caritas – NZ Catholic Newspaper

Caritas gives Govt. pre-Budget advice

NZ Catholic Staff — Mon, 27 Mar 2017 21:35:51 +0000

Echoing the words of Pope Francis, who has warned that economic progress that diminishes people’s quality of life is no progress at all, Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand is urging the Government to attend to the wellbeing of vulnerable communities when considering the 2017 Budget. In an oral submission to the Finance and Expenditure Select Committee on February 8, the Catholic social justice agency highlighted the local

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Report details hardship in Pacific nations

NZ Catholic Staff — Wed, 16 Nov 2016 02:24:27 +0000

Cases of children having to eat cassava roots softened with paracetamol and people dying from lack of food and clean water are among the examples of widespread hunger and thirst throughout the Pacific. Such cases are detailed in the latest Caritas State of the Environment Report for Oceania, Hungry for justice, thirsty for change. The report, which was launched at Parliament on October 4,

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Islands advocate Ursula rises above sinking feeling

Rowena Orejana — Tue, 04 Aug 2015 20:30:58 +0000

by ROWENA OREJANA Catholics need to look at supporting people affected by climate change and environmental degradation in all the contexts that these issues demand. That was one of the messages delivered by Ursula Rakova during a visit to New Zealand in July facilitated by Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand. Pope Francis’s encyclical Laudato Si’, with

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A Nepal Tribute Story

Michael Otto — Mon, 18 May 2015 03:09:18 +0000

by Marlene Jahnke, 12 years old The following is a fictional account of a day in the life of a Nepalese teen-ager. The day is the one when earthquake struck. – Editor Blurb Nisha lives a normal life. She has everything she has ever wanted — a family, an education, and she lives in a

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Caritas responding to growing homeless crisis in Vanuatu

Michael Otto — Fri, 20 Mar 2015 02:37:18 +0000

With more than half the population of Vanuatu homeless, the arrival in Port Vila of 2,000 tarpaulins in the next few days, to be used as temporary shelters, will enable Caritas to respond directly to one of the greatest needs following Cyclone Pam.

OCHA reports that 12,000 shelter kits and 24,000 tarpaulins are needed for communities across the island nation, especially on Tanna and Erromango Islands where the category 5 cyclone passed closest to.

“Shelter is a major need, so the arrival of these supplies is crucial to our being able to help the most vulnerable in this emergency,” says Mark Mitchell, Humanitarian Programmes Coordinator for Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand.

Speaking from Port Vila where Caritas Oceania agencies, including Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand and Caritas Australia are leading a combined Caritas response, Mr Mitchell said that coordination of the response was going well and communication was slowly being brought back onboard.

“Every day we are getting more information from other, more remote islands. What we are hearing is that on top of shelter, food is also major concern as in many places everything above ground has been destroyed. People still have access to root crops, but will only last about a week for many communities.”

In the midst of the devastation and the direness of the situation, there is also a hopeful story to be found in the reduced number of casualties because of aid organisations like Caritas working with government and communities to prepare for such emergencies.

“In 2013 and 2014 we worked with a consortium of New Zealand NGOs on simulations of emergency responses in Vanuatu and other Pacific nations to build preparedness. These kinds of programmes really helped people in Vanuatu be prepared for an emergency like this and helped save lives,” Mr Mitchell says.

Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand is appealing for donations to the Pacific Cyclone Relief fund to respond to immediate needs and help affected communities in Vanuatu rebuild their lives and livelihoods.
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Donations to assist with the humanitarian response can be made by:
Phoning 0800 22 10 22 to make credit card donations
Donating online to Pacific Cyclone Relief Fund using a credit card at www.caritas.org.nz
Internet banking – account #03 0518 0211216 00
Text Pam to 833 to donate $3 to Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand

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Environmental changes

NZ Catholic Staff — Sat, 08 Nov 2014 21:00:05 +0000

by NZ CATHOLIC staff
Pacific Islanders are scrambling to build seawalls out of sticks, stones, shells and coral, to protect their lands and homes from erosion and rising sea levels, while global talks continue about climate change.echo $variable;

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Budget fails the poorest say Catholic agencies

NZ Catholic Staff — Thu, 05 Jun 2014 21:30:30 +0000

by NZ CATHOLIC Staff
WELLINGTON — Catholic organisations have criticised the government’s
2014 budget as failing to provide for “the poorest in the communities” and recognising economic inequalities in New Zealand.
Although they welcome the budget’s $500 million package of support for families as a first step towards recognising the needs of vulnerable members of the community, they said the government
missed the mark when it comes to issues such as affordability of food, power and accommodation, including the provision of safe, warm and healthy homes.
Wellington Justice, Peace and Development chairperson Shane Olsen said the concern is that the budget focused more strongly on middle income earners, when the children living in poverty are children of low income earners.
Caritas director Julianne Hickey said the Catholic agency was looking for formal recognition by the Government of the need to address inequality and poverty.
“We are disappointed in comments by senior ministers in Parliament’s question time … and the Parliamentary Budget debate that the Government rejects the view that inequality is widening in
New Zealand,” she said.
The Auckland Justice and Peace Commission noted that although some
attempt had been made to help in the care of children, the Budget does not creatively engage the community to raise the standards of the poorest New Zealanders.
Chairperson Shane Coleman said an extra $20 million to combat New
Zealand’s high rate of rheumatic fever, a disease associated with poverty, was welcome. “That sort of measure, and other programmes such as the increased funding for community budgeting services, are to be applauded and are definitely a step in the right direction.”
But, he said, Catholic agencies such as the Society of St Vincent de Paul, and low decile Catholic schools, see the effects of poverty daily and report unprecedented demand for social services.
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Caritas helps Solomons

NZ Catholic Staff — Sun, 27 Apr 2014 23:31:04 +0000

by NZ CATHOLIC staff HONIARA — The worst flooding in 28 years to hit Solomon Islands has resulted in deaths and 15,000 people fleeing their homes. Three days of heavy rains caused flash floods that washed out roads and destroyed bridges in the capital, Honiara. The official death toll stands at 23 confirmed deaths, but

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Hardship tried across nation over weekend

Rowena Orejana — Tue, 22 Apr 2014 22:02:21 +0000

by ROWENA OREJANA WELLINGTON — More than 6000 young people slept in cardboard boxes, worked in sweatshop-like conditions or went without food in the first weekend of April as part of the first nationwide Caritas Challenge. Caritas Social Justice education adviser Gemma Sinnot, coordinator for the challenge in Auckland, said this was the first time

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Care for wellbeing part of government’s role, says Caritas

NZ Catholic Staff — Sat, 15 Sep 2012 02:00:45 +0000

by NZ CATHOLIC staff WELLINGTON — All levels of government must be good stewards of public funds, Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand has told a select committee considering changes to local government legislation. “However, stewardship includes responsibility for wellbeing,” the social justice agency said. Removing responsibility for wellbeing from the purpose of local government will change

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