Brolly appreciated Mac Hine, Whangaparaoa Anzac Day at the RSA was lovely and sunny, and although my wife had remembered her sunglasses this year, the sun still proved to be too hot for comfort. A lady seated next to us obviously felt the same...... Read More

Climate change is happening. Summers are getting hotter and drier, winters are getting shorter, and storms are getting more destructive. Our economy is already starting to be affected by more droughts, more roads being washed away, and more crops being...... Read More

The word ‘churned’ sounds like it should fit better with making butter than with financial advice, yet this is a term used to describe an unethical practice that you may have been subject to in the past. Churning is the constant replacement...... Read More

The challenge of our time is to create and maintain sustainable communities, and to that end we now have a Seed Savers group here on Whangaparaoa Peninsula with monthly meetings held at Whangaparaoa Library.   The next meeting will be held on May...... Read More

Are you an owner of a car manufactured since 2000 and therefore enjoying the ‘luxury’ of only needing an annual Warrant of Fitness (WoF)? Are you perhaps guilty of neglecting the maintenance of your vehicle as a result and believe an annual...... Read More

It’s the latest trend in so-called ‘super foods’ with claims that it can treat arthritis, heart disease and even help people with diabetes. At the extreme end of things, people are hoarding bags of the yellow stuff, the internet is...... Read More

I would love to gloat that I have been extremely busy with a successful honey harvest, getting sticky and smothered in sweet amber. However, the honey harvest was somewhat patchy this year. This meant only some lucky bees and their beekeepers harvested...... Read More

Equine Cushing’s disease, also known as PPID (Pars Pituitary Intermedia Dysfunction), is a very common, but easily managed disease in horses. It primarily affects ponies and horses over 15 years of age, but has been seen in younger animals. A significant...... Read More

Is it just me or do others get the feeling Auckland Council is making voodoo dolls of Northern Rodney and sticking the pins right in? It’s certainly going to become very expensive to live in our neck of the woods. Tax upon tax upon tax. I had to...... Read More

The onset of autumn heralds the flowering of many orchids; glorious flowers that last for weeks, bringing delightful colour points to the garden. Although I’m not an orchid expert or an avid collector, this is a group of plants that attracts a devoted...... Read More

It is important we don’t underestimate the impact of experiences on babies. Because babies don’t communicate with verbal language, we often make the mistake of thinking that they are not affected by their surroundings. However, babies’...... Read More

Last year the Hauturu ranger’s 14-year-old daughter, Mahina Walle, did a case study on living sustainably on the island for correspondence school. I was so impressed with this essay that I wanted to share some of it. Mahina’s family have been...... Read More

Recent changes to the Government’s Accommodation Supplement mean that many local people on a low income or benefit may be able to get extra financial help. The Accommodation Supplement is a weekly payment to help cover, rent, mortgage or board...... Read More

In 1931, Arthur Savage wrote to Harold Marsh about having a gramophone-lantern recital in the local church hall. Arthur lived in Pukekawa and was giving Harold seven weeks’ notice so that Harold could arrange a programme of slides before Arthur...... Read More

Motorway uncertainty infuriates landowners A government failure to commit to the proposed Warkworth to Wellsford Road of National Significance (RoNS) has left scores of property owners sitting on heavily devalued land that they can neither sell nor...... Read More

Save the wallabies I feel compelled to write in over a couple of points in the article about the wallabies on the front page (MM May 2). Our family has owned a holiday property on the island for 23 years in Schoolhouse Bay. Obviously, over this time...... Read More

As I write this column, I am aware that there is an elephant in the room. What of the Rodney Local Board’s Transport Targeted Rate proposal?  At the time of meeting this publication’s deadline, the local board has not voted on the proposal....... Read More

Boulevard needs fix John Clements, Orewa I see that the Orewa Boulevard extension could cost over a million bucks (Hibiscus Matters April 18). Before any money is spent on Stage 2, I suggest Stage 1 be sorted out. It has not been properly maintained...... Read More

For the first time since I have been writing this column I am taking more of a National view than local. I hope you can forgive me for that but I feel it’s important to talk to you about some of the issues around the country that can have a direct...... Read More