Town and Around

  Half of the Sky This stand-out Massive Theatre production, written by Lennie James and produced by Sam Scott, stars: Kura Forrester, Rose Henare Ashby, Grace Palmer,  Max Palamo & Pat Tafa It is on at Q Theatre in Auckland until Saturday 26 October …catch it if you can before it finishes! Three sisters, their […]

A Fearful Future…?

Canadian writer Margaret Atwood has just published The Testaments, the sequel to her 1985 classic The Handmaid’s Tale, to great acclaim- including a nomination for the Booker Prize before it even arrived in the shops!  We went to the Bridgeway in Northcote to see  the English National Theatre film of an interview with Margaret Atwood […]

Te Wiki o Te Reo Maori

    This year, to celebrate Te Wiki o Te Reo Maori, we joined  a hikoi up Maungakiekie (One Tree Hill) with a couple of thousand young people, their teachers and family members.  At the top of the mountain there were prayers, haka, waiata and the call of the conch.  We talked along the way […]

Place as Person

‘Place as person, landscape as identity: ancestral connection and modern legislation’ The 2019 Cumberland Lecture at the University of Auckland was given by Kennedy Warne, founding editor of the the NZ Geographic magazine, and a sensitive man with a deep feeling for Aotearoa and its many environments.   We really enjoyed his lecture on 22 August […]

Bike Auckland

Bike Auckland’s AGM was the best AGM I’ve attended! Over in 5 minutes-” totally rigged!” as the dynamic silver-haired chair, Barbara Cuthbert, announced gleefully, ” because all the current committee members want to continue,” – “but”- she added “we can easily coopt any other keen bikers!” An evening to celebrate a busy year of hustling, […]

Spring Round About…

Alcohol and Drug Court supporters’ dinner We’ve heard about the great work of Auckland and West Auckland Alcohol and Other Drug Courts for a while now.  But Justice Department money doesn’t cover all the costs of court clients…such as rental deposits, transport costs  for  appointments with potential employers or Work and Income, repairs for damaged […]

Grieving

In the last two weeks, two of my special friends and colleagues from Auckland Girls’ Grammar School have died.  Both joined the staff of AGGS in 1966, and were in senior positions with me during 1978-88. Elaine Craig was my deputy principal for ten years, and stood in for me as principal four times when […]

Rangitoto…

  “Where shall we go for my birthday treat, I wonder? Somewhere not too far away, close to nature, simple to arrange, and with a low carbon footprint.  How about Rangitoto Island?” Tanya asked herself…and Charmaine … So here are Tanya’s reflections on 14-17 August 2019… For both of us, the skyline of Auckland has […]