THE weekday six o'clock TV news is often grim news indeed. Very weighty words are required to convey the grimness of this news. This

ENSURING New Zealanders can access better, sooner and more convenient healthcare remains the Government's No1 funding priority. The

WITH nominations now being called for 2016 inductees into the Whanganui Sports Hall of Fame, it's timely to consider how much those

SOMETIMES the positive achievements of a United States president's administration are couched in the negative. Things not done, or

RARE: The swelling pink bud of Rafflesia, the world's largest flower. WE REJOINED the tourist trail at Bukittinggi, West Sumatra

The closure of the Manus Island detention camp in Papua New Guinea is long overdue. Now it's time Australia closed Nauru. Australia's

THE Government's recent announcement that it will pursue a goal of New Zealand becoming predator-free by 2050 has been widely and

I'M FEELING hard done by. This week during a moment between making dinner and folding washing, I found myself watching a reality show

Pain - it's something we all experience at some time in our lives. It's about as unavoidable as death and taxes. Chronic pain, however

Carbon foodprint is a term used to describe the CO2 and other global heating gases created by food production. Growing food produces

Wimmin - what do they know? They can have babies - yes. They say they can do anything - but we, the Misogynists Exclusive Network

To my shame I was confronted with another example of my almost complete ignorance on a slice of New Zealand history - this time with

I'VE noticed recently on social media at least one Whanganui District Council candidate complaining about other candidates' political

The rapid strides in technology can undoubtedly be a huge boon to education, but the latest proposals by the New Zealand Government

The glittering alloy biscuit that passes for the Olympic gold medal these days is a poor cousin of the pure gold specimens last awarded

HERE'S the thing about trucks - they're big and they're heavy. Yup, no real surprises there. But what is surprising is the number

LAST week Prime Minister John Key announced the formation of a new superspy agency -- a combination of the GCSB which was designed

THE Rio Olympics are over ... that's it for another four years. Hope you enjoyed them. There were some great sporting moments - not

MONDAY The Prime Minister said, "Mate, would you like to go to Rio at the end of the day?" I said, "You bet I would, mate!" "Good,"

There is an urgent need to tackle the problem of Vulnerable Political Strategy ... Those who proposed the name of Ministry for Vulnerable

Well, there were a couple of surprises when the nominations closed for local body elections. No fewer than 33 candidates have been

Last week I used the truism, actions speak louder than words. Whether you know them as truisms, adages or sayings you heard growing

I guess I need to be careful what I say about Aucklanders. After all, many of the residents of New Zealand's biggest city fly or

IT HAS sometimes struck me that there are people in Whanganui who have an inferiority complex about their home town. As if they need

I'M GRATEFUL the Olympics only last a fortnight -- watching all that highly fraught determination to propel bodies, horses and bicycles

With our current employment rates at 90.4 per cent, a whole lot of us are spending significant time and energy in our place of work

THERE are lots of good things to be said about Whanganui, and it's worth repeating that we're beautifully situated with the beating

LAST week Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce, Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy and Minister for Maori Development Te

Fires are devastating, and capable of wiping out whole households and memories. THE number of house fires in Whanganui and district

THIRTY-THREE candidates ... count them. That's 33 hopefuls standing for the chance to sit down at the Whanganui District Council