Few might guess at the 10 most common surnames given to New Zealand’s newborn’s last year. Our diversity is reflected in these 10 names, according to the Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Jeff Montgomery. The most common surname across New Zealand last year was Singh, with just under 400 babies registered under that name. Read more
The Methodist church in Fiji will teach its ministers to speak the Indo-Fijian language and educate them so that they can understand the Indian culture. This follows the passing of a motion at the church’s annual Bose ko Viti conference at the Centenary Church in Suva last month. The president of the Methodist Indian Division, Reverend Read more
The Advertising Standards Authority’s (ASA’s) Complaints Board has found a commercial advertising new caramelised white chocolate biscuits was not racist. The ruling comes after the board received a complaint that a TV advertisement for Griffins’ Toffee Pops had “offensive dialogue with racist overtones”. Continue reading
Fr Marchellino Park realised his calling to priesthood after God granted him a second lease on life following a robbery and brutal beating several years ago that sent him into a coma. And a single Gospel passage about casting out nets was decisive for Fr Austin Fernandes in his vocational journey. Korean-born Fr Park and Read more
Catholics from different ethnic groups gathered at the Sacred Heart Cathedral in Suva last week to celebrate the church’s Agape Festival. Archbishop Peter Loy Chong celebrated a Mass to commemorate the first anniversary of the Agape Ministry for Ethnic Outreach for the Archdiocese of Suva. Members of the Indo-Fijian, Sri Lankan, Korean, Filipino, Tongan, Samoan, Read more
A multicultural celebration of midwinter is being planned as a fundraising event to contribute to, and draw attention to, the costs of the seismic strengthening of St Mary of the Angels. The theme will be the stars of midwinter: Ave Maris Stella – Matariki. Matariki is the Māori name for the seven-star constellation that rises Read more
The 10th annual New Zealand Diversity Forum will be held in Christchurch 24 $ 25 August The forum’s theme is Migrant and refugee employment. Valuing diversity is a key issue, given the rebuild being undertaken in the Canterbury region and increased recruitment of migrant workers to help drive the rebuild. The forum will include a Read more
The Attorney General of Fiji Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum had drawn a distinction between schools with ethnic names and schools with religious names. He says schools with ethnic names are not fully inclusive of other races but schools with religious names are OK. Speaking at Ahmadiyya Muslim Secondary School prize-giving ceremony in Voloca, Dreketi, he said, “Take Read more
How the dead should be honoured and the role of funeral directors are just some of the issues being raised at hui to discuss changes to burial and cremation legislation, The Law Commission says. A number of themes are emerging at the hui, such as which urupa the person should be buried in and how Read more
For seven years, Barry Lowe’s parents refused to meet his partner, Sue Pearl. His father had migrated to New Zealand from China in the late 30s and ran a fruit shop with Barry’s grandfather. He brought his wife and an infant Barry over from Hong Kong in the 1950s. They rejected Sue out of fear Read more