Articles from ‘’

First I want to thank everyone in Auckland who is coping with another week in lockdown. Auckland is doing the hard yards to keep everyone else in New Zealand COVID-19 Delta free. This week we should think of the parents, teachers, principals and students who are struggling through another week of lockdown in Auckland. · I am also very aware of the huge pressure on all the business owners who cannot trade or operate in this situation and…

Petition to eradicate ‘Aotearoa’ from official use Lobby group Hobson’s Pledge is pushing for the name “Aotearoa” to be removed from official use until a binding referendum is held to decide whether or not to proceed with changing the name of New Zealand. Hobson’s Pledge spokespersons Casey Costello and Don Brash launched a petition today calling on Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to publicly affirm that the official name of our nation is New…

Students, Staff, parents, caregivers, whānau and Papakura Community, · Kia ora whānau, Talofa lava, Mālō e lelei, Kia Orana, Fakaalofa lahi atu, Bula Vinaka, Namaste, · You may be aware that Papakura High School has been under Limited Statutory Management since January 2014 and other forms of intervention since 2009, this means there has been a Ministry of Education appointed advisor to the Principal and Board in place. · As of today, 1…

Small business owners need help urgently so that they can survive this Covid-19 lockdown and any future lockdowns so that they can continue to play a significant role in New Zealand’s economy as well as providing employment all over the country, National’s Shadow Treasurer Andrew Bayly says. · “I am hearing from small business owners and representative organisations everyday about the sky-high levels of anxiety and stress Kiwi business owners…

When Daily Blog editor, Martyn Bradbury, says Labour’s lucky the country’s currently distracted by the Covid-19 Delta Variant, he’s right. Were New Zealand safe and out of Lockdown, it would be in the midst of a dangerously divisive row about Oranga Tamariki, the Judiciary, Race, and the Rule of Law. · Given that the matters at the heart of this controversy aresub judice (i.e. under the authority of the court) I shall forbear from discussing…

Fire and Emergency New Zealand urges households, lifestyle block owners and landowners not to burn outdoor fires during lockdown, to save firefighters having to respond to calls from anxious neighbours and break their COVID-19 bubbles. · Fire and Emergency has responded to more than 98 calls involving fires in Auckland since lockdown kicked in last Wednesday. Eight were vegetation fires, 52 were building fires, and 38 were other fires such as…

The Prime Minister’s politics — including her stance towards the Mongrel Mob and the Taliban — can be baffling. Graham Adams reckons answers lie in her past as a Mormon. Whether it is from politeness or a lack of curiosity, it is rare for journalists or commentators to dwell on Jacinda Ardern’s religious history and how it might have shaped her politics. · When the Prime Minister is occasionally asked, she bats the question away with a stock…

I hope you are safe and well at home as we continue this Level 4 lockdown. · I can imagine that some of you may be feeling anxious, fed up, even angry! This virus is virulent, unpredictable and brings challenges that affect us all. · It’s clear that decisive action is needed to prevent further community spread of Delta and it is better to contain it with a level 4 lockdown than play around with half-measures that ultimately don’t work. · In…

Today, 18 August, the New Zealand political class crossed the fine line between democracy and socialism. On the steps of TVNZ’s Auckland office twelve policemen and women in yellow hi-viz vests seized Free Speech advocate and democracy idealist Mr Billy te Kahika, while he addressed a peaceful gathering. Ten minutes later they grabbed maverick media man Vinnie Eastwood, handcuffed him in front of the assembled 120, and marched him away too. The…

Please look after yourself and your family and keep an eye out for your neighbours. You can contact me at [email protected] if you need a hand.