New Zealand’s worst-kept educational secret is out – NCEA is a joke and it needs to go. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon finally admitted what everyone except a handful of Education policy wonks have known since ten minutes after NCEA was originally announced: ‘The evidence shows NCEA is not consistent and […]
Talk to almost any adult these days and the first thing they’ll proudly tell you is they’ve just been diagnosed as having ADHD. What?! But I thought ADHD was a kind of ‘learning disability’ some kids have and that you showed off your new phone at a party – not […]
As a kid I loved the Dutch lithograph artist Maurits Cornelis (M.C.) Escher, in fact I still do! If you ever wondered where he got the inspiration for all his head-spinning artworks, Italy’s Amalfi Coast has all the answers – and a lot more attention-grabbing things to see and do […]
Jannik Sinner’s done it, Olivia Rodrigo’s done it, even Cristiano Ronaldo’s done it! They’ve gone to bed at night only to wake the next morning to find out they’re number one in the entire world. Last June, Jannik woke up to be the first ever Italian men’s tennis world #1; […]
How is it 2025 already? Anyway, you can’t stop the march of time and aging but we can fight damn it. Luckily, the health and wellness sector is evolving at an exponential pace, driven by technological advancements, a growing focus on personalised care, an enhanced understanding of holistic well-being and […]
Photography By Samoa Tourism Authority You know, we’re pretty lucky here in the South Pacific. When we’ve had; ‘absolutely enough of stress at work!’ or; ‘just can’t take any more of the traffic and roadworks in this city!’ it’s actually really easy to escape to a better place for a […]
There are some holiday destinations where you go once to lie on a beach and recharge your jaded batteries. These destinations are terrific for working on the tan, maybe dipping in the pool and snorkelling in the lagoon – but that’s about it. There’s not a lot else to do […]
So often I hear people ask; is Tasmania really quite like New Zealand? The answer I always give is; well, yes and no. Sure, the weather is similar and the landscape is also not colossally V-A-S-T like mainland Aussie – but that’s kind of where the comparisons end. Whilst their […]
At last, Summer is here! And not a moment too soon after the seemingly endless Big Wet we’ve suffered through this year! So, at last we’re going to have the chance to slip the shades and sunscreen on and break out the barbeque on that long-neglected deck. It’s also the […]
There are two kinds of people in the world; those that enjoy peaty Islay whiskies and those who enjoy peaty Islay whiskies and have made at least one pilgrimage to the Fèis Ìle Festival on the island itself. Celebrating the best in Scottish music, song, dancing and of course, a […]
Artificial limbs; invisible braces; space blankets; freeze drying; water filters; solar cells; we have access to so many modern technologies developed for NASA’s various space programs that we really should have a NASA Day public holiday to give thanks. Maybe it could replace Queen’s Birthday – as what have the […]
Now, if you really, really like whisky and want someone to give you a bottle or two, then; ‘don’t be afraid to be understood’. You must forget about so-called subtlety and offer your loved ones the opportunity to appreciate your true feelings toward whisky without clouding them by using any […]
1836 was a very interesting year; the University of London was established; Charles Darwin returned on the HMS Beagle with its hold stuffed full of biological goodies he would use to base his Theory of Evolution on; and foodie mecca Adelaide was founded in Australia. Across the globe, another venerable […]
Eighty years ago there really was only one gig in town, certainly in Europe anyway – as World War Two ended its Phony War pretensions and in early 1940 matured into a real, nasty, proper war with the Nazi Panzer tanks Blitzkrieging their way through Norway, the Low Countries and […]
Gift giving can be easily phoned in, but something as low effort as giving a pre-paid voucher screams ‘safe and boring’, and you are anything but that. There are a bunch of things in life that are inherently cool like; Chanel, cocktails and tatts that every generation has always got […]
Who would have thought just a few years ago that the superhero fiction genre would be such a box office hit (even without box offices). Disney via Marvel have of course have been particularly apt at growing this trend with their Marvel Cinematic Universe and a network of franchises that […]
There are two things in the world that are inherently cool, sophisticated and even damn sexy. One is a little black dress and the other is gin. Oh gin, you are the taste of Summer, and not too shabby in Spring and Autumn too – and let’s not forget Winter […]
Piper-Heidsieck has launched a limited-edition bottle and gift box to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Prohibition in the US. This commemorative bottle features the brand’s logo from the Prohibition era complete with a QR code that allows you to enjoy a fantastic little film that transports you right back to the […]
Prohibition – what on earth were they thinking? The US government’s ‘noble experiment’ of totally banning alcohol for more than a dozen years from 1920 to 1933 was a total bust. Absolutely no one stopped drinking so all it achieved was to drive the partying underground and encourage the rise […]
