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Swearing on Saturday while the King is crowned
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Swearing on Saturday while the King is crowned
I am not sure the about-to-be-crowned King would have approved.
When moths collide
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Name-calling for the sake of it has whiff of the schoolyard
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Name-calling for the sake of it has whiff of the schoolyard
Invercargill seemed as good a place as any to indulge in a bit of name-calling.
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Release information about Lake Onslow, don’t tart it up
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Release information about Lake Onslow, don’t tart it up
We might all be tempted to gussy up ourselves to impress.
The politicking is in full swing
The politicking is in full swing
I could swear my cat knows it is election year.
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Eating copious amounts of cake as the country is swept away
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Eating copious amounts of cake as the country is swept away
Concern about the impact of enforced cake exposure was on my mind after the 102nd Murchison A&P Show last weekend.
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Grow up, stop the toddler-like approach to climate change
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Grow up, stop the toddler-like approach to climate change
Spend a weekend with a toddler and you get used to gibberish.
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Sticking it to Jacinda: enduring the mud of the sad, bad and mad
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Sticking it to Jacinda: enduring the mud of the sad, bad and mad
It was as close as I got to a prime ministerial moment last Thursday.
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One man’s action for the greater good is another’s interference
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One man’s action for the greater good is another’s interference
A casual observer might have wondered if I had finally joined the ranks of a sleazy tabloid.
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Hold fast to friends and brace for ’23
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Hold fast to friends and brace for ’23
When I think about 2023, I already want a cup of tea and a lie-down, preferably in a darkened room with a cold flannel slapped to my forehead.
Let’s give sympathy where it’s due
Let’s give sympathy where it’s due
Being too mean to have a Netflix subscription has saved me from myself.
Lowering the voting age can only be good for democracy
Lowering the voting age can only be good for democracy
Not every teenager will be interested in voting and aware of the issues of the day, but plenty will be, writes Elspeth McLean.
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Opinion: George St turnaround taxing on the brain
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George St turnaround, ho-hum endorsement taxing on the brain
Funny that now he's a councillor and the bit outside his shop is finished, Cr Brent Weatherall seems much happier about the George St upgrade, Elspeth McLean writes.
Getting a free ride through life on social media
Getting a free ride through life on social media
It was not exactly a conversational coup, accusing a young family member of being an attention-seeker.
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Bumblebee’s visit fails to take sting out of circumstances
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Bumblebee’s visit fails to take sting out of circumstances
On a good day the appearance of a mildly annoyed fat bumblebee in my bathroom would give me a thrill.
Ombudsman ambitions killed off by lack of respect for OIA
Ombudsman ambitions killed off by lack of respect for OIA
Any fantasy I might have had about growing up to be an ombudsman vanished when I read last week’s report "Ready or not?", writes Elspeth McLean.
In the pursuit of greater transparency
In the pursuit of greater transparency
Now spring is almost here, transparency is on my mind.
Access to public services should not require digital savvy
Access to public services should not require digital savvy
It was being on the losing end of an interminable game of "I spy" waiting for a bus which never came last week that did it.
Getting to grips with Bill harder than grasping rugby stats
Getting to grips with Bill harder than grasping rugby stats
Sometimes I wish I could care about the All Blacks.
Rats — so hard to get rid of, and they always return
Rats — so hard to get rid of, and they always return
It's been like No 10 Downing St around here in the past week.
Matariki a special time to reflect on those who have died
Matariki a special time to reflect on those who have died
On the eve of our first Matariki holiday, I was making chicken soup for a recently bereaved family and thinking about the dead.