal, a decoration awarded by the Pope and sent straight from the Vatican, during a service at New Plymouth’s St Joseph’s church on Sunday. Continue reading
A church holding funds for a Putaruru family who suffered from severe poisoning last year has released only part of the $100,000 raised. This story has been updated: Read The St Thomas Marthoma Church of New Zealand has released $42,520 of the $102,764 donated earlier this year after three members of the Kochummen family became Read more
Bible reading is key to being a strong Christian as well as victorious living says Tak Bhana, Senior Pastor of Auckland’s Church Unlimited and Bible Society New Zealand’s Vice-President. In addition, the Bible is key to your Christian growth, a primary way of connecting with God and it helps people live a Godly life, says Read more
Canadian Lauren Southern, described as a “far-right political activist, internet personality, and journalist associated with the alt-right,” is advertising a show in Auckland. She was banned from entering the UK in March after antagonising Muslims by displaying flyers reading “Allah is a Gay God” and “Allah is trans.” Unlike in the UK, a hate speech Read more
A Hindu man who was forced to flee Malaysia after falling in love with the daughter of a Muslim family, a relationship barred by Malaysian law, has been granted asylum in New Zealand. The Immigration & Protection Tribunal hearing also heard testimony from the woman by phone from Malaysia. She said she intended to flee Read more
The commissioner appointed to run Hato Petera College has described the efforts by a group of people to increase the college’s roll as harmful. Tauira Tawhito Steering Komiti, a group of former students, parents and a kaumatua, have been able to increase the roll from one to five. They say they have received nearly 500 expressions of Read more
The former partner of slain Mangakino police officer Constable Murray Stretch is “flabbergasted” his killer hasn’t been released from prison. Claire Horton, from Tauranga, said Carlos Namana, who brutally beat and kicked her then partner to death had done his time and she hoped he wasn’t being kept in jail longer just because he had Read more
Archdeacon Tikituterangi (Tiki) Raumati is now an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit following the announcement of this year’s Queen’s Birthday Honours. A kaumātua and a retired priest of 50 years still has people turning up at his door asking if he’ll baptise their children, or if he knows anything about their whānau.
Wellington’s Mayor is throwing his weight behind calls for Matariki to become a public holiday. Mayor Justin Lester suggests the Māori New Year could replace the Queen’s Birthday holiday, which was not meaningful for many who saw it as just a day off. Continue reading