All articles by Kerry Monaghan

Famous for its long keeper onions, former champion rally car driver, Possum Bourne and its sports facility, Park Raceway, Pukekohe is a vibrant town with a rich melting pot of diversity, culture and plenty of things to see and do. Founded in 1880 with la…

Christmas Parades or Santa Parades as they’re more commonly referred to are parades held worldwide to celebrate the official opening of Christmas season with the arrival of Santa Claus. Typically, these parades include themed floats, dancing, marching gr…

Sitting high on a hill in the Awhitu Peninsula overlooking its dramatic backdrop of farmland, Lake Pokorua and the Tasman sea sits an iconic building dubbed by some as New Zealand’s most photogenic church. Kohekohe Church was designed in 1886 by Scottish…

Recognized for many different reasons; a diarist, poet, and punk rock musician, he was part of New York’s post punk and beatnik scene in the 1970’s and 1980’s and had lived a harrowing existence of drug addiction and prostitution in his younger years fam…

He was a brilliant playwright, poet and author who was a larger than life figure in the Victorian era. He advocated for socialism and the literary movement, Aestheticism and was famously imprisoned for his homosexuality at a time of illegality, rife sexu…

He was the founder of the Gonzo movement, a written style without objectivity and first person narrative and became a prominent writer within counter culture for his life long use of alcohol, drug use, firearms and his contempt for authoritarianism. He w…

He was an American writer, journalist and novelist known for his sparse and uncomplicated writing style that was also economical and understated. He led an adventurous life ending in tragic circumstances and continues to have a strong influence on 20th c…

He was one of the most respected writers and poets of the Beat generation alongside his friends, William Burroughs and Jack Kerouac. He was unconventional and championed for gay rights at a time when homosexuality acts were criminal in every state and em…

New Zealand has grown to be a multi-cultural nation and encompasses a wide range of groups and beliefs. But as of the 2018 census, statistics show almost half of our population doesn’t identify with any religion. As churches all over the country celebrat…

He was recognized for his method of spontaneous prose covering topics from catholic spirituality, drugs, poverty and travel and best known for his novel, On The Road, he was a pioneer of the Beat Generation movement alongside Allan Ginsberg and William B…

He was an American writer and visual artist of experimental novels and a primary figure in the Beat Generation movement. His influence affected literature and 1960s counter culture figures and he lived a wild ride of a life that included addiction and a …

Considered a prolific underground writer who wrote short stories, novels and poems that reflected on the social, cultural and economic ambience of urban life in a downtrodden America Society came the German-American writer, Charles Bukowski. An outrageou…

Adam Mainey has always enjoyed keeping fit. From his younger years playing sport, to his previous jobs as a Bricklayer and running his own Masonry business, he was always challenged, or so he thought, until the day he changed careers and tried Crossfit f…

Considered to be another important modern and feminist writer of the twentieth century who often wrote in the style known as ‘stream of consciousness’ as a narrative device, was the distinguished British writer and novelist, Virginia Woolf. Born Adeline …

Cosplay. To some people it’s a foreign word and they have no clue what it is. To others, they might have heard of it, but know little else, and Cosplayers themselves? Well, to them it can be a pretty big deal. Cosplay is short for costume play, an anglic…

Edgar swiftly moved to Boston with a manuscript verse, an unrealistic quest to become a great poet and to find adventure. Although he needed work, he spent his first few weeks making last minute revisions to his poetry in preparation for publication and …

Widely regarded as an originator of horror and detective genres as well as a pioneer of the modern short story with reoccurring images of murder, madmen, vivisepulture and mysterious women who rise from the dead came an American writer, poet, editor and …

From serving their communities to preventing crime while developing leadership skills, being part of the Police force can be one of the most rewarding careers a person can have, and now, thanks to a growing course initiative between Police, schools and t…

As one of New Zealand’s larger than life and undoubtedly most rock n roll poets, Sam Hunt is a rare commodity that has always remained somewhat unconventional, an essentialist and unashamedly honest in his plethora of work that spans more than forty deca…

From his twelve years at Christchurch’s Burnside High School to now twelve months at Pukekohe High School, Principal Richard Barnett has been leading his school into its new chapter and is feeling positive about its successes and the future. As a new lea…