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Until yesterday, I hadn’t seen the protest up close and personal. I skirted around the edges, on my way to the office, by the placards and the flags and the vitriol-laced unreality; gawking though I knew I shouldn’t, feeling a faint mix of horror and sickness. Wellington has
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One of the many things I can't forgive the protesters for is stealing our thunder, on the day the Conversion Practices Prohibition Bill passed. It was a day that Parliament grounds belonged to rainbows, love and celebration, not barbarous and incoherent hate. But the victory was no less
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As a straight single woman, I'm wondering if the protesters have a point. I too have had some pretty bad man dates, and I'm afraid of getting toad.
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As they said back in the day, I've had a gutsful. They make death threats, spit and shout, brandish the imagery of white supremacists. They harass school kids in masks. They block the streets, sabotaging businesses already hurting. They make public servants feel unsafe - those same ones
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Me, after my younger son’s first day of year 11: 'How did it go? How are you feeling about NCEA?' Boy: 'OK'. Me: 'You'd ask me if you needed help, wouldn't you?' Boy: 'No'. Me: 'Probably
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Kia ora, e hoa mā Whether you’re new to The End is Naenae, or you’ve been hanging out with me for a while, I’d like to welcome you and thank you. When you’re a writer, being read is great. Being read by people who are thoughtful,
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The beginning: summer, a pint of beer, and the gift of a book Just before the Christmas break, I was given a book, and a few days ago - in the holiday sun, and over a very decent Croucher beer - I pulled it out. It’s a BWB Text,
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There was an item tonight on the news, about death threats against the PM. Jeez. Not liking people, the PM or otherwise, is a spectrum. Disagreeing civilly in a democratic society? We might not see eye to eye, but I recognise you're part of a healthy and peaceful
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My holiday now feels complete.
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This is day one of our adventure to Rotorua, the first family holiday we’ve had in years. We broke the driving up over two days, which turned out be a good idea, because that's how long it takes when I'm navigating. But hey, without my
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This time, I think I've lost the plot. There's some sort of process going on to figure out whether Boris held a party at 10 Downing Street, breaking the COVID rules of the time. This isn't something that needs a process to clarify -
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Kia ora friends It's Atawhai here. You might know me from classic moments like being a dick with my mum's lemon tree (featured). You haven’t heard from me for a while because I'm chronically lazy. This summer, I've been spending some