Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand has confirmed it is not leading the post-cyclone Catholic relief effort for the New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference (NZCBC). It told CathNews that Caritas’ focus was not New Zealand, but on helping fund development and emergency relief work worldwide. However, Caritas’ comments seems to run counter to the information the charity Read more
When the cyclone came and the power failed in Napier, pharmacist Susie Farquhar and her husband, Richard jumped in the car, grabbed medicines that were ready and drove them out to people they could reach. “If people don’t have medicines, some people will die, that’s the fact of it … Pharmacists just have to find Read more
New Zealand has recorded the largest increase in the number of registered deaths since the 1918 influenza pandemic, new data from Stats NZ shows. The births and deaths figures, for the year ending December 2022, show there were 38,574 deaths in 2022, 10.4 per cent (3642) more than in 2021. This increase – attributed to Read more
Social pressures in New Zealand are rising, according to the Salvation Army’s “State of the Nation 2023″ report. These pressures are hitting people from several directions. The report points to the escalating cost of living, increased household debt, lack of affordable housing and worsening education outcomes. It notes ever more young people are reporting psychological Read more
On Friday, the Palmerston North Diocese Administrator, Fr Craig Butler (pictured) acknowledged the diocese’s responsibility to show care, and outreach to those impacted by Cyclone Gabrielle. A significant portion of the area on the east coast of the North Island is in the Palmerston North diocese, and in the absence of a bishop, Butler is Read more
In the wake of Cyclone Gabrielle, Pope Francis has expressed his closeness to the people of New Zealand. Renewing his appeal for Turkey and Syria earthquake victims, Francis also turned his attention to New Zealand. “I am close to the people of New Zealand, who have been hit in recent days by a devastating cyclone. Read more
Migrant arrivals to New Zealand have rebounded as the country reopened its borders, but still remain well below pre-Covid levels. Stats NZ said there was a provisional net migration gain of 15,800 people in 2022, compared to the net migration loss of 15,000 in 2021. However, it remained below pre-pandemic net migration gains, which averaged Read more
The carnage cyclone Gabrielle left in her wake on Napier showed how ‘isolated and abandoned’ the city was from central government services, said its deputy mayor. The Hawke’s Bay had been hammered by the weather throughout the week, with suburbs submerged, and power and communications knocked out after the Redclyffe substation at Taradale was flooded Read more
Despite some international media saying the Oceania Continent Synod response was released recently, CathNews has confirmed it has not been. Recently released was the report of the Federation of Catholic Bishops’ of Oceania Conference (FCBOC). In January, a church group of about twenty representatives from across the Pacific gathered in Melbourne to synthesise the responses Read more
Auckland Catholic diocese has written to the Government’s Finance and Expenditure Select Committee about the 2023 Budget Policy Statement (BPS). The diocese’s Justice and Peace Commission’s submission particularly focuses on housing and child poverty, Māori children and the youth justice system. Housing affordability Acknowledging the ‘10,688 homes added to the public housing stock since 2017″, Read more