Welcome to Caritas
 

Caritas is the Catholic agency for justice, peace and development. Caritas can be translated as “love in action”, which means that we work to make a real difference in the lives of people living with poverty or injustice. Gospel values and Catholic social teaching provide the foundation and framework for our work. We are a part of the Caritas Internationalis confederation of Catholic aid, development and social justice agencies.

New Zealand Charities Commission Registration No: CC36055.

Media Releases

Management of prisons should not be contracted out, Catholic social justice agency Caritas told Parliament's Law and Order Select Committee today. Director of Caritas Mike Smith said that while more»
Caritas resources prepared for the Day of Prayer for Refugees and Migrants (June 21) remind us that God has always walked alongside refugees and continues to do so today. The Day of Prayer was more»
Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand has both reservations and relief over the government’s 2009 Budget.Caritas Director Michael Smith said that the Budget was delivered in a time of high economic more»
The Foreshore and Seabed Act of 2004 was the greatest breach of the Treaty of Waitangi in modern times, says Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand. The Catholic agency for justice, peace and development more»

  

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Day of Prayer for Refugees and Migrants - 21 June

Caritas has prepared resources to remind people that God has always walked alongside refugees and continues to do so today. The Day of Prayer was established by New Zealand’s Catholic Bishops to remember and honour the experiences of refugees and migrants. It coincides with the end of Refugee Week (June 14-20) which has the theme “Real people, real needs". Read more.

 

Climate adaptation technology for the poor

Caritas Internationalis and CIDSE, the largest networks of Catholic development and relief agencies in the world, say UN climate change talks in Bonn will fail the poor unless they provide tools to deal with the dire consequences of climate change. They launched a joint report Reducing Vulnerability, Enhancing Resilience: The importance of Adaptation Technologies for the Post-2012 Climate Agreement, and are calling on governments not to forget about adaptation in their efforts to strike a deal on technology for climate. Caritas is also calling for rich nations to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 20-40% by 2020. Read more.  Grow Climate Justice campaign

 

Caritas in Sri Lanka

Caritas Internationalis is supporting 48,000 people forced from their homes in Sri Lanka during fighting in the north of the country. With the end of hostilities, Caritas Sri Lanka is able to provide food and other food items as well as counselling and medical support. Camp conditions for 280,000 people displaced by the conflict remain basic, with concerns over poor sanitation and access to clean drinking water. Read more.

Donate to the Sri Lankan relief effort. Caritas Companions for May featured the Sri Lankan war.

 

For Lent - thank you

Thank you to all those who have given to our Lent Appeal 2009. To date we have raised about $735,000 and money is still coming in from schools. We much appreciate your effort and contributions.

 

Caritas Gifts – Love in Action

CWS_sd7jeffrey_J017_girl_with_jerry_can.jpg“Caritas Gifts” lets you buy for friends and family a “hamper” supporting a range of Caritas projects such as emergency supplies, healthcare in Timor Leste, or advocacy for protection of New Zealand's working children. You receive a card to give to your recipient, explaining what their gift is supporting. Choose from an Emergency, Green, Learning, Caring, Healing or Hope Hamper. For any occasion. Find out more and place an order ...