Readers wax lyrical about dialysis, offshore mining, the smokefree funds fiasco and more.

We'll miss John Key . . . but maybe not for the right reasons, writes columnist Jay Kuten.

As the number of known extra-solar planets grows, the question of alien life looms larger

Flooding myths Your correspondent M. Norris, sitting comfortably above any flooding up on St John's Hill, perpetuates many of the

What do you do if you're a dog with lots of excess energy? Columnist Fred Frederikse tells the story of Pipi - hyperactive Fox Terrier cross and born bird dog.

In Whanganui the first meeting of a new sub-committee was a corker.

Trump's sham shamrock The US President was at his best for St Patrick's Day. He even had a version of his "Make America Great" cap

While the average person may struggle to get his or her head around the fact that the Whanganui River is now legally a person, such things are not without political prcedent, says Newstalk ZB political editor Barry Soper.

By Ian Sutherland IN AN interview on December 11 last year, Donald Trump's answer to a question about man-made global warming ("Nobody

So much to be gobsmacked over and so few words. It's a columnist's worst nightmare. Not just gobsmacked either, but outraged. Where

On the day that our front page reported Whanganui District Council needed to find an extra $20 million over the next 10 years to repair

WOULD Alejandro (Alex) Lopez Musalem be the first person to arrive at Whanganui airport from the Gulf of Mexico? It took four flights

IT IS time we ditched the words "racism" and "racist" from our language - they allow those who act in racially discriminatory ways

I didn't find the re-enactment of a supposed cold case murder, initially named a hit and run more than 20 years ago in Ngaruawahia

Watery walkway Several years ago, when I lived in the Wanganui East suburb, I was a frequent user of the railway bridge walkway from

Bullfighting and fox hunting pale into insignificance next to the blood-letting cut-and-thrust of local body elections. They're sanguinary gladiatorial bouts, risky to the health of combatants and onlookers alike. Paul Brooks presents the case for a ban.

We loved Murray Ball's Footrot Flats. The humour was uniquely Kiwi but internationally understood.

Three years ago Scots voted to stay part of Britain in a "once-in-a-generation" referendum on independence. Now they're going to have another vote, even though the future looks distinctly unpromising for an independent Scotland, writes Gwynne Dyer.

Sensible step While I totally agree with Steve Baron's sentiments (Letters, March 9) about people not wanting to leave their homes

The aim of the 2017 Hilux Rural Games (held in Manawatu last weekend) is to give back something of our legacy to the next generation, writes Rangitikei MP Ian McKelvie. A lot of what makes us who we are is based on our rural roots and values, he says.

The late Tyrell Ruscoe, a skilled craftsman with an artist's eye, excelled at his work of making furniture and at being an estimable person. His exemplary life stood in contrast to the way many lives are lived on the modern world, writes Jay Kuten.

As one of those who has enjoyed a great Saturday's racing - and a great day out - at the Whanganui course, I feel a little miffed

Rates rise Reporter Simon Waters (Chronicle, March 3) falls into the same thinking of many after each QV revaluation: that if values

SHIFTING out of a place you have lived in for over 30 years is a bit like private archaeology as you process personal items from your

By Peter Frost WILDLIFE sanctuaries as an experiment in conserving nature? Communities in New Zealand are taking part in a country-wide

Fishing insight Recently former Solicitor-General Michael Heron QC was asked to carry out an independent review of the failure of

BILL ENGLISH We're just going to have to wait and see whether we're all going to die. I don't want to pre-empt anything. But as

There has been much mention of the proposed new age for the state funded pension. I believe 67 is the magic number .. for now. I

Like most of our sports, cricket in Whanganui is pretty much run on a shoestring. It relies on a lot of hard effort from volunteers

I'm observing a few inverse relationships at the moment ... you know, where one variable goes up and the other goes down. The most