Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones says 27 churches will benefit, as part a 10 million dollar in grants from the Covid-19 response and recovery plan.

"This kind of hyper-targeted spending can only be read as vote-buying. With a growing Debt Monster, now is not the time to fork out millions for church renos," New Zealand Taxpayers' Union spokesman Louis Houlbrooke says:

"At least previous Provincial Growth Fund recipients have been taxpaying businesses. Churches, however, don't pay taxes," Houlbrooke said.

"This is technically a business-as-usual Government announcement but it reads like pure election politics.

In the week that postal voting opens for the election, this is the Government exploiting taxpayer money for the sake of its re-election campaign."

Former Massey University religious historian Dr Peter Lineham told Chris Lynch on NewstalkZB that he's never seen anything like it.

"I've never before seen government money directly used for renovations to church buildings."

Lineham says these churches do provide a lot of social care.

"They tend to be strongly connected to particular Pacific nations - effectively becoming a New Zealand-based village."

On it's Facebook page the Taxpayers' Union describes itself as "an independent activist group dedicated to being the voice for Kiwi taxpayers in the corridors of power."

The Taxpayers' Union founding documents with the Register of Incorporated Societies show a blend of Act Party and National Party people.

It was founded by David Farrar and Jordan Williams.

It claims to be politically independent and not aligned to, or intended to develop into a political party.

But becasue the Taxpayers' Union has ties to a number of right-wing figures from the New Zealand political scene it is regarded by many as a right-wing pressure group.

Source

• scoop.co.nz
• rnz.co.nz
• nzherald.co.nz
• en.wikipedia.org
• newstalkzb.co.nz
• Image: thestandard.org.nz

The MP has seen a significant escalation in threats of violence following comments by ACT MP David Seymour, a source told Stuff.

Ghahraman is an Iranian-Kiwi refugee, lucky to escape war and persecution as a child.

Ghahraman said the situation was fuelled by a Newshub report on white supremacy, which detailed online threats including "hanging her like a lynch mob".

Two members of Parliament, Louisa Wall (Labour) and Jo Hayes (National), have written a letter to Seymour in their capacity as representatives of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association.

"Your comments have had a significant adverse effect on Golriz and, in the absence of a Code of Conduct for members of the House, we ask that you reflect on your behaviour and consider offering a public apology to Golriz for the comments made, preferably in the House."

Speaker of the House Trevor Mallard says ACT Leader David Seymour's comments were bullying.

In an interview with Magic Talk radio's Sean Plunket about freedom of speech, Seymour referred to "mass murderers" in history such as Mao Tse Tung, Stalin and Hitler using the suppression of free expression to gain power.

He then added: "I just think Golriz Ghahraman is completely wrong.

"I don't know if she understands what she is saying but Golriz Ghahraman is a real menace to freedom in this country."

Seymour said he didn't feel responsible for the threats. "We have robust debates, she gives as good as she gets."

He said in a number of instances, Ghahraman had personally attacked him. "I've said that she is a menace to a particular issue, which is freedom of speech."

Ghahraman's studies at Oxford University and her career as a lawyer in New Zealand and overseas have focused on enforcing human rights and holding governments to account.

She worked for United Nations Tribunals as part of both defence (Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia) and prosecution (Cambodia) teams.

Her work has also included restoring communities after war and human rights atrocities, particularly empowering women engaged in peace and justice initiatives.

Source

• greens.org.nz
• twitter.com
• stuff.co.nz
• tvnz.co.nz
• Image: newshub.co.nz

The archbishop, who is known for speaking plainly, made this comment in an interview with National Catholic Reporter correspondent John Allen during World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro.

Allen had asked Archbishop Chaput if the initial enthusiasm for the new Pope would fade "when the honeymoon wears off".

"This is already true of the right wing of the Church," the archbishop said. "They generally have not been really happy about his election, from what I've been able to read and to understand. He'll have to care for them, too, so it will be interesting to see how all this works out in the long run."

Archbishop Chaput was asked whether there was a concern over the fact that Pope Francis had not used the words "abortion", "gay marriage" or "euthanasia" in his first 120 days.

"He hasn't expressed those things in a combative way, and perhaps that's what some are concerned about," he said, "but I can't imagine that he won't be as pro-life and pro-traditional marriage as any of the other popes have been in the past."

Back in Philadelphia, the archbishop said, he had a sense that practising Catholics love Pope Francis and have a deep respect for him, "but they're not actually the ones who really talk to me about the new Pope.

"The ones who do are non-practising Catholics or people who aren't Catholic or not even Christian. They go out of their way to tell me how impressed they are and what a wonderful change he's brought into the Church."

Part of this enthusiasm, the archbishop thought, was "genuine appreciation for the Pope's extraordinary friendliness and transparency.

"But also, I think they would prefer a Church that wouldn't have strict norms and ideas about the moral life and about doctrine, and they somehow interpret the Pope's openness and friendliness as being less concerned about those things."

Source:

National Catholic Reporter

Image: CathNewsUSA