Welcome to CathNews NZ
CathNews New Zealand has its origins in Australia in the 1990s. Jesuit priest Fr Michael Kelly hatched a plan for a regular means of correspondence with people who worked in or around the Catholic Church and those with an interest in Catholic matters.
CathNews New Zealand and Pacific was launched in 2011 by Church Resources Ltd. Church Resources published the twice-weekly newsletter and associated website and social media platforms until December 2024. Content published before 2025 can be found on its archive.
In early 2025, the New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference took on the ministry, which is now named CathNews NZ. It has retained the twice-weekly format, with emails sent and the website updated each Tuesday and Friday.
CathNews New Zealand carries forward the aspirations of the original CathNews – helping keep people informed about the life of the Church and its people, as well as key issues that are affecting society and culture. While its focus is on New Zealand, it will also share content from the global Church, with an emphasis on the Pacific and Australia.
Gavin Abraham, the communications manager of the Bishops Conference, serves as the editor of CathNews New Zealand. He works closely with journalist Michael Otto on the project. They have more than 45 years’ combined experience in journalism, media and communications — most of it focused on the Catholic Church.
Content for consideration for CathNews New Zealand should be sent to cathnews@nzcbc.org.nz. Other enquiries about the ministry, including about advertising, should be sent to communications@nzcbc.org.nz