"I am the one in ten. A number on a list ... Nobody knows me, even though I'm always there, a statistic, a reminder, of a world that doesn't care."

When I was younger they called me lighthouse, ginger nut, stop sign and carrot top.

Before I had children the most precious thing I carried in my car was my morning flat white.

Thousands of school children are in Tauranga this week to take part in a locally grown success story: the NZCT AIMS Games.

I love a bargain, but it irks me when people want something for free at a cost to others.

Saturday night's test match between the All Blacks and Springboks should have gone down in history as one of the all-time classic encounters between the world's two greatest rugby powers.

Suddenly everyone has a flat screen television and I remember when 29-inch TVs were the hugest things on earth, writes Marcel Currin.

When life as a single mum who also works full-time gets a bit much, and it sure does at times, I like to dream a little.

As far as U-turns go, it was pretty impressive. Bowing to public pressure, Mayor Stuart Crosby used this week's mayoral candidates' forum to announce a reversal of the council's unpopular decision to hike parking charges to $3 an hour.

It's not surprising Buddy Mikaere sparked an outpouring of opinion when he vented his frustration over an aggressive pram-pusher on the Mount base track.

A new study shows retirees who rely on the pension as their sole source of income are scraping by at the bottom of the economic ladder.

"Happy Daddy's Day," beamed the best present a father could ever hope for, "what are We going to do today, Dad?"

Move over Mongrel Mob, there is a new gang in town - destructive, barbaric, unwilling to listen to those who know better, devoid of aesthetics, hell bent on devaluing what has taken years to build.

I woke up this week into a world where twerking is a real word. Twerking. I bet that plays havoc with the spell check.

The election signs fiasco has been a confusing mess for the past couple of weeks.

Mount Maunganui is the jewel in the Western Bay's crown and three stories have added some extra sparkle this week.

Network meetings and real recommendations from people who know what you can do are the best way to connect in business, there's no denying that.

Developer Bain McDonald's recommendation that a Mount Maunganui carpark be transformed into an open space for the public ticks a number of boxes.

Tougher penalties are needed to curb the rising number of protection orders being breached across the country.