My challenge to Aotearoa: this election, what kind of future will you choose?

The lockdowns have required significant sacrifice, but Covid-19 has served us with a timely reminder of how interconnected we all are, writes Chris Farrelly of the Auckland City Mission. Amid this global pandemic, we witness the power and importance of community. Put simply, we have seen that our own efforts are futile without the efforts … Read more

Covid-19 has thrown food insecurity into sharp relief. Let’s use it as an opportunity

The current crisis has rendered visible challenges that have been simmering in the background long before the country went into lockdown, writes Chris Farrelly of the Auckland City Mission. Covid-19 presents new and unfamiliar territory for many of us in our day-to-day realities. Be it managing childcare in the home office, or adjusting to time … Read more

Begging for change: Why an inner-city ban on begging is all kinds of wrong

The Auckland Council is going to decide soon whether begging should be banned. There’s a better approach, says Auckland City Missioner Chris Farrelly. A colleague of mine found a man waking up in Aotea Square a few winters ago. It was early in the morning and fog – it might as well have been fog … Read more