A Statement From Hekia Parata

A statement from Education Minister Hekia Parata to concerned parents, teachers and children in the Christchurch area  I am aware that a lot of teachers, students and parents in Christchurch are expressing concern about the future of their schools.Today I want to take the opportunity to talk about how decisions in respect of schools have…

US President Ends Victory Celebrations As Crisis Looms

US President Barack Obama is facing his first crisis since being re-elected, after celebrity couple Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez announced they were breaking up.The news has dampened spirits amongst Obama’s supporters, who had been celebrating his win on Tuesday night. Mr Obama has cancelled any further victory celebrations and has returned to Washington for urgent briefings with his…

Obama Victory Speech Electrifies Faithful

Barack Obama yesterday celebrated his US presidential race victory by giving a stirring speech to his supporters. The newly re-elected President electrified a huge crowd in his home-town Chicago last night, with a soaring speech about hope and change. Obama used the speech to pay tribute to the thousands of volunteers who door-knocked, delivered pamphlets, and phoned uncommitted voters. “Without your tireless…

How About It, Mr Obama?

Dear Mr Obama, If you’re doing nothing much at the end of your four year presidential term, would you mind popping over here and sorting us out?I’m no immigration law expert, but I’m sure we could organise some kind of citizenship fast-track, allowing you to stand in the 2017 election. We’ll change the law if…

Yet Another Day In The Life Of The Sensible Blogger

8:34 am Reading the morning newspaper has left me in despair over the way our politicians behave. The country has struggled through the last few years of economic downturn, but standing up in Parliament and asking hard questions of the government is no way for an opposition leader to behave.Shame on David Shearer for playing politics over such an important…

Harry Hindenberg: Not The Life For Me

The latest column from Papakura solicitor Harry Hindenberg It looks as if it’s been a big news day, but I’ve really struggled to keep track of all the developments, due to my work commitments. Nobody really understands how difficult it is to dispose of a body until they have to do it themselves. I usually…

My US Presidential Endorsement

I promised earlier today that I would formally endorse one of the US presidential candidates. It has become traditional in the days preceding an election for some media organisation to put their support behind one of the candidates.But why have I decided to formally endorse one of the candidates? I hadn’t planned to get involved, but I…

A Day In The Life Of Rodney Hide

3:13 am Woke up screaming again. The old memories come flooding back the moment I put my head on the pillow. Although I survived the last mission into the foothills of Northern Pakistan, we lost a lot of good men, and something in me was changed forever. I can’t even begin to describe the things…