In late 2014, President Anote Tong of Kiribati and his policy advisor Andrew Teem responded to a question, “What can Kiwis do to help I-Kiribati in the face of climate change?”

The answer was to tell people about Kiribati. “Many people do not know we exist. Many people do not know that we are effected by climate change. We need help to adapt and to migrate in dignity when the time comes… Bring people to Kiribati, people of influence. Tell our story.”

Since then, Damaris Kingdon with the support of the Sydney based Pacific Calling Partnership, (ER Justice Centre) has worked to assemble a youth delegation to go to Kiribati.

In February 2017, a group of 6 young people will will head to this stunning Pacific country that covers  3.5 million sq/kms of ocean, clinging to life on 33 tiny atolls.

Led by David Tong, executive officer of P3, the team is made up of the following members: Maddie Little – Community Development student at Victoria University, Devon Hanna – Photographer and Community Studies Masters student at Auckland University, Juan Ma – Videographer and documentary maker at Mediaworks, Benjamin Brooking – Freelance videographer and musician Jamie McDell,  will travel together with Phil Glendenning and other members of the Pacific Calling Partnership to investigate what an answer to President Tong’s request might look like in physical reality.

In way of preparation, the P3 + PCP delegation has connected up with Rae Bainteti and the Kiribati Children’s campaigners.  Together they are raising funding to first bring a group of young I-Kiribati to New Zealand next month and then the Kiwi delegation out to Kiribati in return.

Donate here to help the this wonderfully unique I-Kirbati team  come to New Zealand.

On the way to Tezpur in Assam, women work in the rice paddy fields.

Assam is part of a large territory belonging to India that rests between Bangladesh, Bhutan to the north and Myanmar to the East. The access to this region from India is a narrow corridor  landmarked by Darjeeling approximately 600 kms north of Kolkata.

Helen Mulheron has now been volunteering with the Christian Brother Communities for numerous months of each year for the past four years.  Helen is a highly qualified music teacher sharing her skills in schools and has also lead the ER Reflection Group in Oamaru, NZ for over decade.

St. Peter’s College in Auckland have generously chosen the Dunedin former refugees as the focus for their mission fundraising this year.  To date the students have raised over $8,000 in funds to provide the former refugees with resettlement assistance.  And they are not done yet!  They will be working hard in the next two terms to raise more funds. Jodi Kuran, teacher on the philosophy and theology faculty, and Damaris Kingdon, coordinator for the Edmund Rice network, were in Dunedin this month to make a connection with some of the people working on the ground with the former refugees; Fr. Ivica Gregurec (Anglican priest on the Dunedin Churches Welcome Refugees committee) and Pat Robertson (Red Cross Volunteer).

Photo and Article provided from the Catholic Diocese of Dunedin News. Link to original article here. News

Published in The New Zealand Herald on Aug. 8, 2016– See more at NZ Herald.

Marita McInerney – PCP Volunteer

Photo of KATEP participants by the Newcastle Herald

Would you like to support Te Puea Marae?

The University Book Shop has proposed:

From  June 10^th – 18^th for every book purchased for Te Puea Marae, UBS will donate a book of the same value.

We will be collecting the books in store, so simply let our staff know you wish to make a donation.

To purchase books online https://www.ubsbooks.co.nz/  or over the phone 09 3062700

Just Make sure you note it is for Te Puea Marae books will be delivered to Te Puea on your behalf after June 18th.

Please feel free to share this email with those colleagues and friends that you think would like to participate,

Follow this link to register for the Conference via Eventbrite

Online payments options are available. When you register,  click on ‘payment method’ for alternative ticket purchase options such as requesting an invoice or paying by cheque.

Overview of ‘Whanaungatanga’ – ER Conference 2016

Conference Programme/Schedule

Workshop and Keynote Presenters

Conference Hosts and Contact information

Celebrating Christian Brothers Education

Reunion Weekend of 8 – 10 July 2016, Dunedin

For more information and registrations to G Morris: Email georgecmorris@hotmail.com      or

 Brother G Donaldson: 20a Grove St, St Kilda, Dunedin 9012.Telephone: 03 456 5040

Closing date for registrations is 16 June 2016.

Christian Brother’s Schools in New Zealand  By Br Graeme Donaldson CFC

On 24 April 1876, the Christian Brothers of Ireland opened their first school in Rattray St. Dunedin with Irish Brother Fursey Bodkin as Principal. Fifty-one years later in 1927, a boarding school, St Kevin’s College, Redcastle, North Oamaru, began with Irish Brother Felix Magee the first Rector.

In 1928, a day school for boys, St Patrick’s opened in town with Brother Norbet Moore as Principal.

It was to be the North Island that the Brothers moved for their fourth school, St Peter’s College, Grafton, Auckland. The school opened on 6 February 1939 with Australian Brother Pius O’Driscoll as Principal.

A second southern school, St Edmund’s opened in 1949 in South Dunedin with Australian Brother Xavier Webster as Principal.

In 1959, New Zealand became a self-governing Province from Australia.

Another South Island school, St Thomas of Canterbury opened in Sockburn, Christchurch in 1961 with New Zealander Brother Ignatius McClintock as Principal.

A second North Island School, Edmund Rice College in Rotorua was opened following the request of Archbishop Liston for a Catholic School in the area in 1963. Brother Antonine Sullivan from Timaru was the first Principal and it was a Form 1 – 7 school (Year 7 – 13).

In 1964, with the expansion of the new buildings in Rattray Street Dunedin, Christian Brothers High School became St Paul’s High School with Dunedin Brother Malachy Hessian as Principal.

The Primary school became Christian Brother’s Junior School on the original site in Tennyson St, with Br Des Waight from Roxburgh, as Principal.

A second Auckland School, Liston College opened in Henderson, West Auckland with Aucklander, Brother Gary Wellsmore as Principal.

The co-educational mission school for the New Zealand Province, St Joseph’s Nukutere College, was established in Raratonga, in 1976 at the request of Bishop Denis Browne (ex-St Peter’s Auckland). The first Principal was Brother Terry McErlane from Dunedin.

In 1982, a Mass Centre and St John’s School with Form 1 and 2 (Year 7 and 8) boy pupils from St Patrick’s School in town, was established on the lower property of St Kevin’s College, Oamaru. Brother Des Hill was the Principal.

Further Development came in 1983 when St Kevin’s College Oamaru combined with the former Dominican schools, St Patrick’s, Teschemakers and St Thomas’ of Oamaru, to become a co-educational school with Brother Joe Lauren as Rector.

In 1989, further development occurred with the forming of Kavanagh College, Dunedin, named after Bishop John Kavanagh, who did so much for the integration of Catholic Schools in New Zealand.

Kavanagh College was formed by St Paul’s High School combining with Moreau College. Moreau College had become a combined Girl’s High School when St Dominic’s combined with St Philomena’s in 1976 and was named after the first resident priest in Dunedin, Father Moreau.

Form 1 and 2 (Year 7 and 8) pupils from the primary schools became part of Kavanagh College, which was established as a Form 1 to Form 7 school (Year 7 – 13). The junior classes used the site of Moreau College, and the senior pupils were at Rattray Street while new buildings were being constructed.

The former St Edmund’s School building became St Patrick’s Primary School

Catholic Primary Schools became feeder schools to the new Kavanagh College Brother Vincent Jury of Auckland was the first Principal of Kavanagh College.

A reunion of these schools will take place in Dunedin on the weekend of 8 – 10 July 2016.

Registrations to G Morris: Email georgecmorris@hotmail.com

or

 Brother G Donaldson: 20a Grove ST, St Kilda, Dunedin 9012.    Telephone: 03 456 5040

Closing date for registrations is 16 June 2016.

Last Friday, ER coordinators from the five ER Schools throughout New Zealand met at Liston College. In response to discussions had at the ER Commission meeting in September this year, they met with the school immersions managers and representatives from ER Camps and the ER Justice Trust to see how we could ‘join the dots’ and work to support one another more. Each school and group will seek to promote the others’ activities and provide pathways for young people to volunteer and participate in service projects.

Paul Olsen, Principal of St Kevin’s College also joined the group in the afternoon and shared his experience of the recent Edmund Rice Education Beyond Borders conference in Johannesburg  South Africa.