"It is strange that bars and restaurants can open but churches are limited to just ten people", said Fr Pete Roe the Parish Administrator of St Francis of Assisi parish of Ohariu, Wellington.

Roe says the thriving parish normally has over 1,000 attendees and was already struggling with how to cater for congregations of what it thought would be one hundred.

"But now it's just ten, and it's the limit the Government has put on one table in a restaurant", Roe said.

He observed that Churches generally have more space than restaurants.

With no projection on when Churches might be allowed even one hundred Roe says that Churches are left in limbo.

"Do we have to wait for Level One?" he asked.

Roe is sensitive to those who at this point may feel uncomfortable about coming out of lockup straight back to church but says it is ultimately about people's choice.

He admits that some parish procedures will need to change. For example, contact tracing would be a little strange for parishioners but said that it is not an impossibility.

"We know it's not business as usual and there's an element of new wine and new wineskins in these times", Roe said, referring to Matthew 9:17.

Last evening the New Zealand Catholic Bishops also expressed surprise at Jacinda Ardern's decision.

"Many people will be disappointed in this news of more restricted gatherings than expected but others will be grateful for more time to prepare safely," the bishops commented on Facebook.

The bishops are inviting on the faithful to reflect on Romans 12:12, "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer".

They say they are looking at the details of the announcement with urgency.

Little churches

The decision to limit church congregations to ten means the Wellington Ohariu parish will further its investigation into a concept it is calling Little Churches.

"Normally Churches are the opposite of little; they are for all-comers, yet we're being limited to in effect minister to the few," said Roe.

Roe acknowledges that not everyone will be comfortable with the Little Churches concept.

Little churches is an alternative way of gathering for worship based on the practice of the early Christians as recorded in The Acts of Apostles.

As part of a parish survey, the leadership team in St Francis of Assisi parish of Ohariu, Wellington is asking for parishioners for feedback on a proposal to establish little churches.

The little churches concept is a limited assembly of up to 10 of parishioners gathering in a home for worship that includes prayer and possibly to receive the Eucharist.

In support of the idea the parish notes The Acts of Apostles records:

• "Every day, they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favour of all the people". (Acts 2:46 -47).
• "Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah". (Acts 5:42)

"The model of Little Churches can be considered as being akin to a parish ecclesia (assembly) in which the gathering happens in many different rooms," the parish says in its newsletter.

The parish has identified several practical issues that need to be resolved, including:

• Identification of leaders
• Identification of participants
• Protocols around people meeting safely in homes
• Protocols around the safe distribution of the communion hosts
• Preparation of a worship outline that will give facilitators some direction and
  confidence in running such a group.

The St Francis of Assisi leaderships hopes that in facilitating the establishment of Little Churches, they will become like living cells, both nurturing and being sustained by the body as a whole.

The team say they realise that the implementation of the concept of Little Churches will need to develop.

They also acknowledge there are some whom it may pose too high a risk, and there will be some to whom the idea will not appeal.

Source

• Supplied; St Francis of Assisi Ohariu Parish
• Facebook
• Image: tuimotu.org

Speaking at a breakfast programme organised by the Fijian government at the Museum in Suva this morning, Ms Ardern said that ensuring equal opportunities for women in all spheres of life was not only the goal of the New Zealand government but also her desire.

"I want women to have the right to self-determination and equal opportunity for employment, business and a place in society," she said. Read more

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Monday that while rising living costs were impacting, she wouldn't describe the situation as a crisis.

However, the Catholic Housing Trust CEO with first-hand real-life experience of hardship is pushing back on statements by the Prime Minister.

"From Monte Cecilia's perspective, we're working with hundreds of families every day who were already struggling to keep a roof over their children's heads and food in their bellies, who are now being pushed well past the line.

"If that's not a crisis, I don't know what you'd call it.

"Between rent, food, fuel and other basic necessities, families are expected somehow to find thousands of dollars extra a year to cover the rising costs.

"That's a tough blow for those of us who are doing ok, but for families who were already struggling, it's crushing."

Monte Cecilia has had to stop taking referrals earlier in the year after its waitlist grew to almost 400 families and the government restricted its ability to contract new homes from landlords.

Many New Zealanders agree with Smith.

On Tuesday a mum of five told Newshub AM she's struggling after her family's bills increased by $7000 in the past year.

One Reddit user said Ardern was "simply ignoring facts," while another called it a "poor take" given food, petrol, rent and house prices were "skyrocketing."

The cost of living has skyrocketed with Kiwis spending on average an extra $4000 to $5000 in the past 12 months on basics such as food, rent and fuel. The highest single item in the increase is fuel, with an extra $678 a year at the pump on average.

Speaking to Newshub's AM, Ardern said that despite the escalating fuel cost, she wouldn't be cutting tax on petrol.

"What we're seeing right now is the impact of Covid and the recovery and of Ukraine," Ardern said. "The increase we've seen at the pump, it's been significant. It has not come from excise [tax], it has not come from government."

AM host Ryan Bridge pushed Ardern to admit that if the government cut taxes on petrol, people could be paying half as much at the pump. However, Ardern replied: "If you remove excise, which every government has used, you basically remove your ability to maintain roads and roading projects," she said.

Bernie Smith concluded, "It doesn't matter that the cause is global because this isn't about handing out blame - what matters is what we're doing to help our most vulnerable families.

"Prime Minister Ardern has said that she expects things to improve over the course of the year and I hope she's right, I really do, but families are being forced into poverty right now.

"We can't afford to sit still and hope the situation improves - we need to act."

Sources

• Monte Cecilia Housing Trust Press Release
• NewsHub
• The Spinoff
• Otago Daily Times

Under the new COVID-management system, places of worship may legally choose to implement a vaccination entry requirement for congregants. Whether they do or do not has different consequences.

Vaccine certificates will also apply to clergy.

The government's three-tier "traffic light " framework will come into effect when 90 per cent of the eligible population has received both doses of the vaccine.

Churches using vaccine certificates

Places of worship will be open at green level for vaccinated people. There will be no limits if vaccination certificates are used.

During the orange level, there will be no limits on attendance if vaccination certificates are used.

Limited numbers of vaccinated people will be allowed to attend places of worship during the red level. They may open for up to 100 people, based on one-metre social distancing.

Churches without vaccine certificates

If a place of worship does not wish to request proof of vaccine, they have to operate with strict limits on capacity and space requirements. They may need to close in Orange and/or Red levels, Ardern says.

If a place of worship does not request proof of vaccine, restrictions will apply. At green level gatherings will be restricted to up to 100 people, based on one metre physical distancing.

At orange level, places of worship must keep to a 50-person limit, based on one-metre physical distancing.

At the red level, places of worship that do not request proof of vaccine will be restricted up to 10 people, with one-metre physical distancing.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says the framework is more flexible than the current Alert Level system.

"We know that businesses that only open to vaccinated customers pose a lower risk. We can move up levels when needed to control an outbreak," she says.

Ardern says the vaccine used in New Zealand is safe and effective.

"If you are vaccinated it means that you are less likely to catch the virus, and much less likely to end up in hospital if you do.

The more people who are vaccinated, the harder it is for COVID to spread through communities quickly, and find our most vulnerable, Ardern says.

Source

• New Zealand Government
• Image: RNZ

In the face of miserable outcomes in relation to child poverty, obesity, suicide and basic education, the Prime Minister remains upbeat about her government's efforts to date.

"You would be hard pressed to find a government that has done more to focus on child poverty in the last several decades than everything we've been working on," Jacinda Ardern says.

The government has increased benefits and tax credits and other changes to the welfare system, she says.

Yet despite Ardern's child poverty focus, life for New Zealand children compares poorly with that of children from almost every OECD country, the United Nations Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) has found.

Describing New Zealand children's education, obesity and suicide trends as 'deeply embedded and terrifying', UNICEF NZ is calling for significant investment and policy change.

Out of 41 EU and OECD countries, UNICEF ranked New Zealand 35th in child wellbeing outcomes. New Zealand children have the second highest obesity rate in the OECD. Over a third are obese or overweight. Only 64.6 percent of 15 year-olds in New Zealand have basic proficiency in reading and maths.

"The Report Card gives New Zealand an F for failure when it comes to wellbeing outcomes for children," UNICEF says.

UNICEF New Zealand says these poor grades show New Zealand is failing its children.

"This is a woeful result for a country that prides itself on the great outdoors, academic achievement and the international success of our sports teams. It is time to be alarmed and activated about the inequality of opportunity, health and wellbeing in NZ."

New Zealand's Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) has also just released research showing child poverty in New Zealand is soaring.

CPAG found that in the year to March since the nationwide lockdown, many more whanau have been doing it tough, with Maori and Pacific people the hardest hit.

Its modelling shows 18,000 more children have likely ended up in poverty in the 12 months to March 2021, even without taking into account the rising cost of housing.

Of these, tamariki Maori and Pacific children were up to three times more likely than Pakeha children to be tipped into poverty.

CPAG says the government did not give children and their families the prioritisation they needed as it developed policy responses to the pandemic.

"It is thanks to the collective efforts of iwi, hapu, community organisations, schools, whanau and families - and low-income children themselves - that the crisis of poverty was not even worse.

"Income loss due to job loss was probably inevitable due to Covid-19, but income loss to the point of inadequacy is due to our inadequate welfare system."

In Ardern's view, however, the government acted on its awareness as soon as Covid hit that vulnerable families would be among the worst hit economically. She says this is why support was rolled out in benefit increases.

Source

• RNZ
• RNZ
• UNICEF
• Image: Stuff

Data released by the Government shows Maori and Pasifika have been the big losers since the Covid pandemic struck.

Both the Prime Minister Jacinda Adern and Finance Minister Grant Robertson are hinting Maori and Pasifika may be a core focus in this year's Budget.

This year's Budget Policy Statement, for instance, includes lifting Maori and Pacific incomes, skills and opportunities. Combatting the impacts of COVID-19 is one of the five core "wellbeing" priorities.

Other "wellbeing" priorities include:

Just Transition - Supporting the transition to a climate-resilient, sustainable and low-emissions economy while building back from COVID-19.

Future of Work - Enabling all New Zealanders and New Zealand businesses to benefit from new technologies and lift productivity and wages through innovation, and support those most affected by COVID-19, including women and young people, into employment.

Child Wellbeing - Reducing child poverty and improving child wellbeing.

Physical and Mental Wellbeing - Supporting improved health outcomes for all New Zealanders and keeping COVID-19 out of our communities.

Housing could impact on several of the wellbeing objectives, Adern and Robertson say.

To date neither Robertson nor Ardern have shared any proposals to deal with the housing crisis and the immediate challenges facing the Maori and Pasifika communities.

While Robertson is proud of December's low unemployment figures, and last year's Wage Subsidy scheme, which grew to support nearly 1.8 million jobs for New Zealanders, a Treasury study sees the success story differently.

It analysed incomes of all employees in March 2020, and how they had changed for the same people by August.

Maori and Pacific workers were more likely to have dropped into a low-income bracket (of between $200 and $300 per week). They increased by 85 percent and 69 percent respectively, while Europeans in the low-income bracket increased by 27 percent," Treasury found.

Despite this data, the Budget Policy statement reports that researchers at Victoria University of Wellington found no overall changes in the wellbeing of families, levels of conflict or support among couples, or levels of parental satisfaction during the COVID-19 crisis.

The big issue in the statement, however, is the housing crisis.

The Reserve Bank yesterday reinstated Loan to Value Ratios back to where they were before the Covid crisis in a bid to try and restrain investor money overheating the market.

From May 1 investors will need a 40 per cent deposit.

Nevertheless, the requirement for a 20 per cent deposit for a first home buyer will be another obstacle in the way of getting a house.

The government is currently looking at ways to tilt the playing field towards first-time buyers, Adern says.

The Government also has a $400 million Progressive Home Ownership Fund which is intended to help between 1,500 and 4,000 families into home ownership - a program Ardern says could be scaled up.

Source

• Politik
• Image:NewstalkZB

"During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, you acted quickly to set up the COVID income relief payment, which is nearly twice the amount of the usual jobseeker benefit.

"You showed us that you understand that current benefit levels are insufficient and lock families and children into poverty — an issue that affects all of us.

"Now, we are asking you to apply the same common sense approach to all income support", the groups wrote in and open letter.

The religious and community groups are urging Ardern to lift inadequate welfare payments by Christmas.

"No matter who we are or where we live, we know that our wellbeing is interconnected with those around us. When everyone has what they need to look after themselves and fully participate in their communities, we all flourish, the groups say.

Right now, hundreds of thousands of children are constrained by poverty, despite parents' best efforts and we all want every child in Aotearoa to experience a thriving and happy childhood, they say.

"This is a critical time in our history and we are concerned even more people will slip into entrenched poverty," says the Salvation Army policy director, Ian Hutson.

Hutson says when people have to battle day-to-day to put food on the table and find the rent, the emotional initiative that is sucked up by the struggle to survive leaves people without the energy or hope to find work.

"People need enough income to stand up on so they can move on."

Another signatory to the open letter is Mental Health Foundation's chief executive Shaun Robinson. A living wage is critical to good mental health, he says.

"There is ample evidence that poverty, particularly as it impacts on children, has significant impacts on poor mental health."

Many of Jacinda's child poverty and children's mental health goals could be met simply by raising benefits, he says.

"This is a very quick fix: put the money into making benefits liveable, especially for households with children and you will achieve many of your policy outcomes within months."

The National Council of Women New Zealand's president, Lisa Lawrence, says those on welfare are increasingly worse off.

"We would implore that the rates of benefits across the country are re-examined so that no child is left in material poverty," she says.

Community volunteer and disability benefit recipient Stacey Ryan says this year's $25 a week benefit boost isn't enough.

"Because of my illnesses and disabilities I can't work anymore and an extra 25 dollars a week does not help me afford the medicines I need, let alone help me pay my rent, pay my bills and have my phone going.

"For the majority of people they need an extra 100 to 150 dollars a week - and that's for a solo person," she says.

Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta has declined to comment on benefit adequacy.

Source

• Scoop
• Action Station
• TVNZ
• Image: Stuff

Bolger says many people have been disappointed at the Government's "timid response on Green issues" over the past three years, despite having the Green Party in Cabinet for the first time.

At the same time, however, NZ First acted as a handbrake on some of the Government's key marine conservation commitments including the Kermadec Marine Sanctuary, cameras on fishing boats and banning new mines on public conservation land.

"Essentially we've done nothing apart from passing a Zero Carbon Act, and that had the support of the whole of Parliament. Moving to green vehicles and all that, none of that's happened," says Bolger. "And I'm sure that the green-leaning world will be very disappointed."

It is now time to stand up and be counted, Bolger counsels Ardern.

"I think she should move on the policies she laid out three years ago. I'm looking particularly at reducing the pollution that our very large vehicle fleet is emitting; the government has control of a large number of those vehicles and they could make a difference starting tomorrow."

Bolger is hopeful we'll now start seeing faster progress on environmental issues. It's not something we can stop with a vaccine - there isn't one for climate change.

It will take "hard, difficult and often unpopular policy decisions," says Bolger.

"We have to see whether the new government will want to face up to that."

Greenpeace New Zealand's Russel Norman agrees with Bolger's assessment.

Norman, who is also a former Green Party leader, is concerned Labour might spend the next three years "watching their polling and taking no risks" because they don't want to fall below 45-50 percent.

"This is a moment for transformation - we need action on climate change and biodiversity - a price on agricultural emissions, phasing out nitrogen fertiliser, transition to regenerative agriculture, cameras on boats, and end to bottom trawling and so much more. The numbers are there to take action and there are no more excuses for failing to take action."

BERL research director Ganesh Nana wonders if Labour will give the Greens a role in government, given its majority.

"The Greens will probably want to be inside the tent; but it will remain to be seen how much the Ardern/Robertson leadership will view this as a mandate for change.

"Change with regard to climate policy and inequality will be on the table. This is the Covid opportunity - the question for now will be how much of this mandate will be used."

Source

• Newsroom
• Newsroom
• Image: Stuff

Amid the growing need for food banks and the accusation that Ardern, has done nothing to address the issue of child poverty, the Prime Minister told One News that she needs more than one term to reduce poverty.

Ardern told One News "not all" of her Government's policies "have worked as well as we intended."

"It does take time, though, to turn around long-term problems, so that's why we do food banks in the meantime."

However, Child Poverty Action Group spokesperson Janet McAllister told Q+A's Jack Tame said that the Ardern government had "over-promised and under-delivered."

McAllister said the Government had failed to reach their goal for lifting Kiwi children out of poverty.

Ardern who says she came to Parliament to address child poverty, says she wants another three years in order to make progress.

"When we came into government, of all of the (child poverty) measures we use - and we use about nine - seven of them were getting worse. In the short time we've had, we've improved those so that seven are now better," Ardern claimed during the first leaders' debate.

She said that one of the first things her government did was to set a goal to end child poverty.

However, various groups are saying that actions speak louder than words and setting a target is merely aspirational and it is delivery that counts.

During the debate, National leader, Judith Collins said the Government had done nothing to address the issue of child poverty and media organisation AAP FactCheck also labelled Ardern's claims to be misleading.

"While recent figures show seven child poverty measures have slightly improved, the changes were not statistically significant and only partially cover the first year of the Labour Coalition Government," AAP FactCheck said.

Using data from Stats NZ, AAP says child poverty figures for the year ending during the previous government, June 2017, show six measures improved on the previous year and three measures worsened.

"The figures for the year ending June 2018 - encompassing the period the Labour coalition came to government - show seven measures were getting worse compared with the previous year," reports AAP FactCheck.

They described the slight improvement in seven child poverty measures during the Ardern leadership as "not statistically significant."

A spokesperson for Ardern said AAP FactCheck "is wrong", however the Socialist Equality Group concur with AAP.

"The reality is that the latest data showed only small changes to child poverty levels, within the margin of error."

"The number of children living in households below the poverty line of 50 percent of the average household income (after housing costs are deducted) dropped just 2 percent from 253,800 in 2018 to 235,400 in mid-2019."

The group says that if more up-to-date figures were available the results would be worse and is predicting that as a result of COVID-19, they expect 70,000 more children will plunge into poverty.

"The median income has fallen by 7.6 percent in the past year. The number of people receiving an unemployment benefit soared by 53 percent, or 77,000 people, from March 21 to the end of August. The Ministry of Social Development says 16 percent of people could be receiving some form of benefit by January," the groups goes on to state.

National Party spokesperson for social development Louise Upston criticised the Government's inability to maintain their promise of lifting 100,000 children out of poverty by this year, as set out in their 2017 policy announcement.

Sources

• One News
• Newshub
• One News
• Newshub
• One News
• AAP FactCheck
• Socialist Equality Group

New Zealand is held up as an excellent example of virtuous pandemic policymaking even considering its advantages in having wealth, low density and no land borders say Mary Elizabeth Collins and Sarah B Garlington.

They propose three core virtues to guide policymakers in easing out of coronavirus crisis mode in ways that achieve a better new normal: compassion, solidarity and justice.

And it isn't enough to apply just one virtue in a crisis of this magnitude. All three should be deployed in combination.

The writers say New Zealand's virtuous pandemic policymaking included not only aggressive public health measures but also a well-articulated message of being united in the COVID-19 fight and recurring government payments, so workers did not have to risk their health for their job."

They note that to achieve acts of solidarity, the leaders are most praised in their countries and abroad- from U.S. National Institutes of Health director Dr Anthony Fauci to New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern - have relied primarily on moral persuasion, not threats of punishment.

"By delivering clear information, giving simple and repeated behavioural guidance, and setting a good example, they've helped convince millions to take personal responsibility for protecting their community."

Collins and Garlington's ethics research examines the potential for using virtues as a guide for a more moral coronavirus response.

"Virtues are applied morals - actions that promote individual and collective well-being," they say.

"While often embedded in religion, virtues are ultimately a secular concept.

Because of their broad, longstanding relevance to human societies, these values tend to be held across cultures."

Using virtues to guide social policies is an old idea. It dates back at least to the Greek thinker Aristotle.

Source

• theconversation.com
• Image: pmcsa.ac.nz

The Prime Minister's chief science adviser has also shared with Jacinda Ardern her belief that laws governing gene editing technologies were no longer fit for purpose.

Environment Minister David Parker has now asked officials whether "lower" regulatory hurdles might be considered in some areas. Read more