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Quite a few years ago the phone rang in my office, but I refused to answer it. I had “hit the wall.” In the space of one year, I lost my mentor, my assistant left, my father died, we began home schooling, and we lost a child before it was born. Eventually, I didn’t want to answer the phone - I could not face another problem or loss! Whether it was emotional burnout or…

I suspect that most New Zealanders don’t give a lot of thought to the size of the government debt. But every now and then the media reports that the Government is spending vastly more than it takes in in revenue, with the result that the amount the Government has to borrow goes up by billions more. Surely this is mortgaging our future, and the future of our children and…

The Port Waikato electorate spans the alert level boundary between Auckland and Waikato. This has been the battleground of the lockdown and as the elected MP I have seen at first-hand the incredible stress and anxiety the changing alert levels have placed on people. Since the country was plunged into Alert Level 4 on 18 August, MPs across Auckland and the Waikato, and their…

Dr Garth Cooper has devoted his career to helping fellow Māori but he now finds himself in the gun over his opinions about science and indigenous knowledge. Graham Adams reports from the front lines of the culture wars. New Zealanders like their heroes talented and modest and preferably devoted to public service as well. Sir Edmund Hillary is the exemplar of that breed and very…

Not many motoring enthusiasts will argue about the game-changing influence of the Porsche 904 when it was unveiled in January 1964 – over 50 years ago. It had several innovations that caused other great names in car making to actually copy; not an admission any of the other proud European makers brands can ever admit to lightly The Porsche 904’s fibreglass body, was one of the…

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live in medieval times? Lucy Mullinger found out what it was like during a recent trip to Fes with her partner Brett. From donkeys and mules carrying copious amounts of bags, leather or food items, through to the sound of looms clanking out home-made rugs and scarves - the world of Fes is a million years away from Auckland, which is…

Enduring and powerful art stems from innovate ideas and the confidence to step outside of the square. American artist, Andy Warhol is one of the most well known pop artists of all time, however there was a period in his life when inspiration was hard to come by, even for him. By the beginning of the 1960s, like many talented artists, Warhol's creativity had lead him down the…

The impact of this Lockdown has been an increase in the rate of property value growth and as before this is in the main due to a reduced number of properties available for sale and our appetite for homes which has been putting extra upward pressure on their values. Demand has continued and confidence has remained firm in the market - although there are some expectations that…

People move for all sorts of reason, whether they are upsizing or relocating due to work. Maybe it is personal reasons or has been the case in more recent years; looking to capitalize on existing property values in urban centres for the more relaxed pace that rural and lifestyle properties on city fringes have to offer. Whatever the reason, buyers and sellers need an expert to…

As a child, I recall a few occasions whereby I was labelled ‘defiant’ or ‘challenging authority.’ These occasions were never related to breaking the rules of the land merely questioning those who perhaps felt they were above being questioned. But I was encouraged by my parents to questions things I didn’t agree with and to form my own opinions. As an adult that has provided for…

David Lange is one of the most tragic figures of our modern political history. Highly articulate and entertaining, he was ushered into power in a landslide in 1984 during an economic and financial crisis. Feted as the youngest Prime Minister of the 20th century, he dazzled the nation with his wit and intellect. By the time he resigned in 1989, however, he was seen as a weak and…

I am back in Auckland and have been out in a few different electorates catching up with small business owners and locals. In typical Kiwi fashion, the people I meet put on a brave face. However, often after a few minutes of talking about their current reality inevitably tears flow. In my twenty years in politics the only time I have experienced a similar feeling of absolute…

In the middle of October, something astonishing happened: the Government and the National Party held a joint news conference to announce that they had agreed on the way to make housing more affordable. According to many opinion polls, the ludicrous level to which house prices have risen in New Zealand is the issue which is of greatest concern to the New Zealand public. And…

Further reductions to the speed limits on rural roads around Franklin will only serve to frustrate the vast majority of road users. But will Auckland Transport listen? In 2019, Auckland Transport (AT) introduced a new speed limit bylaw and called for public submissions on the proposed changes. When I posted this news on my Facebook page, more than 53,000 people viewed the post.…

A Government that ignores reasoned opposition from local government by imposing 50/50 iwi-council co-governance through its Three Waters Plan is yet another step closer to a dictatorship, Hobson’s Pledge spokesman Don Brash said today. A Government that ignores reasoned opposition from local government by imposing 50/50 iwi-council co-governance through its Three Waters Plan is…

The first international war crimes tribunal in history revealed the true extent of German atrocities and held some of the most prominent Nazis accountable for their crimes. On October 18, 1945, the opening session of the first international war crimes trial in history took place in Berlin, Germany. Unable to find a suitable venue in the destroyed Nazi capital, the court soon…

Thank you very much to the committee for allowing me to present on behalf of NZDSOS. I represent New Zealand Doctors Speaking out with Science who see the covid-19 response as exaggerated and profoundly harmful. Instead of mandating experimental vaccines and ongoing lockdowns, our group advocates for returning to protection of the elderly, increased capacity in hospitals and…

Sue Grey speaking at the Health Select Committee to share her view on the COVID-19 Public Health Response Amendment Bill (No 2); 14 October 2021.

During a real pandemic people know it is real because most extended families and most small communities experience multiple deaths, although if it ever happens again most of the people who get sick will recover because most of us have a healthy adaptable immune system and because we now have much better medicine. It is unclear what killed people during the Spanish flu a hundred…

Dr Stephen Bustin is a Professor of Molecular Medicine at Anglia Ruskin University (U.K.) and a world-renowned expert on quantitative PCR.