Katikati Plant and Produce Market celebrates 15 years this week. The market was set up as St Pius X Catholic Church fundraising and in more recent years shared the running of the market with Abbeyfield Western Bay of Plenty fundraising team. Market proceeds are shared between the two. Co-ordinator Pauline van Rijen started the market Read more
New Zealand
Auckland builders still busy with 13,865 new homes completed in the region last year
Thursday, February 16th, 2023Auckland’s residential construction industry maintained its momentum at the end of last year, with the number of new homes completed up by a third compared to pre-Covid levels in 2019. Auckland Council issued 1226 Code Compliance Certificates (CCCs) for new dwellings in December, up 5% compared to December 2021. CCCs are issued when a building Read more
Oceania’s Catholic bishops call for more aid in Turkey and Syria
Monday, February 13th, 2023
Following last week’s deadly earthquakes, New Zealand’s Catholic bishops joined with all Oceania’s Catholic bishops in sending Church and civic leaders in Turkey and Syria a united message of condolence. “Our hearts break at the death and destruction we are seeing on our television screens and in our newspapers,” they wrote last week during the Read more
Auckland floods ‘silver lining’ for newly renamed Catholic College
Monday, February 13th, 2023
An email from the principal of Dunedin’s newly renamed Trinity Catholic College calling Auckland’s deadly floods a “silver lining” has been leaked to the media. Principal Kate Nicholson’s message has hit the headlines – just when she hoped to duck from media about the school’s scandalous past. Expecting the reason (sexual abuse) for the former Read more
Oceania region’s Catholic bishops assembly a “great joy”
Monday, February 13th, 2023
The Oceania region’s Catholic bishops have finished their week-long assembly in Fiji on a high note. “It has been a great joy for the bishops to gather this week to pray for and consider their shared mission as the Chief Shepherds of the region,” the concluding statement from the Federation of Catholic Bishops Conferences of Read more
Buyer found for historic St Andrews Church in South Canterbury
Monday, February 13th, 2023The sold sign has gone up on the 120-year-old Catholic church in the St Andrews township south of Timaru. “We are very happy, the church is happy,” parish priest, Father Chris Friel said. “There will be a farewell liturgy, a gathering and mass to say goodbye in the near future. “No date has been arranged Read more
ACT’s David Seymour rejects racist rhetoric allegations
Monday, February 13th, 2023ACT leader David Seymour and Te Pāti Māori’s Rawiri Waititi have clashed in a tense debate about co-governance during what was supposed to be an interview about Labour’s policy dump. It comes after Prime Minister Chris Hipkins on Wednesday put several unpopular policies on the burn pile including the RNZ-TVNZ merger, hate speech reforms and Read more
Oceans, synodality and a shared mission – Oceania’s bishops meet up
Thursday, February 9th, 2023
Dozens of Oceania’s Catholic bishops, including four from New Zealand, are in Fiji on a shared mission. The Federation of Catholic Bishops Conferences of Oceania gather together every four years to reflect on and pray about their shared mission in the region. Among those present are representatives from bishops conferences in Australia, Papua New Guinea/Solomon Read more
Dunedin’s former Kavanagh College renamed after years of lobbying
Thursday, February 9th, 2023
Blessed with a new name, Dunedin’s former Kavanagh College is now officially Trinity Catholic College. A dawn service before the start of the 2023 academic year drew about 20 pupils, sexual abuse survivors and members of the public to witness the new era for the school. Kavanagh College’s name was officially changed on 1 January, Read more
Catholic Caring Foundation steps up to help after floods
Thursday, February 9th, 2023
There’s a long recovery ahead for Auckland, says Catholic Caring Foundation manager, Ann-Marie Parker. “Homes have been totally destroyed, leaving many families literally with just the clothes on their backs. They will have to begin to rebuild their lives from zero,” she says. But, besides being left with nothing, Parker is concerned that many will Read more