I hope you have enjoyed the recipes I have offered out of my personal collection and would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year. I do hope you get to spend it with loved ones and share this lovely baked ham and peaches...... Read More

Christmas is fast approaching and this signals for a lot of business owners a stressful time of the year. Customers want things done before Christmas and many shop owners have long hours and a large amounts of customers and sales prior to the day. Thankfully...... Read More

This will be my last column for Hibiscus Matters. I’ve been knocking out 400 words just about every month for four years, and frankly I’ve run out of things that are wrong with me so have no more material. My editor has, trustingly, allowed...... Read More

National MP Mark Mitchell vows he will continue to fight for the issues dear to his heart in north Rodney, despite the fact he will no longer represent the area if proposed changes to electorate boundaries go ahead. Last month, the Representation...... Read More

It seems that we are never going to get respite from the relentless winds that have plagued us through spring. November has seen the snapper become prolific biters as they go through their spawning time. As they congregate in the deeper waters over the...... Read More

If you are old enough, you may remember the TV advertisement from the 80s with the slogan “don’t use your back like a crane!” Well, some of the message was good but it is, of course, now truly outdated. Believe it or not, bed rest was...... Read More

One of my favourite things about warm summer weather is a garden high tea – as I’ve mentioned in my past summertime columns. I love getting out the bone china tea cups and saucers for my visitors, popping some sweet goodies on some vintage...... Read More

Shopping for meat in a supermarket is a dull chore, but during my childhood, accompanying my mother to Stubbs Butchery was an adventure. After running the gauntlet of the disembodied cow’s head, horns aloft, on the shop frontage, a bell tinkled...... Read More

The recent news from across the Tasman during the early summer months has been dominated by reports of exceptional bushfires in Queensland and New South Wales. The appearance of these destructive fires has led to loss of life, damage to homes and loss...... Read More

As I walk around town I see a lot of people looking a little stressed as we approach the festive season, and I wonder why we continually put ourselves under so much pressure at this time of year. The mad rush to buy gifts and, for many of us, that terrible...... Read More

Aucklanders throw away a third more rubbish than normal over Christmas and the summer holidays – most of that waste is recyclables like glass, cans and plastics. Meanwhile, our young people have been demanding climate action, now. Reducing your...... Read More

The first bicycle was the Draisine, invented by German Baron Von Drais in 1817 although there is unproven speculation that students of Leonardo da Vinci conceptualised prototypes as far back as 1500 AD. Drais’ ‘velocepede’ bicycle was...... Read More

Reflecting at the end of the year is something I’m sure we all do. Looking back at 2019, I’m amazed that the last two years have flown by since I became a Member of Parliament. I have had very busy jobs before and times in my life where I...... Read More

Ill-conceived extension Linda Holden, Stanmore Bay (abridged) ‘Why?’ has to be the question regarding AT’s latest project for Orewa on Hibiscus Highway between Riverside Road and Empire Road. What is the benefit to the community? I...... Read More

First up – a big thank you for all the support I received from the Hibiscus Coast in the recent election. It’s a great privilege to represent our beautiful area and a responsibility I don’t take lightly, so thank you once again for...... Read More

At this time of year, we can go out and enjoy exploring the evening sky without the chill of winter. Even those who prefer to go to bed early can enjoy seeing a few interesting things in the early evening sky. If we go out at around 8.30pm, we find...... Read More

Every day I feel privileged to serve my community and look after their health needs. After all, as the saying goes, “the pharmacist is the health professional you see most often”. Whether you have a sore throat, a bite on your arm or...... Read More

I wanted to start off this article by saying a big thank you to our previous columnist, Dale Hodson, who is moving away from the coast to take up a new job in Tauranga. Dale has been a member of the Hibiscus unit for around three years and will be sorely...... Read More

Wolfe Island by Lucy Treloar Lucy Treloar’s second novel is set in America in a plausible near-future. She writes like a painter, adding layers to describe a scene and detailing the surrounding environment – its nature, flora, fauna and...... Read More