By Jennifer Little Tinsel-mania, the lure of the latest toys and gadgets, late December nights jostling with stressed fellow shoppers in crowded malls? Click and collect? Or make your own cakes, candles, or cushions? Whatever your usual approach or budget, this festive season will no doubt feel...
By Amokura Panoho Tītiro whakamuri, kōkiri whakamua, look back and reflect so you can move forward, seems an apt whakatauki (proverb) to quote as we wrestle with the impact of the COVID pandemic across our society, not just in Aotearoa/New Zealand but globally. The lesson to be...
By Alina Suchanski Located in the Indian Ocean, 350 kilometres south of Java, Indonesia, Christmas Island has a stormy history that actually has little to do with Christmas. It was named by English captain William Mynors, who discovered it on Christmas Day 1643. Today it's a...
By Chris Pidgeon Over the course of COVID-19, an emerging technology has been on the rise. Cryptocurrency, the complex, ’hot-topic’ software has taken the world of young entrepreneurs, investors, and tech geeks by storm. What makes it special is also what makes it function: the immense,...
By Katie Stone International travel has been off-limits for what seems a long, long time now. The recent lockdown has dampened hopes further, and many of us wander-lusters may be close to giving up on the idea of ever stepping on foreign soil again. Yes, the government...
By Chris Pidgeon With our world’s rising levels of war, famine, and poverty, come a larger number of individuals and families flocking for a safer home. Refugees are an unavoidable aspect of humanitarianism, one that every country on the planet has differing opinions on. In Aotearoa...
By Hayley White Diwali is one of the most celebrated Hindu festivals pan India and is beloved by all its people. It is also the most famous of all Hindu celebrations worldwide and is a popular festival here in New Zealand, too. Diwali was first introduced...
By Hayley White For many young New Zealanders, the concept of embarking on the ”Big OE” seems almost like a religious pilgrimage. “OE” stands for “overseas experience” and is a rite of passage where young, middle class, PākehāNew Zealanders take an extended journey overseas, working...
By Katie Stone I reach the first checkpoint at 8 km. The run so far has been fairly challenging: undulating trail, a stream crossing, some gravel road. But now, the route markers are directing us to turn right. Right is dense native bush. The bush goes...
By Katie Stone Flightless we may be, Kiwis still love to travel. Yes, the length and breadth of our destinations have changed somewhat (well, a lot) in the past 18 months. Up until February 2020, ‘travel’ might have meant Brisbane or Bali or Berlin. It meant...