Recycling solution Betsy Kettle, Sustainable North Trust (abridged) The latest news tells us Indonesia has identified shipping containers of mixed plastic waste coming from NZ that do not meet international recycling standards. Is it Government’s...... Read More

The first week of September was a recess week from Parliament, so I was able to enjoy being back home and working in the community. When you are an MP, no two days are the same. I spent the week seeing constituents in my office, visiting schools, retirement...... Read More

With the changes to the new Inland Revenue Department (IRD) tax system you may note that you are getting much more correspondence from them than before. This is because the IRD is now sending information that would normally have gone to the tax agent,...... Read More

Kaipara Mayor Dr Jason Smith has renewed his attacks on plans for a controversial landfill in the Dome Valley and says Auckland Council is perfectly capable of blocking the move if it has the will to do so. Dr Smith’s comments come in the wake...... Read More

Social sins Interesting to note the recent article re the exploitation of children online (Social media fears stalk college classrooms, MM Sept 18). It’s interesting that Mahurangi College assistant principal Christina Merrick wrote to parents...... Read More

Still a little bit country A reader sent in the photo above as a reminder that although we might be part of Auckland, the local drinking establishments don’t quite have that gentrified Ponsonby air about them ... well, not yet anyway! Speaking...... Read More

What a run of unfishable weather we have had to endure over the winter months. Spring has finally arrived and the change of season will be very welcome. However, with the advent of the Rugby World Cup, I imagine a lot of anglers will be fishing from their...... Read More

The site on which the modern Bridgehouse hotel stands in Warkworth is significant because it marks the spot of the earliest European habitation in the area. A police census in 1845 found 30 males and five females residing at Mahurangi Sawing Station (Brown’s...... Read More

The weather seems to have well and truly turned and things are starting to heat up. This brings the usual influx of visitors to our region and inevitable complaints about traffic, but also plenty of opportunities for our local businesses. As locals,...... Read More

Spring is the perfect time to sow carrot seeds. I recently learned that in cooler climates like ours, we can continue planting every three weeks until midsummer. For me this is wonderful news. I love carrots raw, cooked, grated, skinned or peeled. I especially...... Read More

It’s funny how things can get a bad press. Take cholesterol, for example. The word itself has negative connotations and the mere mention of it can make people gasp and shudder. Pretty unfair really, as without cholesterol we would, in fact, die....... Read More

My garden looks onto a swamp with a straggly covering of ti tree. The margins and banks are pretty wrecked from cattle that graze the stream, but, as the corridor links to mature bush in one direction and larger rivers in the other, there’s a massive...... Read More

It is only from the air that you truly get a sense of the size and the majesty of the Kaipara Harbour.  It is a huge body of water with rivers and streams flowing into it.  By area, the Kaipara Harbour is one of the largest harbours in the world. ...... Read More

If you are growing herbs in your garden there always seems to be more than you need. There are a number of ways to store them so you can have an ongoing supply. Try freezing chopped herbs in a little water in ice trays (1-2 tablespoons in each). Make...... Read More

I’m off monkeys at the moment. They have a nasty habit of biting people, which makes life very complicated for the poor traveller on the receiving end. And with more people going to monkey farms and temples overseas, these cases turn up quite often...... Read More

For this paper, it is significant that the issue of public access to the local board’s closed and confidential workshops has become an election platform for this year’s Hibiscus & Bays Local Board candidates (see story in Election lift out...... Read More

Predators animals too Rae Bird, Gulf Harbour (abridged) I am deeply concerned with this country’s obsession with Predator Free. Recent issues have articles encouraging people to trap animals, it is disturbing. I take umbrage with the new pest...... Read More

Last century, doctors were still writing prescriptions for “time in nature” to heal patient – so why do we still spend so much time cooped up inside, keeping our windows shut from fresh air and only going outside when ‘it’s...... Read More

Back in April, an Israeli lunar lander named Beresheet (Hebrew for “In The Beginning”) crashed on the moon. Part of the payload came from a non-profit foundation named the Arch Mission Foundation. This payload was meant to be an informational...... Read More