Struggling families could be left without TV reception when South Auckland goes digital. The region and other parts of the North Island will be among the last in the country to move from analogue television to the new system in December. That means households without a UHF aerial face a bill of at least $200 Read more
Posts Tagged ‘Poor’
Financial constraint closes hostel for vulnerable women
Friday, April 19th, 2013
A hostel for vulnerable women and children in Palmerston North is to close because the Salvation Army says it is not financiallyviable and the money will be better spent on other services. Captain Allan Clark, in charge of the Salvation Army of Palmerston North corps, said the women’s hostel would shut by the end of Read more
Francis installed as Pope: Ultimate power is service of the weak
Wednesday, March 20th, 2013
An estimated 200,000 crammed St Peter’s Square and environs on Tuesday to participate in Pope Francis’ inauguration Mass. Before Mass, Pope Francis toured St. Peter’s Square unprotected in a simple open white jeep, stopping frequently to greet those in the sprawling square, kissing babies and getting out at one point to bless a disabled person. The Read more
Cycles of poverty – return of the oppressed
Tuesday, February 12th, 2013
Today, the top one per cent of incomes in the United States accounts for one fifth of US earnings. The top one per cent of fortunes holds two-fifths of the total wealth. Just one rich family, the six heirs of the brothers Sam and James Walton, founders of Walmart, are worth more than the bottom 40 per Read more
City Mission sets up online food bank
Tuesday, July 10th, 2012
City missions in Wellington, Auckland and now Christchurch are benefiting from an online food bank provided by a fundraising website called Fundy. “Basically we sell the products online, people go on and buy the products, and at the end of the month all of the products that have been purchased [on the online food bank] Read more
Being poor in New Zealand
Friday, July 6th, 2012
A friend recently posted on Facebook “Sleeping in the lounge with the children to stay warm….Brrrr”. I wasn’t sure whether to laugh or feel sad about this. I can relate to the fact that it is a cold winter and my old 1950’s cottage is a challenge to heat up even with several heaters on Read more
How the poor are made to pay for their poverty in the US
Tuesday, May 29th, 2012
In a book called “Wage Theft in America,” the author calculates that wage theft costs employees $100bn at a minimum each year and possibly up to $200bn. The way to steal from those who live in poverty is to do so “in ways that are systematic, impersonal, and almost impossible to trace to individual perpetrators,” according Read more
Budget gives with one hand and takes with the other says Caritas
Tuesday, May 29th, 2012
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
Church Donations Burden the Poor
Sunday, February 5th, 2012
A former diplomat who asked for his name to be withheld for “obvious reasons” says church donations burden the poor and they should be bold enough to “at least admit” that it contributes to hardship within families. He said the church needs to stop being “ignorant” about the plight of poor people who are “slaving” Read more
Jesus would be an anti-corporate occupier – Archbishop of Canterbury
Friday, December 9th, 2011
Jesus would have joined the anti-corporate Occupy movement protestors says Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury. In an article for the Christmas edition of the Radio Times magazine, Williams considers the slogan ‘What Would Jesus Do?’, with particular reference to those involved in the recent events at St Paul’s Cathedral. “The Jesus we meet in Read more