New Zealand

A controversial church billboard in the town of Napier, New Zealand reading ''Jesus Heals Cancer'' has been replaced by a new message after advertising authorities ordered the original be taken down amid complaints that it made false promises.

Equippers Church in Napier put up the advertisement, which was meant to promote church attendance. The billboard reads in full ''Jesus heals cancer – church but not as you know it." A mother with a son fighting cancer complained to the Advertising Standards Authority, who in March told the Equippers that it cannot continue advertising with such a message.

''In the days of Jesus, leprosy was the word of fear, that everybody sort of walked around, and Jesus in his day healed leprosy. In today's day cancer is probably the modern day leprosy and people just want to tread carefully around it," said the church's pastor, Lyle Penisula. more >>

New Zealand's historic 131-year-old Christchurch Cathedral, which was heavily damaged in Feb. 2011's 6.3-magnitude earthquake, will be commemorated by a Transitional cardboard church before construction on a new cathedral begins.

The decision to demolish what was left of the Anglican church, a hallmark of the country's second largest city, was taken back in February amid some controversy.

"It is not an easy decision for many of us to accept," said Christchurch's mayor Bob Parker, though some, like city Councilor Aaron Keown, threatened to chain himself to the cathedral to prevent it from being taken down. more >>

Nathan Adams has a big fish tale to tell friends! The angler recently caught a 738-pound Pacific bluefin tuna off the coast of New Zealand, which may be a new record.

According to reports, Adams was fishing as part of a competition off Houhora, New Zealand. The competition was sponsored by the International Game Fish Association, which is still searching to see if Adams' catch is, in fact, a world record. If approved, it will claim the title of largest catch and bump off the current leader, a 716-pound Pacific tuna.

This is not the first large catch for Adams, even within the same competition. He also took home a 788-pound black marlin, which set a record for the Muriwai Sport Fishing Club. more >>

A number of strong earthquakes struck New Zealand on Friday, causing rubble to tumble off buildings and sending countless people scrambling for cover.

The 5.8-magnitude quake struck Friday afternoon 16 miles north of Christchurch at a depth of 2.5 miles, the U.S. Geological Survey said. The quake was followed by a series of sharp aftershocks, including one with a magnitude of 5.3 and a depth of just 1.8 miles.

The city of Christchurch is located on the east coast of New Zealand's South Island. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center did not issue an alert. more >>

A shocking new billboard in Auckland, New Zealand, depicts the Virgin Mary holding a positive home pregnancy test.

The "Mary is in the pink," billboard is owned by the St. Matthews-in-the-City Church. In a statement, St. Matthews says the billboard’s intention is to "avoid the sentimental” and “trite,” and "spark thought and conversation."

“It's trying to make people think about Christmas and to then think compassionately and kindly about people in a similar situation," Vicar Glynn Cardy of St. Matthews told local TV station 3 News. "It's about a real pregnancy, a real mother and a real child. It's about real anxiety, courage and hope." more >>

A New Zealand mixed martial artist is leaving the fighting ring to become … a pastor.

Hiriwa "T-Man" Te Rangi, a heavyweight fighting out of Invercargill, New Zealand, will battle in his last professional bout Saturday. Once it's over, the seasoned South Pacific pugilist will leave behind two decades of combat and start training for a new career in ministry.

"If you asked me a year ago that I'd be training to become a pastor, I'd have told them to shove off," Te Rangi told the New Zealand news website, Stuff. "I'm prepared for whatever the big man upstairs has ready for me." more >>