Local Opinion

Another beer, please

It’s been a long time between beers. The last edition of this column ran before the Covid lockdown. “I’ll get it up and running soon,” I have regularly told Gary and David between beers. You…

Drama on the water

Hello all, this week I have been asked to raise the issue of water safety. Last weekend, a member of the public got themselves into a sticky situation below the Karāpiro dam. An inflatable tube…

Rates woes? Here’s an answer

Our infrastructure costs are the highest in the developed world. How did this happen?  To fully understand we need to go back to the last significant reforms of the 1980s.  The Ministry of Works was…

Taihape, traffic and trees

Normally I resist departing from Cambridge. I’m happy in our small-town environment but the attraction of three married daughters and off-spring to the south demands a Yuletide pilgrimage. Not, you understand, of The Three Wise…

Looking for change

Many volcanoes we see in images, on the screen, and in person are enormous mountains. Some like the Tongariro Volcanic Complex and Ruapehu are so large that it’s best to train physically before attempting to…

A New Year update

Happy New Year all, I hope you managed to get a good break over the festive season. I, like many in the community, ended up sick for the week before my Christmas leave, so had…

Keeping watch

As we emerge from the shadow of an epidemic and endure cost of living rises, one thing is certain in 2024 – councils around the country, including Waipā, will announce major rate increases. Waipā’s proposed…

A policeman’s lot – William Jones’ story

William Jones did not want to see a doctor despite his wife, Tema’s, insistence. The 51 year old Irishman had been in bad health for some time but always refused medical attention. But on this…

Waiting on the Reserve Bank

The year 2023 is finishing with more gloomy economic news than good news. But I will start with the good news. Inflation is on the way down again globally and in New Zealand. House prices…

When volcanoes fall down

During my time working for the Smithsonian Institution Global Volcanism Program part of my job was gathering satellite images of volcanoes around the world and describing what they show. Looking at thousands of volcanoes during…

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