Child poverty in New Zealand has been notably absent from the election debate, say four prominent public health analysts. Jonathan Boston, John Kerr, Michael Baker and Russell Wills say that, although recent governments have successfully implemented a range of anti-poverty measures, child poverty barely figured during the 2023 election campaign. “During the 2017 general election Read more
Pope Francis, who is known as “the pope of the peripheries,” has suggested the possibility of travelling to somewhere no pope has gone before — the South Pole. In a new interview published on Oct. 17, the pope said that he plans to visit his native Argentina, adding: “Somebody said that if I go to Read more
New Zealand’s Human Rights Commission has urged people to report any instances of Islamophobia, anti-Semitism or other discrimination as the conflict rages between Israel and Hamas. It comes after reports of disorder at Auckland War Memorial Museum when a small number of Palestinian sympathisers gathering to rally against the building being lit up in Israeli Read more
Diocesan priests assembled last week in Rotorua were told they should think laterally and reach out in new and imaginative ways like they have never done before. Speaking for a second time to the Assembly, Brisbane’s Archbishop Mark Coleridge reflected on the experience in Australia and asked what the Church is learning. “This is the Read more
Caritas says Pacific nations’ voices should be heard at COP28 – the 2028 United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP). The conference aims to agree on goals and negotiate agreements in the fight against climate change. The Caritas submission In preparation for this year’s event, COP28 in Dubai, Caritas Aotearoa-New Zealand made a Read more
Addressing Spirit Unbounded, Pa Ropata McGowan from New Zealand said that humanity is not the master of the universe and that everything we have depends on the earth’s wellness. Organised by the International Reform Network, Spirit Unbounded is a virtual assembly running in parallel to the current Synod on Synodality, attracting participants from all over Read more
In a fiery address during a Destiny Church gathering on Sunday morning, Destiny New Zealand’s Bishop Brian Tamaki didn’t hold back in his criticism of what he called “gutless Christians.” Tamaki’s focus was the election result and the state of Kiwi society. The outspoken Bishop began his address with an apology for being late, attributing Read more
A man who was taught all things sexual were “the work of the devil” and grew up in an “oppressive religious upbringing” went on to install cameras in a home to secretly film a young woman showering. The court heard Giane Patrick Woods was the “product of an oppressive faith” that linked to his offending, Read more
Homeless people account for about 42,000 New Zealanders and Doug and Krystal say the Orange Sky service is “so helpful” to them. They say great to know they can shower, wash their clothes and “have interesting chats”. Put another way, that’s nearly the same as the population of Whanganui, a couple of thousand fewer than Read more
At the week-long National Assembly of Diocesan Catholic Priests in Rotorua, Brisbane’s Archbishop Mark Coleridge dropped a rock in the pond. Coleridge told the Catholic priests that changes were happening, that there would be more of them and that it was important to be prepared. Coleridge suggested that ministry as a Catholic priest was not Read more