It’s an unconventional rendering of Jesus that was rejected years ago by top officials with two major Catholic cathedrals, yet it now sits in one of the world’s holiest sites. Canadian artist Timothy Schmalz was thrilled to receive an email a few days ago telling him his bronze sculpture, Homeless Jesus, has been installed inside Read more
Posts Tagged ‘Poverty’
Future prosperity dependent on helping the poor now
Tuesday, February 9th, 2016
With the future welfare and prosperity of our nation dependent on the effective education of our next generation, denying the reality of hardship or poverty in New Zealand is futile and self defeating. While official inflation is under control, housing costs have increased at twice the rate of wages and other incomes. With many families Read more
Francis critiques question about condoms in Africa
Friday, December 4th, 2015
Pope Francis has told a journalist asking about condom use to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS in Africa that the question posed is too small. The Pope answered the question during a session with reporters on his plane flying back from the Central African Republic on November 30. The journalist asked if the Church should Read more
Pies donated to St Vincent de Paul help feed hungry Auckland families
Friday, November 27th, 2015A chance meeting with a small dog changed Peter Irving’s life. Two years ago, Sandringham resident Mark Ward was walking his dog, Taco, when they bumped into Irving. He and Ward struck a deal that would ultimately affect thousands of families in need across Auckland. Ward is a business development representative for Mrs Mac’s Pies. He Read more
Archbishop asks if free schemes are a good thing
Tuesday, November 24th, 2015
The Archbishop of Suva, Peter Loy Chong, says people need to ask themselves, what are the free schemes such as bus fares and school fees doing to them. Chong said members of the community should see whether the assistance empowered them and made them independent. “We need to ask ourselves, what is the free scheme such Read more
10% of NZers own 53% of the wealth
Tuesday, November 10th, 2015Blessed are the rich millennials for they shall inherit the earth – that’s if researcher Max Rashbrooke’s new book is anything to go by. In a project with Statistics New Zealand, the data, which looked at people’s wealth between 2004 and 2010, has yielded grim results, says Rashbrooke. The wealthiest 1 per cent of the Read more
Half the world’s wealth owned by 1% of its population
Tuesday, October 27th, 2015
While wages stagnate, stock prices rise and the rich get richer. If you’re lucky enough to be a member of the global 1%, last year was another good year to be alive (every year is pretty great, though). Your wealth bracket increased its share of global riches so that it holds just over half of Read more
Sister Anna changing people’s attitude to the environment
Tuesday, September 22nd, 2015
Sister Anna Wiwiek Soepraptiwi, a Daughter of Charity who lives in Nausori, has educated many women on how to prevent harming the environment by recycling rubbish and then selling the product. “It is a lot of detailed work, but with perseverance and patience, anyone can create a nice artwork from the recycled plastics,” Anna says. Read more
Proposal for State to sell off 10,000 needy New Zealanders
Friday, September 18th, 2015
A newly released report proposes handing control of services for the 10,000 “highest-cost clients of the social services system” a new national “Better Lives” agency or to expanded “district health and social boards” (DHSBs), which would buy services from mostly non-government “navigators” to coordinate help for needy clients in their regions. The report says each Read more