New Zealand women are having fewer babies than ever had before. Stats NZ reports that the total fertility rate in 2017 was 1.81 births per woman. This is the country’s lowest recorded level. Continue reading
New Zealand
Christ Church Cathedral fundraising starts
Monday, February 19th, 2018
A Christchurch building trust has donated $1 million to help rebuild the earthquake-damaged Christ Church Cathedral. The Great Christchurch Buildings Trust (GCBT) donation is the first of many required for the rebuild. The Christ Church Cathedral has been derelict in the city centre for almost seven years. Greater Christchurch Regeneration Minister, Megan Woods, has responsibility Read more
Abortion a crime, not a health issue
Monday, February 19th, 2018
“Pregnancy is not a disease and abortion is not health care.” The comment was made in response to possible abortion law reform by Right To Life Spokesperson, Ken Orr. “Never before in the history of New Zealand has there been an attempt to withdraw from the Crimes Act, protection for the lives of a category Read more
St Theresa’s Catholic School staff and students swim danger
Monday, February 19th, 2018It could be a nervous game of wait and see this weekend for the parents of kids plucked from the sea after a high bacteria warning interrupted a school trip north of Wellington. St Theresa’s Catholic School staff and students had been swimming at Plimmerton Beach for about an hour on Friday when a Porirua Read more
More Kiwis falling into poverty
Thursday, February 15th, 2018
The Salvation Army says drugs, crime and poverty mar its latest state of the nation report. It says despite the country becoming wealthier, many Kiwis don’t share the prosperity. The Salvation Army says the number of families seeking food parcels from its 65 food banks jumped 12 percent this year. It says demand had held Read more
Caritas sends aid to Tonga after cyclone
Thursday, February 15th, 2018
Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand is distributing aid to Tonga in the wake of Cyclone Gita. Caritas is the Catholic Bishops’ agency for justice, peace and development. It has appealed for donations so that it can increase its work on Tonga. The agency says the category 4 storm carried winds of between 110 and 275 kph Read more
Bishop acknowledges priest’s paternity
Thursday, February 15th, 2018
The Bishop of Auckland says he believes an Auckland woman’s claim that she is the daughter of a Catholic priest. Bishop Patrick Dunn says he has seen and accepted further evidence. The woman has not made her name public and uses the pseudonym ‘Kathleen’. Bishop Dunn says he told the woman that he confirmed this Read more
A Christian Brother for 70 years
Thursday, February 15th, 2018A leader of the Catholic Church in Rotorua is set to mark 70 years as a Christian Brother. Brother Vincent Jury will celebrate the milestone in Murupara this Sunday where he has served for 25 years. Continue reading
Many Dunedin pubs open for Easter
Thursday, February 15th, 2018Dunedin bar owners are toasting moves allowing them to serve booze to Ed Sheeran fans at Easter. The city council voted in December to allow shops to trade on the prominent religious holiday, coinciding with the British pop star’s three concerts in the city, but has since gone a step further by granting 10 special Read more
Swapping honeymoon for South Sudan
Thursday, February 15th, 2018Amy, 28, and 31-year-old Travis Nilsson got married in January last year and spent the first six months of their marriage in Sudan, the landlocked country in East-Central Africa. And when the Tauranga couple returned home they could not continue living their “comfortable lives” and decided to leave their house, jobs and family to return Read more