To mark the tenth anniversary of nzherald.co.nz, we're rounding up some of the highs and lows of the last decade. New Zealanders love to express themselves and below we look at some of the most controversial topics they have debated in the past decade.
KEY POINTS:
1. Seabed and foreshore
Early in 2004, Maori, as equal citizens under the Treaty of Waitangi and English common law, asked the courts to examine the continuing existence of their pre-colonial customary ownership of the seabed and foreshore.
A rattled Labour Government moved quickly to block this
by passing the Seabed and Foreshore Act.
The foreshore legislation was the end of a long-running row over ownership.
The Government legislated for Crown ownership and said it had put into written law all that Maori could have achieved under common law through the courts.
Many Maori saw it differently and said their land was being confiscated.
2. Genetically engineered food
In 2001 the Royal Commission on Genetic Modification stated that New Zealand should adopt a "proceed with caution" approach to genetic science.
But the term "caution" didn't go far enough for thousands of New Zealanders, who wanted genetic modification (GM) banned.
The public's distrust of genetic science was partly due to a number of scare stories, covering anything from experiments gone wrong to potatoes spliced with toad genes.
Later, following the Labour Government's re-election in 2002, Prime Minister Helen Clark said the Government was not going to change its genetic engineering policy despite protests against the lifting of the moratorium for releasing GE organisms.
3. What went wrong at the Rugby World Cup (1999, 2007, 2003)
Victory in the Rugby World Cup is the only acceptable result to Kiwis who, together with the New Zealand Rugby Union, have an obsession about winning the event.
Any result other than claiming the trophy seems to impact drastically on the mood of the nation.
However the past 10 years have brought nothing but pain in the event, following a semifinal loss against France in 1999 and against Australia in 2003. However, perhaps the most soul destroying to All Black fans was the quarter final exit in 2007 following a loss against France at Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.
The loss was keenly felt by NZHerald readers where our online Your Views debate about why the All Blacks failed in their 2007 World Cup rugby bid featured over 5000 email submissions. It remains the biggest forum thread ever in NZ's online history.
4. Civil Union Bill
A bill giving legal recognition to same-sex couples was passed by Parliament in 2004 following a closely followed conscience vote by MPs.
MPs were deluged with messages from the public - most opposed to the bill - on how to exercise their conscience vote.
However, the Campaign for Civil Unions doubted mainstream New Zealand was against the bill, and believed the opposition was orchestrated by a small and extreme minority.
Opponents of the bill say it is an immoral "gay marriage" law, and pinned their hopes on an amendment put up by New Zealand First that would force a referendum on the issue. However the proposal was defeated and then Parliament voted 65-55 to pass the controversial legislation.
5. Anti-smacking legislation
Green MP Sue Bradford's so-called "anti-smacking" bill proved to be a public relations nightmare for Labour, which found itself inextricably linked with the proposal and suffered a political backlash as a consequence.
Labour strongly supported the bill, but was daunted by polling numbers that showed wide public opposition to a measure many felt would intrude on parents' ability to discipline a child as they see fit.
In the end, the controversial child discipline bill was passed by Parliament, with only seven MPs voting against it.
The bill removed from the Crimes Act the statutory defence of "reasonable force" to correct a child, meaning there was justification for the use of force for that purpose.
6. Smoking ban in restaurants and bars
In a report released in 2003, Parliament's health select committee recommended a complete ban on smoking inside pubs, bars, cafes, restaurants, casinos and RSAs.
Smoking would only be allowed in outdoor areas, such as beer gardens or decks.
Just one year later, in December 2004, the committee's recommendations became law following amendments to smoke-free legislation.
Many bar patrons reacted angrily to the changes, saying a smoke went hand-in-hand with a drink. The legislation previously allowed for specially ventilated rooms in pubs and clubs so that smokers could indulge without affecting the health of others.
But the committee did not support that idea because ventilation systems were expensive and not proven to adequately remove carcinogens.
7. NCEA introduction
Earlier this decade, the terms School Certificate and Bursary joined their long-lost cousin University Entrance in becoming education museum pieces.
They were replaced by the National Certificate of Educational Achievement - a national qualification for senior high school pupils.
Critics of School Certificate had long argued that the qualification was good for ranking students but did not detail individual strengths and weaknesses. Also, over 40 per cent of students failed, leaving them with no qualification whatsoever.
NCEA is based on achievement standards which have been set nationally. Each standard is typically worth two or three credits.
Opponents of the move claimed NCEA - based on a mixture of internal assessment and external exams - is educationally unsound, created more work for teachers, reduced teaching and learning time and produced a huge amount of unreliable information.
8. Auckland's Waterfront Stadium proposal
Architects of an Auckland waterfront stadium promoted it as a people-friendly and energy self-sufficient building fit to grace the postcards of every visitor to New Zealand.
Going all out to woo detractors of Rugby World Cup Minister Trevor Mallard's $500 million-plus waterfront dream, principals of Warren and Mahoney said Stadium New Zealand would probably be the world's first fully-glazed and "carbon-neutral" sports centre.
Auckland City Council voted for the stadium, but the project was virtually sunk following a "No" vote by the Auckland Regional Council.
Shortly afterwards cabinet abandoned the idea and voted a redeveloped Eden Park as its preferred site for the 2011 Rugby World Cup final.
9. Ahmed Zaoui incarceration
Asylum seeker Algerian Ahmed Zaoui arrived at Auckland Airport from Malaysia on December 4, 2002 with false South African documents, some destroyed on the flight.
He was declined refugee status and detained under the Immigration Act at Auckland Prison at Paremoremo while immigration officials assessed his background.
Zaoui was one of 188 Islamic Salvation Front candidates democratically elected to Parliament in Algeria's first free elections in 1991, but then the military seized power in a coup.
Some alleged he was a member of the Armed Islamic Group (GIA) accused of atrocities against Algerian civilians and acts of terrorism in Europe.
The Refugee Status Branch declined his application, but he was eventually freed in December 2004 following two years of imprisonment without charge.
10. Urewera Terror Raids 2007
In late October 2007, the first of many protest marches made their presence known around the country following a series of police raids.
Seventeen people were arrested under the Firearms Act and the Terrorism Suppression Act on October 15 following raids in Auckland, Wellington, Palmerston North, Hamilton, Christchurch, Whakatane and Ruatoki, 20km south of Whakatane.
The raids were the culmination of a year-long investigation into weapons training camps alleged to have been held in the Urewera country, and netted a haul of weapons.
Protestors claimed the arrests represented a breach of civil rights. A depositions hearing on a series of charges laid in the wake of the raids started in September 2008.
