Newsletter
Remember Grampa Simpson? Of course you do. This week, the Otago Daily Times published a column by Joe Bennett, attacking the use of te reo Māori by RNZ. It's an odd piece. Bennett starts out complaining he doesn't follow the news, and only likes listening to
Newsletter
I can’t remember how he let me know that he was there, just behind me – with a word, or with a tap on the shoulder. Whatever way, I turned around. I’d just filed off the bus with the others, was finding my bearings under an unfamiliar sun. We’
Newsletter
This is an update in confidence for my much-appreciated paid subscribers.
Newsletter
I had the slightest tickle of symptoms yesterday. A friend was in town with his family, and we talked about catching up. I wasn't sure, so I mentioned what I thought was my mild sniffle, and he decided to play it safe. He was with a parent who
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The worst moment came one weekend in winter. I was rostered on - not that it made a lot of difference, because everyone worked weekends, without rostering or pay. I was checking my email. I was exhausted. I felt broken. It wasn’t just work, if I’m honest, in
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Moana Jackson was meant to be around forever. He had no business dying, because he was part of our conscience. Sometimes the uncomfortable part: that's how conscience works. But an Aotearoa without it would feel depleted or lost, or like nothing at all. Conscience can seem uncomfortable, until
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Welcome to my new series, where I take one for the team – making something quite boring a bit less boring. You can thank me later. Or now. Now is good too.
Newsletter
You can call it a bunch of things. It’s a cost of living crisis, if you’re an old white guy with a suit and an eye on the polls. It’s a cluster***, if you can’t afford to fill your shopping trolley or your car. Probably, your
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My 15-year-old son just told me a joke. Q: What concert only costs 45 cents? A: 50 cent feat Nickelback. Children. They'll take you down to the bottom of every bottle.
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To be clear, I don’t want to talk about this. I don’t want to think about it. I want to pull the covers over my head, like I’m a little kid, until all of this is over. I want the pavers laid back in the ground they
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How are we, e hoa mā? It feels like we're all struggling for morale right now. Our resilience was already kind of low, and the events of the last few days have been a kick in the pants. More of us are succumbing to COVID - and sure,
Newsletter
Warning for graphic content.