Latest news with #NorthernAdvocate
NZ Herald
18-06-2025
- Business
- NZ Herald
Amid bleak news, community generosity shines through
Upheaval is occurring in myriad regions. It is enough to make one turn away in despair. Here at home, we have our own issues, even if we are spared the horrors of war. The economy continues to languish. In May, consumer confidence fell amid global tariff uncertainty. Put simply, we are not spending. NZME business editor Liam Dann explained it last week: we are not spending, deferring in favour of saving or paying down our mortgages – just in case. Many industries, he said, are facing structural upheaval as artificial intelligence (AI) and other technological advances shake up the workforce. The brunt of this is being felt by people who should be at the peak of their spending power – particularly older professionals who are now unsure about their career prospects to retirement. So, yes, things seem bleak. But there remains those good news stories that manage to pierce the gloom; stories that restore our faith in humanity, our communities and each other. NZME's On The Up (OTU) campaign has highlighted a lot of these. The national campaign showcases stories of inspiration, success, courage and possibilities. A number of stories in just the past week embody all of these: Rotorua joined the national drive to collect a million cans for foodbanks; a Kaitāia cafe is offering free meals to tackle homelessness; Central Hawke's Bay teen Eve Hunter fashioned her ball gown from feed sacks and baling twine. The Northern Advocate told the story of 64-year-old John, living in a tent and unable to get social housing, despite his situation being deemed seriously at risk and in need of immediate action. He has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma and is on a sickness benefit. He also has two elderly dogs, Max and Rusta. After John's plight was highlighted – help poured in. He received a dozen emails with offers of cheap cabins and places to stay, along with donations of food and bedding for him and his dogs. One woman from Christchurch ordered new dog bedding, pet blankets, dog food and dog jackets for Max and Rusta, and a woman from Auckland donated $200 for the dogs. John also had offers of food and bedding for himself. Perhaps best of all, he now has a small cabin to rent, provided by a fellow Northland resident. So, if there was any doubt there is good in the world this should help. Despite all the bad, people will always reach out to help one another if they can. Sign up to the Daily H, a free newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
NZ Herald
13-06-2025
- General
- NZ Herald
Northland man overwhelmed by support after living in tent for months
The elderly Northland man living in a tent for nearly three months because he couldn't access social housing has been 'overwhelmed' with help from generous New Zealanders. Since the Northern Advocate highlighted John's plight on May 31 – when he'd been sleeping rough with his two dogs despite applying
Otago Daily Times
02-06-2025
- General
- Otago Daily Times
Perhaps we should wait a bit before changing road signs
"Kia ora" — and that's about it when I chance my arm with a bit of Māori. I grew up in a small South Island city with little Māori presence, although one house was called "the Māori house" simply because of the family who lived there. In 11 years of schooling, only one Māori boy featured at roll call and the only word we heard much of was "haka". I now realise that at least one other Māori word had enriched my vocabulary although at the time I assumed it was just another old English saying. It was often use by older blokes seeking a break from work and it sounded something like "tie ho". The recent brouhaha (yes, my French is OK) over road signs in Māori in Hawke's Bay reminded me that the word I remembered from boyhood was actually taihoa, a Māori word meaning something like "wait" or "by and by". Without waiting, I dived into the word's history and found it was one of the earliest Māori words to find general acceptance among Pākehā settlers. In those days it was a less than complimentary term among the go-getting newcomers. Of his early days in Auckland Sir John Logan Campbell wrote of "detesting the procrastinating ways of Māori workmen who kept on saying 'Taihoa – wait, all in good time, there's no hurry'." Some of his contemporaries, delving into the language, insisted that taihoa was used rather with regard to debts which were owed by Māori rather that postponing any duties they were expected to carry out. The word could be applied to Pākehā as well. One chief requested in 1857 that the government would allow him to sell land, complaining that the head of the Native Land Purchase Department, Donald McLean, would fob him off with "'taihoa (by and bye)' until he was tired." He then applied to the Governor who also said "taihoa". During the rest of the 19th century taihoa was commonly used by both races and among Pākehā began to be used as something of an insult to Māori, rather along the lines of the deplorable use of "Māori time" to mean "late" or "any old time". One flax mill owner complained, "no dependence whatever can be placed on their promises to do anything within a given time. 'Taihoa' being one of the first words the meaning of which a stranger learns to his cost who may have trusted to their punctuality." Thankfully, in later times, the word was used inoffensively to indicate "wait a bit" and became popular from the 1900s when James Carroll, the native minister, aimed to slow the sale of Māori land and this gave rise to the phrase "the taihoa policy" which can still be applied to politicians slow to honour their promises. Think, "Minister Brown's taihoa policy has delayed building Dunedin's new hospital." Taihoa can be found in many contexts. In 1950 the Northern Advocate, enthusing about a new-found rugby star, 18-year-old Peter Jones, suggested the All Black selectors "taihoa" on account of his youth. In the same year a Whanganui magistrate fined Māori farmers for failing to clear ragwort. "Māoris must deal with noxious weeds just the same as Europeans. The taihoa policy will not help you; it will just involve you in very heavy fines," pronounced the upholder of the law. So, it's fair to say "taihoa" is pretty well established among New Zealand speakers and I'm wondering if it may be a better road sign than "Stop". "Stop" is certainly an effective word, but can it be too effective? Taken literally at a compulsory stop, it would oblige the motorist to stop his vehicle. Motorists behind him would also stop and, because the leading car is given no further instructions, it would remain static until the traffic had backed up for about 10km and the resulting traffic rage would possibly lead to serious injuries. However, "Taihoa" at a compulsory stop would simply suggest "wait a bit". The motorist could wait, checking for traffic from either direction, and then move on, thus avoiding rampant road rage. Thus, at road works "Taihoa" is ideal as it suggest a wait rather than a permanent stoppage. The signs in Māori at the heart of the recent debate used "Haere" instead of "Go". "Haere" certainly has a meaning of moving but many motorists would be confused, thinking it was simply a greeting as in "haere mai". The solution may well lie in a comment from Ernest Corbett, Minister of Māori Affairs in the 1950s, who suggested that the opposite of "taihoa" was a term he heard often in his Taranaki base, "kia tore". "It means get on with it," said Corbett. On reflection, I've decided this is all too messy. Let's just use "Stop" and "Go" but hold the pole in a sort of Māori way. — Jim Sullivan is a Patearoa writer.
NZ Herald
01-06-2025
- Health
- NZ Herald
King's Birthday Honours 2025: 12 Northlanders recognised
This year the King's Birthday Honours List contains 188 recipients, who have been recognised for their contributions to various areas including community, sport, Māori language education, breast cancer treatment and research, Māori, and the Pasifika community. Of this year's recipients, 12 are from Northland. The Northern Advocate caught up with
NZ Herald
22-05-2025
- NZ Herald
Police launch investigation after unexplained death of 3-year-old girl in Kaikohe
Police say the unexplained death of a 3-year-old is currently under investigation. Photo / NZME Police are investigating the death of a 3-year-old girl in Kaikohe yesterday. Emergency services responded to a Tawanui Rd address around 6.15pm. Detective Inspector Rhys Johnston of Northland Criminal Investigation Branch said the child was found unresponsive about 6.15pm. Despite the medical treatment provided, she died at the scene. 'Police extend their condolences to whānau.' A post-mortem examination will be conducted in the next few days to determine the cause of death. Inquiries into the circumstances surrounding the death are ongoing. Brodie Stone covers crime and emergency for the Northern Advocate. She has spent most of her life in Whangārei and is passionate about delving into issues that matter to Northlanders and beyond.
