Was Government minister Meka Whaitiri stood down, or was she stood aside?
Most people would say that Whaitiri was stood down from her portfolios to – as you know – allow an investigation to be conducted into her alleged assault of a staff member.
However, most news outlets reported that she was stood aside.
Who can recall the last TV advertisement they saw?
If you can’t, then it’s probably not because they failed to catch your attention but because you’re part of the movement glued to Netflix or Lightbox.
World-wide, and here in New Zealand, millions of people are switching their viewing habits from traditional TV to commercial-free online viewing.
Game of Thrones, Suits or Stranger Things – the list of great TV shows is endless and growing. Read More
Last month I found myself jumping on a much-hyped consumer bandwagon.
During Plastic Free July, I bought a kit online and made solid shampoo bars. The kit cost a whopping $40 and I can only assume the price factors in the cost of ingredients, shipping and the smugness I felt after successfully washing my hair with a bar of soap I made from scratch.
The soap performed incredibly well. It lathered beautifully, smelt divine and as a bonus (pointed out by my kids who used it suspiciously) didn’t make anyone’s hair fall out.
Like many consumers, I’ve been searching for ways to reduce waste and cut back on the amount of plastic we bring into the house. Making shampoo bars was relatively easy and it’s something I could involve the kids in. I felt good because I believed I was doing something good for the planet. Read More
I recently attended a workshop in Tauranga. It was held in a large hanger. The presenter was an interesting person with some good stuff to say.
However, there was a problem. No microphone.
Being a hanger, the ambiance was one of a large bucket. We all strained to hear what was being said.
A bit later we were asked to stand and move either to one side or the other of the space, so to reflect our position on various statements. Selected individuals were quizzed on why we took our either-or positions. Unfortunately, most of the rationales offered were lost into the abyss of the big bucket.
Much later someone saved the day with a microphone. Finally, normal transmission resumed.
All this got me thinking about preparation for and the makings of a great presentation. Read More
Is fairness and freedom dead on the internet?
Big Brother (or someone) is always watching, collecting data and tracing our every move via the multitude of devices now acting as extensions of our arms.
Take for example the volatile digital landscape through which journalists ply their trade in order to secure a scoop or break news.
Today, the laptop and phone play as important a role in the life of an investigative reporter as the notebook once did.
That’s because it is easier and more convenient to communicate with someone digitally rather than in person. Read More
Access: Franklin Rd, 50 min from Tauranga
Hike distance: 19km (return)
Hike time: 3 hrs (to hut) or 6 hrs (return)
Accommodation: Waitawheta Hut, bookings through DoC
Parking: At trailhead
Grade: Easy
There are nine of us, and we’re tramping at a brisk pace over mud-spattered planks of wood. It’s one of the easiest walks I’ve ever undertaken to a DoC hut, and those planks are part of the reason why. Read More
According to my kids, I am cool. But it’s not ‘cool’ as us Gen Xers might know it.
It seems there’s an acronym for everything these days and when someone under the age of 20 calls you ‘cool’, it’s not a compliment.
Apparently, as I have been recently informed, ‘COOL’ stands for Constipated Overrated Old Lady. Or, if you want to be gender-neutral, Constipated Overrated Out-Of-Style Loser. Read More
You take your seat at the table, open the menu, and scan the contents for yummy goodness.
Approximately 109 seconds later, according to a Gallup poll of menu-reading times, you perform a series of violent gesticulations in the direction of the haughtily inattentive waiter.
You place your order for medium-rare Kobe beef and lean back in your chair, content with having exercised free will at the expense of blowing a hole in your wallet.
What you don’t know is that a menu expert has used a variety of clever tricks to steer you towards the steer. Read More
A New Zealand news outlet claimed recently that writing a story with pen, paper and actual words was becoming a dying art because emojis were taking over the world.
Surely, this was hyperbole.
The evidence that supposedly supported this claim was a YouTube survey suggesting that emoji usage was taking its toll on the way we write. More than 90 per cent of British adults believed it was bringing down the English language. Read More
