Part 1 – 1952 Dorothy – 13/08/04 New Zealand has been peopled by immigrants since Maori arrived in the thirteenth or fourteenth century. European settlement began with the whalers, sealers, traders and missionaries and a settlement was established in the Bay of Islands in the 1820s. In 1840 with the signing of the Treaty of…
Dorothy – 23/04/04 A bus trip following the course of the Heathcote River with a well-informed and enthusiastic guide greatly changed my view of this river. The trip gave us an insight into the history of the area, its role as a food source and a route for Maori crossing Canterbury, navigation by early colonists,…
Dorothy – 11/2/00 Heading towards the Mackenzie Country and the southern lakes always gives me a sense of excitement and a lift of the spirits. We are heading into some of the most beautiful country in the world. Most of us are limited in the time we can spend on holiday so it’s a matter…
Conrad – 6/6/98 If you haven’t already, check out Part 1… The state of the New Zealand Health system has been under scrutiny a lot recently. Firstly there was the Taranaki-King Country by-election which gave the voters the chance to protest against the Government by voting for the opposition. In this case the anti-Government vote…
Conrad – 23/5/98 Consistency hasn’t been a strong point for the New Zealand Coalition Government recently. For example they have announced that it is now no longer illegal to import cars with wound back odometers as we do not have the ability to consistently and easily detect it – it is now simply a matter…
– Conrad – 13/3/98 One of the most emotive issues in New Zealand at the moment is the displaying of an ‘art work’ at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa (unfortunately there are no pictures on the Web site). It is basically a statuette of the Virgin Mary with a condom pulled over…
– Anthony Terry – 9/1/98 Today’s modern pig farms are tantamount to concentration camps where death is the only thing that brings relief. Many of the 800,000 pigs in New Zealand are kept in conditions far beyond what most people could think imaginable. Animal rights campaigners throughout the country have launched a campaign to highlight…
Dorothy – 13/11/97 Moratorium on approval for further Casinos The bill proposing a moratorium on approval for further casinos in New Zealand received enough support in Parliament for it to be referred to a Select Committee. That committee is expected to report back by the end of this month (November). There are widely divergent views…
