The Labour Party has been advising the Diocese of Auckland about how to resolve issues that have arisen regarding Hato Petera College. An Education Review Office (ERO) report says there is a lack of accord between Hato Petera College and the Auckland Diocese. The report says it is not clear who has responsibility for the Read more
Kiwi Christmas traditions such as putting up a real pine tree and sending festive cards via post are becoming ghosts of Christmas past, a survey says. The Colmar Bruton research found that while 93 per cent of New Zealanders celebrated Christmas, many of the traditions associated with the festive season were disappearing. Two out of Read more
Thousands of dollars strewn across the stage at Destiny Church has drawn the ire of critics on social media. Photos tweeted by Bishop Brian Tamaki show a floor littered with $50 and $100 bills accompanied with the verse, “A Sweet Smelling Fragrance that is Acceptable to God (Phil 4:15-19) My God shall Supply all your Read more
A kayaking Anglican bishop is about halfway through a 250km water pilgrimage from Auckland to the Bay of Islands. Jim White, Assistant Anglican Bishop of Auckland, today embarks on the fifth day of his kayak trip to Oihi in the Bay of Islands – the location of the first Christmas service in New Zealand 200 Read more
A new cultural approach to teaching Pasifika families how to get out of debt and be smarter with their finances is about to be trialled at two Auckland churches. The financial literacy programmes which began in October are being delivered bi-lingually, taking into account cultural values and obligations that impact financial decisions for Pacific people. Read more
Philip Birch passed away recently in Christchurch. He had been diagnosed with cancer at the end of last year. Birch, a former priest, was a resident of Mt Victoria for more than 20 years, and an active member of St Joseph’s Parish. In the 1980s, while still in priestly ministry, he worked as a teacher Read more
The Chairman of Samoa’s National Council of Churches, (NCC) Deacon Le’aupepe Kasiano, has challenged suggestions that abandoning babies is part of the Samoan culture. The suggestion has been made following the incident in Australia where a Samoan woman has been charged for abandoning her baby in a drain. She is the 30 year old daughter Read more
Justice Cameron Mander has reserved his decision on an appeal by Kevin McGrath to the High Court in Christchurch. He has been fighting extradition to Australia for some years and was ordered by New Zealand’s Justice Minister to surrender to Australia in August. The judgement will be handed down in writing at a later date. Read more
Invariably journalists write about Oxfam’s goats whenever charity Christmas gifts come up. A goat will give a family seven litres of fresh milk a week to drink and sell. But I don’t get paid to repeat the same message every Christmas. Just when I was mulling the “what can I give other than a goat” Read more
Destiny Church’s failed attempt to set up a charter school was blocked in part because of Ministry of Education fears about students being pressured into joining the church. The ministry discovered irregularities between Destiny’s claim that they were open to non-church members, as school-goers were also expected to attend the church. In a stinging debrief Read more