Finding freedom in New Zealand after years on the run is a success story that’s left Esraa Al-Hoot (pictured right) wanting to do more. More for her new hometown, Timaru. More for New Zealand. Presbyterian Support South Canterbury helped a lot. Still does, in fact. Until 2010, her Middle East country of Yemen was very Read more
On Monday the Salvation Army opened its first medical centre in New Zealand. They hope to meet the medical and social needs of their clients in a one-stop shop. The Sallies are well-known for their op shops, their food banks and their social care – so why not health care? “Particularly health care that treats Read more
Eighty canon lawyers and lay delegates met in Christchurch from 4 to 7 September for the 56th annual Canon Law Society of Australia and NZ conference. Annual Conference assist canonists in their ministry by providing continuous professional development. People working in the Canon Law field came from Oceania, Great Britain and Ireland, Canada, the US Read more
Racist New Zealanders will always exist. They will never be educated out of their racism, says Dame Susan Devoy. “We will never be a fully multicultural society until we’ve fully adopted our bicultural foundations, and that’s the struggle” says Devoy, a former race relations commissioner. In an interview with Grey Areas host Petra Bagust, Devoy Read more
A conman with fraud on his mind has left his devout 86-year-old victim unable to pray the Lord’s Prayer. Elizabeth Risk says the line “Forgive us our trespasses” has stuck in her throat throat ever since Nigel Thompson (pictured) befriended her at her retirement village and emptied her bank account. He conned $20,000 from her. Read more
Te Puke-based op-shop Waipuna Hospice is experiencing a decline in donations, possibly because people are feeling the pinch and not buying as many new things. “Speaking to my counterparts in the Waikato, they are saying the same — it’s quite quiet,” said Waipuna Hospice general manager Jace Downman. There is an element of speculation in Read more
Flying the Tino Rangatiratanga flag is one way St Joseph’s Catholic School in Upper Hutt is celebrating Māori language week. On Monday, the school raised it for the first time on its new flagpole. The change was the brainchild of 12-year-old student and cultural leader Mitchell Wallace (pictured). His goal for his final year at Read more
The future of Christchurch’s Cardboard Cathedral is suddenly looking uncertain. Options could include sale or deconstruction, reports say. Questions about the cathedral’s fate arose over the weekend when the parish it belongs to agreed to dissolve. Christchurch’s Anglican Bishop Peter Carrell says this agreement enables options for the parish’s property to be considered. The property Read more
Pink Shoes will arrive at the Vatican in October. From the far reaches of New Zealand to the very heart of Catholicism in Rome, the Pink Shoes Into The Vatican Campaign is making a bold statement on gender inequality within the Church. Led by Be the Change Aotearoa New Zealand, this grassroots initiative will take Read more