Marlborough’s Catholic parish has no idea if or when its two new priests will be able to live and serve in New Zealand. Based at St Mary’s in Blenheim, Star of the Sea parish has gone without a permanent priest for over six months. Their last priest was Father Michael McCabe who retired in January. Read more
Many asylum seekers in Aotearoa New Zealand are living on $40 a week from a charity, while they wait for decisions on their immigration status. Some are even resorting to sleeping in bus stops. The Asylum Seekers Support Trust (ASST), a charity relying on donations, provides assistance to approximately 400 asylum seekers across the country. Read more
Acting Prime Minister Carmel Sepuloni has put Immigration NZ on notice over a dawn raid it carried out a fortnight ago. The raid involved Immigration and Police officials turning up at a family home and arresting the father at 5am in front of his four terrified children. The cops were banging on the back and Read more
Two doctors expecting a baby in August have been caught up in national security checks and face having to decide whether to emigrate. The orthopaedic house officer, who did not want his name used, was born in Iran and has dual Canadian citizenship as he moved there when he was 14. He and his New Read more
Concerns have been raised with Immigration NZ and the Government after some newly-arrived refugees in Auckland were allegedly placed into cold homes without heating or basic items and were left without support. Race Relations Commissioner Meng Foon has sought answers from Immigration NZ and the Government over the treatment of these refugees after volunteers and Read more
Escaping Ukraine to New Zealand is next to impossible because of the requirements and cost involved. The war in Ukraine has forced nearly six million to flee the country and has displaced more than seven million internally. New Zealand hung out the welcome mat in March, when the Government provided 4,000 special visas for family Read more
Caritas is standing behind the government’s announcement to allow the reunification of families for Ukrainians living in New Zealand. “We welcome this announcement in that it provides a shelter from the storms of war. It’s a way out for vulnerable Ukrainians leaving a war zone and seeking to reunite with family members. “This expanded category Read more
Ukrainian Olena Dragomyretska is pleading with the New Zealand Government to let her stay in New Zealand permanently. Stuff reports the 69-year-old grandmother, returning to her homeland is unthinkable at the moment, but her visa expires at the end of March. Dragomyretska is worried she will be forced to leave. She was in New Zealand Read more
Immigration NZ authorities denied a woman New Zealand residency because she gave birth to her rapist’s child. The case came to light in a recently-published decision from the Immigration and Protection Tribunal, which the woman, identified only as IP, appealed to after her bid was denied. The tribunal heard IP, a 22-year-old citizen of the Read more