CARITAS AOTEAROA NEW ZEALAND

MEDIA RELEASE

4 SEPTEMBER 2019

SOCIAL JUSTICE WEEK 2019 - FAIR YOU SAY? HE TIKA, KI TŌ TITIRO?

This year’s Social Justice Week calls us to consider our part in seeing that our workplaces, our schools and our communities are fair places for all. We are challenged to see, hear, and experience the lived reality of people, naming what is happening and taking action.

Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand, the New Zealand Catholic Bishops’ Social Justice Agency, is using this year’s theme of fairness to ask the hard questions of us all. Caritas Director, Julianne Hickey says “social justice is about ensuring that everyone gets a fair go. Whether that be in employment, housing, healthcare or education or in any other respect – we all deserve to be treated with human dignity and to have a fair opportunity to flourish”.

To mark the official start of this year’s Social Justice Week, the Parish of St Anne’s in Manurewa will hold a Social Justice and Peace Community Forum on Thursday evening this week. At the forum, candidates for this year’s local body elections will front up to issues around fairness in housing, the environment, pay equity and poverty.

Resources have been distributed to parishes and communities throughout New Zealand for Sunday celebrations and activities during the week. Education resources for schools offer background information, curriculum links and helpful statistics.

The development of resources found in this year’s packs for Social Justice Week has been based around the theme of See-Judge-Act, a methodology founded on Catholic social teaching – it is a way of looking at a situation, analysing it, and taking action. It enables us to consider what is fair (or not) in our lives, our communities and in our society as a whole? Is everyone getting a fair go? How can we make sure they are?

We are reminded of St Mother Teresa’s words, “Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.” (Excerpt, New Zealand Catholic Bishops’ 2019 Social Justice Week Statement)

Social Justice Week was first established by the New Zealand Catholic Bishops as a time to consider, reflect and take action on current social justice issues in the light of Catholic social teaching. Social Justice Week runs from 8 - 14 September 2019.

For information about this week and resources in Parishes visit caritas.org.nz/parishes/social-justice-week. For schools’ material visit www.caritas.org.nz/social-justice-week-schools

If your parish or diocese is planning an event and would like support in promoting this please contact Social Justice Week Coordinator, Joanna Viernnes at joannav@caritas.org.nz

ENDS

Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand is the New Zealand Catholic Bishops’ agency for justice, peace and development, and incorporates Catholic Volunteers Overseas. We are working for a world free of poverty and injustice through community development, advocacy, education, and emergency relief.

Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand is a member of Caritas Internationalis, a confederation of 165 Catholic aid, development and social justice agencies active in over 200 countries and territories.

Follow Caritas on Twitter: @CaritasNZ Caritas on Facebook: facebook.com/caritasaotearoa

SOCIAL JUSTICE WEEK 2019 EVENTS

Thursday, 5 September, 6 – 8:30pm

Social Justice and Peace Community Forum

This forum in Manurewa , South Auckland, will be hosted by St Anne's Community and the Auckland Diocese’s Social Welfare and Anti-Poverty committee. The forum will have local body election candidates speaking on issues around fairness in housing, the environment, pay equity and poverty. All are welcome to this free event.

St Anne’s is at 126 Russell Road, Manurewa, Auckland. Contact Deacon Sanele on 027 2673210 or sanele.poluleuligaga@yahoo.com.au for further information about this event.

Wednesday 11 September, 6 -7.30pm

Fairness and unfairness in Our Diocese

This free event will take place at Connolly Hall, Thorndon, Wellington and will explore fairness and unfairness in the Wellington Diocese. This is an opportunity to learn about the experiences of Wellington Filipino healthcare and construction workers, and the courageous and practical response of the Barangay Assumpta (Kapiti) Servant Team/Filipino Chaplaincy. Speakers will include representatives of the Barangay Sta. Maria Assumpta/Filipino Chaplaincy Outreach Ministry, Cardinal John Dew and Hon. Iain Lees-Galloway, Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety.

Connelly Hall is on Guildford Tce, 22 – 30 Hill Street , Thorndon, Wellington. For more information about this event please contact Lisa Beech l.beech@wn.catholic.org.nz

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