The New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference have decided to integrate the operations and governance of Mahitahi – Catholic Overseas Volunteers – with that of Caritas, to improve and strengthen both organisations. Mahitahi will retain its own identity, profile and strategic direction, within and supported by the Caritas structure and administration. For the last two years, Mahitahi has Read more
Caritas Samoa is helping shelter more than 1000 people who have been made homeless by Cyclone Evan. They are being housed Caritas Samoa’s own basement hall and in three other centres in partnership with the Red Cross. Caritas Samoa has electricity generators for lighting, and is providing food and water at all the shelters. ‘As Read more
Young people’s wages may be supporting wider family household costs, independent teenage living, or study – all of which would be affected if young people earn lower wages. These are the conclusions that social justice agency Caritas has arrived at as a result in-depth interviews with four young people currently living and working in the Read more
A proposed law to improve the lot of our youngest and most vulnerable workers deserves support. Parliament will this week debate whether working children aged 16 or younger should be regarded as employees rather than contractors, when Te Tai Tonga MP Rino Tirikatene’s private member’s bill is introduced on Wednesday. Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand, the Read more
Reclassifying beneficiaries under the new legislation will do nothing to create jobs says Caritas Aotearoa in the sumbission it made to Parliament’s social services committee on Wednesday Research and advocacy co-ordinator Lisa Beech said what the legislation was attempting to do had parallels with the poor houses of Britain in the 19th century. Beech said Read more
The visit of Frederika Korain has opened up prospects for the further development of relationships between New Zealand and the Papuan people of Indonesian-governed West Papua. Frederika is a former staff member of the SKP (Justice and Peace) office of the Diocese of Jayapura, now studying in Australian National University in Canberra. She has been Read more
Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand workers Tara D’Sousa and Nick Borthwick have recently returned from a visit to Afghanistan. While there they were accompanied on some of their field visits by representatives of the New Zealand Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT). “We are distressed that such tragedy should befall 8 of their members, and the ambushed Afghan Read more
Plans to lock up refugees arriving in groups to New Zealand have drawn concern from across the Tasman. The Australian Catholic Migrant and Refugee Office (ACMRO) has opposed the mandatory detention provisions in the Immigration Amendment Bill, in a written submission on the Bill currently before Parliament. ACMRO and Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand will appear Read more
Short-sighted policy changes, taking with one hand while giving with the other, may leave vulnerable groups short-changed in this year’s Budget, says Catholic social justice agency Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand. Caritas Director Julianne Hickey says the Catholic agency assesses the impact of Budget measures through the lens of the common good: what will contribute to Read more
Brianna’s Anglesey’s song It happens all the time has won this year’s Singout4Justice competition. Her song deals with bullying. Brianna is a Year 8 student at Thorndon School, and she wins a $400 music voucher and a $100 Caritas Gifts voucher. She was presented with her prize by Don McGlashin. Briana’s song took up the call of Read more