Local Opinion

Finding treasure in 2024

Getting back into the swing of things and engaging mental ‘top gear’ at the outset of a new year has had its challenges for me. What doesn’t help, is scanning headlines as media pundits forecast…

Why I say usually

Lava flows usually don’t kill people, but they do inflict significant damage infrastructure and homes. Being the focus of my research as I get into the new year, this is adding to my work on…

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…

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