A commissioner and a well known old boy of a Hato Petera College on Auckland’s North Shore want to save it from closure. Hato Petera College’s roll is down to four pupils. It’s a co-educational school for Māori students from Years 9 to 13. The school provides students with a Catholic Māori environment. It’s the Read more
South Auckland churches hopes to send eight shipping containers’ worth of aid to help Tonga cope with the devastation of cyclone Gita. Cyclone Gita’s destruction prompted the Lotofale’ia church in Māngere to co-ordinate relief efforts for Tonga for a third time. Organiser, Sefita Haouli, says the congregation aims to send $60,000 worth of perishable goods. Read more
Pope Francis has appointed Father Michael Dooley the seventh Catholic Bishop of the Dunedin Diocese. He says the appointment came as a shock. But he says he has eased into the role after receiving much support. Dooley succeeds Bishop Colin Campbell, who has retired after 14 years in the role. After at first feeling a Read more
Three freedom campers have been caught in the act using a quaint church on the West Coast as their private camp – and bathroom – during ex-tropical Cyclone Gita. A local mother and daughter confronted the visitors on separate occasions after witnessing one urinating in the church yard of St Aiden and St Columba Church Read more
A developer hopes his plans to convert a 135-year-old Petone church into apartments will inspire others to save historic buildings. Tony Cook bought the Wesley Church on Nelson St two years ago. It had sat unused since 2013 after being deemed earthquake prone. The church was built in 1883 and is the oldest church in Read more
Two teenagers who dressed up as holocaust victims will not be suspended from their Catholic School. The Auckland students arrived at athletics day dressed in blue striped pyjamas, with a yellow Star of David pinned to their shirts. Liston College Board of Trustees chairman Ralph Elika said the school would use restorative justice for the Read more
A victim of sex offender Bernard McGrath is angry at how long it took to get justice. Darryl Smith was six years old when McGrath began sexually abusing him in the 1970s. The sex offending happened at Christchurch’s Marylands school for boys. McGrath was a St John of God brother when he abused at least nine Read more
A charity dealing with rare diseases has accused the government of breaking an election-spending promise. The NZ Organisation for Rare Disorders (NZORD) is the country’s biggest charity for rare diseases. It says, before the election, Labour made a multi-million dollar pledge to treat rare diseases. NZORD says the $20 million promise was to allow rare Read more
Church-abuse-survivor, Marie Collins, says she’s shocked that Pope Francis dropped a Kiwi from his sex-abuse inquiry. Ms Collins resigned her membership of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors. She says she left in frustration last March at what she saw as a lack of progress. The commission’s 3-year term ended late last year. Read more
This Easter, Bible Society New Zealand is giving away 100,000 copies of The Super Cool Story of Jesus. They want to tell the message of who Jesus is to children nationwide. The society says it’s the chance to get the story of Jesus into the hands of children who may never have heard this story Read more