Right of First Refusal..

or Refusal of First Right? We are appalled that Nick Smith, Minister of Housing, has driven a bulldozer through Ngaati Whatua and Tainui Treaty settlements, claiming that the “right of first refusal” enshrined in them means nothing – that the government is entitled to sell designated Crown land (some already offered to iwi) to private […]

Arts, Animals, Admiration, Ambivalence..

We had an unexpected opportunity in late April to visit the Gibbs Farm Park in Kaukapakapa, north of Auckland. On earlier journeys we’d glimpsed from the road Bernar Venet’s corten steel cluster (called 88.5° ARC x8) but were even more impressed by Neil Dawson’s beautiful Horizons and Maririjke de Goey’s The Mermaid, above…     […]

A Pakeha Failure…

How ignorant and stupid can a Minster of Social Development be? Anne Tolley has set up a so-called Expert Panel to make recommendations on “Modernising Child, Youth and Family” (CYF) .  56% of the children for whom CYF is responsible are Maori. So of course you would expect that at least half the panel would be […]

Curious about Earthsong?

Here’s your chance to get an overview of the process of development over twenty years, to meet residents, go on a guided tour, visit some homes, enjoy autumn at Earthsong, and finish with a chat over afternoon tea.  These tours are held every three months, so if you can’t come to this one, come on Saturday 22 August or Saturday […]

On the home front..

Pavement artists outside our door…       Kumara harvest… Yuki harvesting old heritage variety Taputini                         the MAD team… high school students Making A Difference at Earthsong during their special holiday programme Autumn bounty…a day’s harvest at Earthsong    

Anzac Day: Celebrate or Commemorate?

I’m alarmed about the extent of the commemorations of Gallipoli, which are beginning to verge on celebrations. Celebrations of what? Of men from New Zealand going to Turkey to try and kill other men they’ve never met and have no personal reason to hate? Of their bravery in the face of death? Of their loyalty to […]

Sky City Melt-Down?

Sky City melting? the long hot summer, women’s rage, a new anti-gambling government?  or is it just time to pull that hypodermic syringe out of the sky?

Women’s Days …

Every day we see strong women, creative women,  women changing the world for the better.   Almost every day we’re also confronted with images of women demeaned or brutalised. So for International Women’s Day, March 8, we are featuring some of the women we’ve seen this month. The appalling… Franklin Plumbing – which used to be a strong New Zealand […]