At first, the local word was Japanese diving instructor Takaishi Mamoru had quit the country after he was ripped off through some

There were celebrations down south the other day. A long way down south ... about 3750km down south. Now if you were to travel 3750km

Sport is theatre; and in theatre, villains are needed in order to make a compelling narrative. Like Byron Kelleher had George Gregan

I am grateful, for limited reasons, that my mother was vain. She couldn't pass a mirror without pausing to admire herself. Unfortunately

There's very little that can't be done online these days - from banking to dating to the weekly grocery shop. So perhaps we shouldn't

The announcement that a commemoration day for the New Zealand Land Wars is to be established has a half-hearted feel about it. Deputy

I was in the mood for metaphors so, on Saturday, I settled in to watch three rugby games back to back on television. There's more

Have you ever been the fall guy? The one under the heat of the spotlight, centre stage, with the finger pointed at you? The sacrificial

Rates are always one of the Rs that get people going before an election. There's rubbish, and roading of course. Comparatively we

Our roads are governed by rules that we have to adhere to. They exist to keep us safe, alive even. Perhaps it is time we drafted

I touched upon that intriguing thing dubbed "Murphy's Law" some time back and should have known then that it would emerge again in

It is the purpose of uniforms to make the wearer look mildly, or hopefully horrendously, unattractive, and to negate individuality

You don't have to look too hard to see the consequences of this country's increasingly poor diet. A short trip to a busy mall will

DISABILITY ISSUES used to be heavily dominated by either toilets or parking. However, as the disability movement gradually takes

When Labour leader Andrew Little told student radio he would hold a referendum on decriminalising cannabis if he became prime minister

I've chosen my sport. I guess it was the stirring sight and sound of the gold medal ceremonies with their national anthem and their

My one and only up-close encounter with Blair Tuke was in a car park. He was partially clothed. I'll be honest, he's a handsome man

'You complain, but what is it that you really want?" I felt like a fairly old and wrinkly beauty queen asked for her wishes for the

Valerie Adams and Hope Solo: two names that wouldn't normally be lumped together but for how they have conducted themselves in defeat

I have determined that there is one song, or rather the derivation of a popular old song, that the movers and shakers within the global

So, who wants to be mayor? In the Far North, it sounds like John Carter was hours away from being elected unopposed, until Peter

As most of us are aware, United States party conventions have been taking place over recent weeks. Among the many revelations has

It's probably not especially cool to admit this, but I love an early night. In winter especially, nothing quite beats peeling back

Helen Clark's bid for the UN's top job took a hit this week after it was reported that she had slipped to seventh out of the 11 candidates. She

There we were, cocooned in the belief that this was going to be a mild winter. Well, it was, until along came a polar blast to remind

What is it like to be a boy? And for once I'm not posing one of my signature esoteric questions which tend to float to the front of

Murder capital of New Zealand? I wandered the mean streets (actually, street) of Kaitaia this week, looking for Sky. I was bound

If one more media outlet uses the words: "Kaitaia" and "homicide capital" in the same sentence, I will have to give them a hiding

Parliament must make an urgent stand to defend local democracy. Our elected representatives must not give the Government sweeping

It comes up every now and then, the question ... "is Maori language week tokenism?" Particularly in a country that aspires to be