Hamilton bishop Richard Laurenson expressed his sadness over the passing of King Tuheitia. On behalf of the Catholic bishops of Aotearoa, New Zealand, Laurenson extended his sympathies to the king’s family and assured the family of the bishops’ prayers for the repose of the King’s soul. Kingi Tuheitia became Māori King 18 years ago, and Read more
Posts Tagged ‘Maori’
Local Government Bill is offensive and unjust to Māori
Monday, August 26th, 2024
The Catholic Worker Movement appreciates the opportunity to submit a response to the Local Government Bill (Electoral Legislation and Māori Wards and Māori Constituencies ) Amendment Bill. We do so on behalf of the Catholic Worker Movement (Ōtautahi), a branch of a world-wide organisation of the same generic name. Justice is built on love We Read more
State of the Nation – some successes but escalating challenges too
Thursday, February 15th, 2024
In the midst of the country’s escalating cost-of-living crisis, the Salvation Army’s State of the Nation 2024 report spotlights the growing socio-economic challenges confronting New Zealanders. The report, Ngā Tukunga Iho – The Things We Inherit, offers an annual assessment of the country’s social progress – this year especially – children and youth housing crime Read more
Vaccines saved thousands of lives during Omicorn
Monday, February 12th, 2024A recent study highlighted the significant impact of Covid-19 vaccines in New Zealand, notably reducing deaths and hospitalisations during the Omicron phase. Published in Vaccine, the research estimates vaccines averted 4,000 to 12,000 deaths and 34,000 to 56,000 hospitalisations within 18 months from January 2022. However, among the highlighted outcomes were the disparities in health Read more
Māori atheism on the rise: the legacy of colonisation is driving a decline in traditional Christian beliefs
Monday, December 4th, 2023
Religious beliefs among Māori have shifted significantly over the past two decades. The number of Māori identifying as having “no religion” in the census between 2006 and 2018 increased from 36.5% to 53.5%. Māori affiliation with Christianity has fallen from 46.2% to 29.9%. Are Māori simply rejecting Christianity? Or are they rejecting all supernatural phenomena, Read more
We will mobilise against ‘racist’ policies of incoming Government
Thursday, November 30th, 2023
It has taken just over a month for this new coalition Government to render Māori an almost nullity. The last time that occurred was in 1877 when the then Chief Justice James Prendergast proclaimed the Treaty was “worthless” because it had been signed “between a civilised nation and a group of savages” who were incapable Read more
Modern Jesus mural defaced – “pretty stink”
Monday, October 2nd, 2023
“Pretty stink” is how artist Aora Novak described an attack on a Dunedin Māori Jesus mural. The mural had been fully covered in white paint. The artwork veered away from traditional iconography and aimed to represent a more modern and inclusive image of Jesus Christ. Novak of Ngai Te Rangi and Ngati Kahungunu descent guided Read more
Māori landowners head to UN in bid to stop ETS changes
Monday, July 17th, 2023Māori landowners are flying to the United Nations in a last-ditch effort to stop changes to the Emissions Trading Scheme. The scheme forces polluters to offset their emissions by buying carbon credits. Planting trees creates those credits, which can then be traded. It’s led to the creation of an industry of carbon farming which many Read more
A growing number of non-Māori New Zealanders are embracing learning te reo – but there’s more to it than language
Thursday, February 16th, 2023
Waitangi Day again raises the question about what Te Tiriti o Waitangi means. As the late Moana Jackson commented, the meaning of Te Tiriti will be talked about in each generation because it is about a relationship between Māori and Pākehā and relationships must always be worked on. Here, we focus on the learning of Read more
Unintended mistakes ensured parallel Māori and European churches
Thursday, December 8th, 2022
The Catholic Church throughout New Zealand made serious mistakes in its approach to Māori, and using te reo during Eucharist helps us become more inclusive even in our daily lives. The comments about parish sacramental celebrations come from Palmerston North’s Bishop emeritus, Peter Cullinane, in an article published in Tui Motu. Citing examples of the Read more