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Photos and words David Child-Dennis The late 1960s saw the best pre-Formula One racing this country has ever experienced. Racing took place over January, during the European winter, giving the Formula One teams a chance to test new chassis and suspension systems prior to the upcoming European season. The only difference was that the engine capacity was limited to 2.5 litres, as opposed to the Formula One limit of 3 litres. · As a young motor…

By Julie Halligan · Situated on the picturesque Otago Peninsula perched atop a rising ridge stands the imposing and lasting monument to one man’s insistent desire to announce to the world that he had arrived, that he was someone and that he had ‘done good’. William Larnach had grown up on the rural estate of Rosemount, in the Patrick Plains of the Hunter Valley near Singleton in New South Wales, the land holding of his Scottish father John…

By Guy Hatchard PhD So what exactly will the regulator’s draconian powers replace? · • Well of course free speech—the right to speak your mind—will be off the table. In other words, the ordinary process of discourse will be muted by the fear of arbitrary punishment. · • This will supersede the NZ Bill of Rights, which was designed to guarantee our freedom of thought, conscience, expression, and religion. · • The proposals will compromise the…

“If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.” George Orwell Freedom of speech is one of the most precious and important human rights. A free society depends on the free exchange of ideas. Nearly all ideas are inherently capable of giving offence to someone. Many of the most important, profound ideas in human history, such as those of Galileo Galilei and Charles Darwin, caused great…

Papakura Street Fest returned on Saturday, May 6 with around 5000 visitors making the most of more than 40 stalls. This year was the fourth Steet Fest, and Papakura Town Centre manager Tracy Shackleton says it built on the success of previous events, extending into Broadway. The whanau-friendly festival ran from 10am to 2pm and showcased the area’s great food, featured performances showcasing the area’s cultural diversity, and had retailers…

exclusively on Voice Media Kerry Brocas, · Join Honda South Auckland Store Manager Kerry Brocas as he chats candidly to Mykeljon Winckel about the advantages of the latest Honda ZR-V Sport SUV as Kerry runs through the advantages of Honda’s e:HEV Electrified Drivetrain technology (petrol/electric) over the E.V. fully electric cars. Drop in and see him, or just give him a call to organise a test drive at any of the Honda Shops Nationwide. …

By elocal Staff Lawrence Anthony, a South African conservationist was a man who abandoned a career in insurance and real estate to play Noah to the world’s most endangered species.. Born and raised in South Africa, in the mid-1990s, he bought one of South Africa’s largest game sanctuaries, the 5,000-acre Thula Thula reserve. He added luxury accommodations and fine dining to attract tourists eager to see wildlife close up. He also lived there. ·…

A few days ago, I spoke in the Public Forum part of a Western Bay of Plenty District Council meeting. For me, this was a first – I had never spoken at a local body council meeting before. What prompted my short speech was seeing some absolutely outrageous data on house prices in Tauranga and the Western Bay of Plenty. · In Tauranga, according to Smart Growth – the body charged by the Tauranga City Council and the Western Bay of Plenty…

Sir Jeffery Archer is a bestselling English author who it can be claimed has enjoyed a somewhat colourful life, including an Oxford Education, training to join the police and army, becoming a  physical education teacher before serving as a member of the British Parliament in the 1960’s and a stint as deputy chairman of the Conservative Party in the 1980’s.  Now published in 97 countries and more than 33 languages, Jeffrey Archer is a well-known…

When Meatloaf sang “Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad” in 1977, we’re all but certain he was not doing the math on the potential of planets in the galaxy having the right conditions to harbour life. Because new findings suggest that two out of three are actually bad, unless you’re in search of uninhabitable baked planets with boiling oceans. · However, it’s in the remaining one third that now has scientists excited, as this fraction still accounts for…