A mate of mine who is a top bloke and up for anything when it comes to finding out a bit of local knowledge, especially indigenous

Tak Chun Lai, principal tuba for the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, played Vaughan Williams' Concerto for Tuba. PHOTO/SUPPLIED 081116spcm02.JPG Romancing

If a severe earthquake did affect Tauranga during work hours, thousands of Bay workers could die or be horrifically injured in collapsed

The tragic death of a 71-year-old American cyclist, killed by a truck on Tuesday, has thrown a spotlight on cyclists' safety concerns

Democracy is a privilege we must protect - it gives us ordinary people the freedom to have a say in who runs our cities and country. This

COMMENT: Watching the Havelock North water contamination debacle unfold is a salutary lesson in just how much power the dairy industry wields.

There are people who truly believe journalism is a dark art practised by latter-day witches who seek only to deceive readers by telling

Do you know that in December 2005 the first civil partnerships were allowed to be registered in Britain? In the same month the Cronulla

GOOD FROM BAD: Like all catastrophes where horror and hardship go hand in hand - there are heroes. PHOTO/MARK MITCHELL A_141116NZHMMEARTHQUAKE9.JPG What

How could we have got it so wrong? The pollsters and the politicians, the analysts, theorists and columnists - especially this one

COMMENT: On the morning of Monday November 14, 2016, the best little city in the world got ripped apart.

Part of my life, as survivor of a chain of dead people, is custodian of family flotsam loaded with memories that become more fragile

It's a real shame. Don't worry, this is not another Trump opinion piece - if you're anything like me you have seen, read and heard

I'm not prepared for a natural disaster - the only time I ever have been is when a flatmate took it upon herself to set up a flat

Like many locals I turn my mobile off at night so the Civil Defence texts are of no use until I turn it back on. Please can we have

IN business it is important to have regular brainfests where people throw ideas into a melting pot to see what comes out. Sometimes

I've never seen such an outpouring of indignation on behalf of women than in the past month. It was as though Donald Trump's "grab

I'm a pretty heavy sleeper. I've slept through a volunteer fire brigade siren going off no more than 20m away and last night I slept

New Zealand is a very charitable country, and at its second reading, the Charities Amendment Bill will be receiving New Zealand First's

Small and medium-sized businesses are the backbone of our communities with 97 per cent of all New Zealand enterprises employing 20

I was proud to be American. I was sure Hillary Clinton would win. It was unimaginable that such a dangerous buffoon could defeat

AS MUCH as it is appalling to think, let alone write, there is a bit of me who wants Donald Trump to become America's 45th president.

Oh Danny Boy, what have you done? What a week for Soldier Field. First the Chicago Cubs broke their 108-year drought by winning the

Tauranga social service agencies are seeing more and more working families struggling to make ends meet. I'm not surprised. House

Halloween night in the neighbourhood. What a nightmare. Ghoulish dribbling, wolfish eyes. And they weren't even wearing masks. These

I have fond memories of Guy Fawkes as a child and even today I enjoy watching the colours and shapes made by fireworks exploding in

I fell on last weekend's report of Paul Henry's latest gaffe less with outrage than relief. What a happy change from what Americans

Small and medium-sized businesses are the backbone of our communities with 97 per cent of all New Zealand enterprises employing 20

Surf Life Saving New Zealand (SLSNZ) needs to be officially recognised as an 'Emergency Services Provider. I've been involved in

Never take candy from strangers is a catch cry most of us parents preach to our kids. Then we throw all that wisdom out the window