Upset, disappointment and, for some, ‘resigned understanding’ has greeted the announcement that the March edition of the Marist Messenger is the final edition. “What a shock and great disappointment! I appreciate commercial realities to which we are all subject, but it does not dull the pain,” one reader wrote. “The Marist Messenger has been an Read more
Sunday would normally be a busy time at the Hawke’s Bay community’s 102-year-old memorial church. But this week, parishioners found silt covering the floor and generations-old pews upturned by floodwaters. “It took an hour and a half to dig out the front door, and we came into this church not knowing what we’d find,” said Read more
Credit arrears are continuing to climb as the challenging economic conditions put pressure on households. Data from credit bureau Centrix shows 11.9 percent of New Zealanders were in arrears in January – a four year high – with 430,000 people behind on repayments, which was an increase of 20,000 from December. The number of households Read more
Teen pregnancies in New Zealand are on the decline at present. Numbers giving birth have more than halved in the past decade. The past ten years has also seen a downward trend in abortions, according to the latest Abortion Services Aotearoa New Zealand annual report . The stats Newly released figures from Stats NZ on Read more
Plans to develop Wellington landmark St Gerard’s Monastery into a hotel have been shelved. Developer Richard Burrell says the work needed to renovate the impressive brick building for an international hotel chain is just “too hard”. Burrell had been in talks with the hotel chain to buy the building once about $20 million worth of Read more
Catholic MP Simon O’Connor (pictured) has cancelled a controversial religious event he was hosting at Parliament. He said he was asked a couple of months ago by former MP Alfred Ngaro to host a prayer event. “I was happy to book the room,” O’Connor said. The ‘Jesus for NZ’ group was also happy. It posted Read more
A road that could see 1500 new homes on land once partly owned by a famous sailor is at the centre of a proposed plan change in Upper Hutt. The Guildford Timber Company wants to develop land, some of which was once owned by round the world sailor Sir Francis Chichester, behind Silverstream. Plan Change Read more
Strong lending growth has helped bolster the first half profits of Kiwibank but its chief executive is expecting a tougher second half ahead. The Government-owned bank saw its half year net profit rise 53 per cent to $98 million for the six months to December. Chief executive Steve Jurkovich said the strong first half reflected Read more
The Taranaki-born vice-chancellor of the only Catholic university in the Holy Land has been awarded an honorary doctorate from Australian Catholic University (ACU). De La Salle Brother, Peter Bray, received the doctorate for two reasons. One was for embracing the values and principals of education in the Catholic tradition. The other, for his significant contributions Read more
Significant concerns about housing have emerged again. Cyclone Gabrielle’s brutal aftermath has left thousands of people homeless. New Zealand already had a housing shortage – so where to accommodate the newly displaced is a huge question. Housing’s short. Demand exceeds supply. Rents are brutal. How will they – can they – pay the price? The Read more