Stephen Swart told an unpopular truth for the good it might do. It has taken years: 15 since he first told a journalist, eight since he became the first teammate of Lance Armstrong to go on the record about a plague of doping in their sport.
Civil servants as a rule keep their opinions to themselves and make their ministers' lives comfortable.
With 2012 nearly at an end, who is your pick for New Zealander of the Year? In the arts, it's been a big year for people like Bret McKenzie, Kimbra and Sir Peter Jackson.
Who are the finalists in the New Zealand Herald New Zealander of the Year awards?