Dedicated to democracy, enjoying and restoring the Mahurangi, meaningful climate action, and curiosity—
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Soon-to-be 175-year search for an indigenous flag
Failure to embrace a new flag in the past bought Aotearoa a power of trouble. When the Treaty of Waitangi was signed, by default the national flag became the Union Jack. Eight years earlier, in 1832, the group of northern tribes that became known as the…
Mahurangi Regatta 2006 photographic gallery
Fairburn and his Mahurangi friends in the wilderness
And up to Mahurangi—always to Mahurangi… Jocelyn Fairburn Not only was Mahurangi the charismatic ‘ARD’ Fairburn’s special place, it was also that for a good number of the 29 exceptionally talented friends featured in the anthology Fairburn and Friends including the...
Should Rodney District Council become a unitary authority?
As quoted in an internal report for the Christchurch City Council titled Procedural Requirements for Creation of a Unitary Authority The regional and district plans required by the Resource Management Act 1991 can be developed and combined into a single plan. This...
mg parts manufacturer as Mahurangi West farmer
Liverpudlian Mike Neil did not become a New Zealander by accident. Nor did he come to live in the Mahurangi by accident. Becoming a Mahurangi West farmer was accidental—owning another farm was something he and his partner, Norma Neil, had…
World-first for Aotearoa – Meek’s method implemented
Stephen Todd played a pivotal role in the introduction of single transferable voting to Aotearoa. The road to local body electoral reform was long, hard and heroic, but New Zealanders and their district and regional councils—and even, staggeringly, the Royal…
Origins of Auckland’s regional parks
I was a member of the Auckland Regional Planning Authority from 1960 until 1962. Each territorial local authority in the region appointed a member of the planning authority and I had been appointed by the Mt Albert Borough Council. The function…
Portland cement maker Nathaniel Wilson
Of all the entrepreneurs of the Mahurangi, Nathaniel Wilson was the most notable. He showed, to a high degree, the initiative and versatility that life in the colony brought out in so many of its immigrants. Lack of education, or an inappropriate one, seemed…