Churches and Charities
November 20, 2023
When is a church not a church and what does it matter to non-religious or non-Christian people?Most people, may not realise it but everyone who pay taxes or property rates is subsidising dozens of churches throughout the country which pay almost no taxes or local body rates ...
Racism and Equality
November 20, 2023
Some of the dust has settled, the election is over and we will have a new government soon. But how much will we remember of the many promises and warnings we heard during the campaign? Requests by some leaders for an end to what they call “race baiting” by candidate...
NZ general election 2020 results
October 17, 2023
“The tumult and shouting dies; The Captains and Kings depart: Still stands personal sacrifice, and humbled if uncontrite heart.” (with profound apologies to Rudyard Kipling for butchering his beautiful Recessional)The moving verse in the aftermath of war is also an apt d...
When traditions prevent common sense
March 15, 2021
A couple of weeks ago, following an unseemly bout of infantile intolerance over the use of te reo Maori at a Grey Power meeting, I asked in this column if we had become a little too sensitive about the differences between Maori and non-Maori social and cultural norms.It had ...
Unwritten social rules evade Bridges
March 1, 2021
he many laws, rules and regulations which govern our lives can be seen as a measure of our uncertainty. In effect, if we are certain about what we should or should not do, we do not need laws to direct us. It is only when we are unsure that we need laws to direct us. It is o...
Referenda is Democracy
November 24, 2020
The bleating, bitter recriminations and speculation about why people voted in the two referenda, run in association with the recent general election, have thankfully finally died. In a rare move New Zealanders were asked to decide if they wanted a legal end of life choice an...
