News 
The Press – News column May 14
Back the Buses. The biggest shake-up to our metro bus service in twenty years, came into force six months ago. As I flagged back in November, the city council would be caught with its pants down, for failing to invest in suburban interchange facilities. Enter Dame Margaret Bazley, the Swiss Army knife of the public… Read More ›
The Press – News column May 7
A Question of Honour. The two big local issues to billow of late, both boil down to a question of honour. Or in the case of Aaron Gilmore MP – the gaping lack of it. First up, the Volunteer Army Foundation ( VAF) is under fire for planning to “name and shame” hundreds of students… Read More ›
Reflections on ANZAC Day.
The mighty Mediterranean, the cradle of Western civilisation, first grabbed hold of my heart many years ago. It was during my first break from full-time radio in the mid ‘90s, that the quest for travel and adventure lured me to its wondrous shores. I ended up working on a Greek cruise ship , that plied… Read More ›
The Press – Yardley column April 23.
Warrior Queen not without obstacles. Threesomes are rarely tidy affairs and the Christchurch mayoral race could be steering down the barrel of becoming quite the tryst. Growing speculation that Lianne Dalziel will tip her hat in the ring, along with Tim Carter, transforms the election into a three-headed battle of heavyweights. Oh – and how… Read More ›
The Press – Yardley column April 16
Insurance makeover. Canterbury’s residential insurance market is in a state of unprecedented transformation. Agreed-value cover is consigning replacement cover to history. Equally significant is the imposition of hefty excesses on non-dwelling structures, like swimming pools and fences. A $5000 excess appears to be the ‘new normal’ for these structures, although VERO’s $10,000 excess is particularly… Read More ›
The Press – Yardley column. April 9
The Cathedral Debate. You don’t have to be a hard-boiled cynic to suspect that we are being led by our nose by the Anglican Church to embrace the contemporary Cathedral option. But should “faster and cheaper” win the day? The Church Property Trust has been rather mischievous in ratcheting up the cost estimate and building… Read More ›
The Press – Yardley column. April 2
Westende House no great loss. Thank heavens that wretched Westende House is going to be bowled by CERA. It was the first new building to emerge from the rubble of September 2010 – rising like a one-fingered salute to cheap and nasty uber-functionalism. A building devoid of any decorative flourishes, by-passed of personality, let alone… Read More ›
The Press – Yardley column. Mar 30
The Weight of Authority. Poor old Peter Beck. The former Cathedral Dean seems to feel wiped out by a double-dose of overbearing authority figures – first at the Cathedral and now at City Hall. The outgoing city councillor has subtly taken aim at Mayor Parker, for failing to harness a culture of open, robust, transparent… Read More ›
The Press – Yardley column.Mar 23.
Waging War against Vandals. Graffiti, the projectile vomit of vandals, continues to monster Christchurch, with the New Brighton war memorial reprehensibly splattered yet again. Underscoring the unprecedented volume of vandalism defacing suburbia, 82% of residents ranked graffiti as Christchurch’s biggest problem, in the council’s latest quality of life survey. City leaders are right to question… Read More ›
The Press – Yardley Opinion Mar 22
CHRISTCHURCH CATHEDRAL – BATTLEGROUNDS AND COMMON GROUND. Some years ago, one of our city’s most colourful sons, theatre director Elric Hooper, dubbed Christchurch ‘the Verona of the South Seas.” Hooper reckons no New Zealand city can match Christchurch for its polarising and passionate discourse on civic debates, which often see the “Montagues and Capulets” cross… Read More ›
Mike Yardley News and Travel 