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I had a crappy day the other day, quite literally. The macerator pump for our toilet and greywater system chose Saturday morning to put itself into Coronavirus lockdown, so I spent the day lying on my belly in a two-and-a-half-footby-Very-Long tunnel und…

It’s safe to assume most New Zealanders understood this as meaning we have the potential for the virus to be gone, out of here, see you later, because elimination generally implies “the complete removal or destruction of something”. Also, the Covid-19 we…

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…

Let’s not put too fine a point on it: for the past five weeks we’ve been living in the middle of a crisis of unknown magnitude. It’s been a time of unprecedented change and for many it will have been an intense period of worry and anxiety. But however mu…

The Papakura Business Association is committed to helping businesses in Papakura open under Levels 3 and Level 2 of the COVID-19 lockdown. Most businesses in Papakura are open in some way or other, and you can support your local favourite retailer, ca…

Immensely talented local portrait artist Logan Moffat is undaunted by the postponement of his exhibition ‘The Mind is the Portrait’ due to the COVID-19 outbreak. He sees it merely as a reason to continue working on his portraits and to evolve what he kno…

When John and Liz van Winden moved into the large, purpose built New Zealand Home Loans building in Manukau Road earlier in February of this year, they would never have dreamed that by the end of the following month, that new office would be shut due to…

It’s hard to believe the events that have transpired in the last few weeks, but happen they have and as we enter another week in our bubbles, our daily routines are very much different than they were a few weeks ago. We go out for ‘essential supplies…

Since January, I have been following international coverage and debate about Covid-19 closely. Looking back over almost three months now, what seems extraordinary is how flat footed the international response has been. An exception to that has been that …

The Government’s state of emergency has created a dangerous political vacuum. Decisions that profoundly affect everyone’s lives are being undertaken in an autocratic fashion without any attempt at democratic involvement. Even the typically reserved La…

ANZAC day 2020 will be a vastly different day to years previous, but still bears little resemblance to the horrors that young Sargeant James Stanton experienced during the First World War. Thanks to a canny series of events, we know a little about what h…

While public ANZAC Day services will not be able to go ahead this year, we can still take time to reflect on the sacrifice made by our ANZACs and show our appreciation to all of our veterans and service personnel. Defence Minister Ron Mark joined Defe…

The Health Ministry must be more transparent with the information it's giving to the public. Like all journalists in New Zealand right now, I've been covering stories day after day, all of which relate to our current coronavirus crisis. It's the …

To all Dutch New Zealanders, While we work from home, walk in empty streets, wait in lines to do our shopping in supermarkets in compliance with the 2 m social distancing, life in New Zealand and the rest of the world seems to be on hold. No plans ar…

Day 28 Update: Managing your hair! examples of people helping their communities; new SOS Cafe Facebook page initiative; and planning for the ‘Stand at Dawn’ commemoration on ANZAC Day.

Day 23 Update: Recent business tax changes; New electorate boundaries announced; and congratulations to Sam at Port Waikato for reopening his dairy.

Day 19: Need to keep exercising; distribution of free face masks to the local community and special issue to a retirement home in Tuakau; good news for golf and bowling clubs; and please email me at andrew@baylymp.co.nz if you would like my assistance

Day 14 Update: Delivery of face masks & face shields, online sales from butcheries & fresh produce stores, thanks to Blooming Hill Flowers for gifting flowers to hospitals, and update from IRD Commissioner on what do with changes to child support/family …

Day 10 and we are making great progress - together. Supplying face masks for our health workers and horticultural growers across the electorate and our 17 community response teams working really well now. New food arrangements for the vulnerable taking s…

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…