News 
The Press -News column Feb 3
CERA sees some sense on Victoria Square It’s been the summer of discontent for Victoria Square’s proposed makeover. Ever since November, the storm of dismay at the sweeping revamp to this cherished public space has rampaged through the Christmas rush, holiday recess and all of January, with unwavering vigour. Spilling rivers of ink in the… Read More ›
The Press – News column Jan 27
Dealing to the Feckless Trash. Are the lazy, hazy days of summer to blame? What’s with the city council’s phlegmatic inaction to festering public pests, whether it be the Woolston boom-box or Camp Beresford in Brighton? This undue sense of complicit inertia has once again reduced the civic administration of New Zealand’s second largest city… Read More ›
The Press-News column Dec16
Restorative Justice revolution in our District Courts. Pop your head into any Canterbury courthouse and you’ll find the wheels of justice are grinding ever slower. Last week heralded a quiet revolution to the sentencing procedures in district courts, whereby virtually every case resulting in a guilty plea will be adjourned. No longer will offenders be… Read More ›
The Press-News column Dec 2
Whining neighbourhood groups ignore the big picture Whining neighbourhood groups appear to be a news-making trend du jour. First, it was the snooty, sneering sub-division dwellers of Stonefields, bleating about the “excessive noise” of excited children playing on the newly-installed flying fox in the adventure playground. Then we had the tears and theatrics of the… Read More ›
The Press-News column Nov 25
Booze policy makes sense. It’s rather remarkable that one of New Zealand’s biggest road-related law changes in years, takes effect on Monday, yet the publicity blitz has barely spluttered. Along with Scotland, New Zealand’s adult drink-drive limit is cut from 80mg to 50mg per 100ml of blood next week, bringing us into line with 90… Read More ›
The Press-News column Nov 18
The sterile and vapid revamp to Victoria Square I’ve always loved Christchurch in November. A red-letter month pregnant with promise and excitement, from the frisson of fireworks to the farmyard frills, fillies and frivolity of Cup & Show Week. November 2014 has been accentuated with some welcome wins for our central city, including last night’s… Read More ›
The Press-News column Nov 11
Frenzy over Tourist Drivers. As the news broke like a thunder-clap on Thursday about a triple road fatality in Luggate, you could virtually see the collective thought bubble balloon across the country. “ I bet they’re tourists.” Upon confirmation, the tumbrels of talkback revved up, social media was pumping and press releases were being frantically… Read More ›
The Press- News column Nov 4
NZ’s “Rock-Star Economy” should be a world leader for the Working Poor. As the retail and service sector gears up for the Christmas rush and the ringing of tills, how many of our working poor are going to enjoy the fruits of a first-world festive season? The John Key government fully deserved to be re-elected… Read More ›
The Press- News column Oct 28
The Digital Age is providing more ways on how and where we work. Amongst my wider circle of friends and family, both in Christchurch and beyond our shores, a dominant trend in 2014 has been the inexorable rise in workers liberating themselves from the traditional working model, the unflinching fixed hours of a fulltime job… Read More ›
The Press-News column Oct 14
The Carry-on over Carry-on. It’s an increasingly common grizzle amongst passengers, not just at Christchurch Airport, but worldwide. Boarding and disembarking aircraft now takes inordinately longer, than ever before. The spanner in the works? The wholesale abuse of carry-on baggage limits, as passengers deliberately avoid having to pay for checked-in baggage. Booking a flight, even… Read More ›
Mike Yardley News and Travel 