Articles in ‘Editors Note’

I’m writing this at 1.30am in the waiting area of Middlemore Hospital’s accident and emergency department. We are here because since contracting Covid on May 1, my 18-year-old has endured a cacophony of painful symptoms that are just not resolving. They are not respiratory but are preventing her from returning to work and life in general. We got there at 4pm, in part because…

For many of us, there’s no greater support than what we receive from our Mother, the person who gave birth to us, or who has treated us as if she did. From the time spent with us in fun childhood games and endless snack preparation to sticking by us as moody teenagers and being the occasional shoulder to cry on – they’ve always had our backs. This month, Mother’s Day gives us the…

This year marks the 100th year of Poppy day, and we tell you all about how it came about in our series This month in history this month and while the reason for the poppy day drifts further back into history each year, one thing is for certain. War impacts immensely on thousands of lives, displaces whole communities, and leaves scars deep in nations for many years. New…

I like the above car analogy. The author is unknown, but it reportedly first appeared in print in 1998 uttered by a US youth football coach whose team had had a bad season. It is pretty self-explanatory when driving and can be applied to most of life’s situations. Simply put, it means that where you’re headed is much more important than what you left behind. The past is the…

The earliest recorded New Year’s celebration according to many sources is thought to be in Mesopotamia, a historical region of Western Asia around 2000 B.C. The celebrations actually occurred during the vernal equinox in mid-March — as this was considered the start of the new year by the calendar at the time. It was an elaborate eleven-day festival that would probably put our…

The prolific American writer Agnes Mae Pharo (1904-1986) was perhaps most famous for her quote about Christmas. A quote that for me, this year seems to have more meaning than every before. She wrote. “What is Christmas? It is tenderness for the past, courage for the present, hope for the future. It is a fervent wish that every cup may overflow with blessings rich and eternal,…

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…

So, here we are back in lockdowns. Different levels for Auckland to the rest of the country and different rules for the levels. Families and businesses are at breaking points and frustration a plenty about the situation. Swiftly introduced emergency powers in 2020 continue to give the Prime Minister and the Director General of Health immense autocratic authority that raises…

It was wonderful to see the level of support locally for the recent nationwide protest organized by Groundswell. Farmers from throughout the region participated and experienced a high level of support from those who honked, flashed lights, shouted out and joined in, all in support of our Farmers. I was surprised through at the seemingly lack of coverage this event got and…

Safety: the condition of being protected from or unlikely to cause danger, risk, or injury. Everyday, we engage in behaviours to ensure we are kept safe from dangers, risk or injury in our everyday endeavors. We follow rules and adhere to policies like driving on one side of the road, stopping at red lights, refraining from drinking bottles of chlorine bleach. We educate our…

We all know people who seem to be constantly striving to better themselves. It can by physically whether it be in a gym, running longer or running faster, lifting heavier or loosing weight. Some people give up a vice, such as alcohol or sugar for a month or longer and there are any number of charities that offer monthly fundraising challenges that you can align yourself too. Some…

“Change is never painful, it is resistance to change.” — Buddha By the time you read this, it will already be the month of May, nearly halfway through the year of 2021 and if you are anything like me, the days just seem to be galloping past. The temperature has dropped, the nights have drawn in and everyone seems to be going about their business pretty much as per usual. May is…

As New Zealand rolls out its vaccine program for COVID-19 it must be appreciated that, as in other parts of the world, it is not the silver bullet to return to our lives pre-Covid. What we must urgently address is the need to actually treat COVID-19 in its early stages of infection, before patients end up critical in ICU. Well-read elocal readers will know that ivermectin that…

Another community case has surfaced in our country and the panic has started. Many are rushing out to get tested, queues at testing stations are inevitable. Healthline is inundated with calls and rogue checkpoints in Northland have the potential to rise again. Media outlets are full of COVID stories, relating to everything from the number of negative tests, the likelihood of a…

Its always great to have feedback from our readers good or bad, have a read of a few of the latest ones to cross the desk. As always, if there is a story you want to see, email us at editorial@elocal.co.nz. Thank you for the nicely assembled article for South Auckland Woodturners. It is great to see this. You will be pleased to know that our sale this year is going very well,…

What a year, it’s certainly been a ride! I am sure everyone is looking forward to seeing the back of 2020. What started with a hiss and a roar and usual promise of positivity and things ‘better than’, has actually become for many more than usual, a year fraught with illness, financial pressure and uncertainly. In April, for the first time since elocal started, we were unable to…

With the Glorious weather we experienced over Labour weekend, there was certainly plenty of opportunity to discover more about our great local area. The trip out to Port Waikato has long been a favourite and a great ride on the bike or with the family for a day at the beach. This weekend was no different and it was great to see the area bustling with happy families all enjoying…

I’ve always raised a questioning eyebrow grumble to votes each election that are allocated to fringe parties. Wondering what motivates an individual to commit its party vote to a party that doesn’t have a chance of getting past the 5% party threshold needed to achieve representation under our Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) system. One could argue that there is always a chance…

Auckland has just come out of another lockdown that has seen businesses closed, a return to bubbles and borders patrolled in a way that created a situation for some, more challenging than the level 4 lockdown. And, yet the numbers of community transmission remain higher than they were when we returned to the new normal early in the year. For the government, this is a huge risk…

And what an exciting one it is shaping up to be! The decisions made on September 19th have the potential to have long lasting effects for years to come and perhaps more than ever it is imperative that we all exercise our right to have a say in those decisions and vote. We are lucky in our area to feature some very dedicated candidates and all of them have philosophies and…