Kindness of strangers Marguerita Minns, Stanmore Bay I had just been discharged from North Shore hospital, where I had spent 24 hours under observation and receiving treatment, and being looked after as if I was the only person who needed treatment....... Read More

Out damned weir The proposed removal of the Warkworth Weir (MM Jan 16) has sparked a remarkable outpouring of emotion, but little objective analysis. I feel that it’s time for some pointed questions and a few facts. The crux of the issue is the...... Read More

Thanks Eddie Louise Duncan, Orewa Eddie Law, we are going to 100 percent miss you! You are one of those business owners who has put so much back into the community in a real and tangible way over many years. The closure of this store (HM December 12)...... Read More

Moderate Blogs Leave weir alone It was with horror that I read in your latest paper that our town weir may be removed to make way for whitebait to pass (MM Jan 16). This historic weir is well over 100 years old and was built by the owners of Wilson...... Read More

Save the weir It has come to my attention that an Auckland Council Environmental Department is planning to destroy the 100 plus-year-old weir that creates a pond back under the two bridges beside the Bridgehouse. This must not happen. My father Reg...... Read More

Tale of two blokes Christmas when it is boiled down is, I reckon, mainly about two blokes. One from the North Pole and the other from heaven. The bloke from the North Pole comes every Christmas, weighed down with gifts for girls and boys – if they...... Read More

Waste mismanagement The establishment of a mega landfill (i.e. pollution) site fed by 300 trucks per day on 1000 hectares of forest and farmland in the Dome Valley could be quite a money-spinner (MM November 14). After all, the owners can rely on an...... Read More

NZ meat is neat All food has an environmental impact, so unless you can live on fresh air, what you eat will affect something, somewhere.  Climate change, water, biodiversity and soil are important to farmers and our customers – it’s...... Read More

Leads needed Charlotte Hopkins, Silverdale I am fed up with dog owners allowing their dogs to sniff and jump up on strangers, because they are not on a lead. I have had bad experiences with dogs that have left me nervous around them. In Manly and Silverdale...... Read More

Blow from Council I read with disbelief the report of the Interdominion Schools Team Sailing Regatta held recently at Algies Bay (MM Oct 17). What a knockout blow these school sailors received from the Auckland Council. Why did it suddenly demand a resource...... Read More