News 
The Press -News column Aug 20
Orion’s slap in the face. Orion’s odious proposed price hike, which would gouge an extra $1000 off every Christchurch customer, over and above its existing 25% share of power bills, has run into a brick wall. The Commerce Commission’s draft report has virtually halved the scope of Orion’s planned cash-grab, while also noting that the… Read More ›
The Press-News column Aug 6
Ticking timebomb for Homeowners. How are your sewer pipes? What about your stormwater? Some reader correspondence has prompted me to enquire as to what Canterbury homeowners should do, if their pipes are not the PVC variety. If you live in an older home with clay or ceramic pipes leading out to the road, have they… Read More ›
The Press-News column July 30
Toss Out Cinderella-style Curfew. One of the key proposals in the city council’s draft local alcohol policy ( LAP) is looking increasingly misguided and indefensible. The council commissioned cost-benefit analysis concludes that the planned assault on bar trading hours fails to address problem drinking, and will cost the economy more than it saves. But will… Read More ›
The Press-News column July 23
( Mike’s weekly column in The Press, first published July 23.) It’s not Disneyland. Last week’s rejection of the Milford Dart Tunnel proposal was a courageous decision by the Conservation Minister. Courageous because the company directorship behind the proposal reads like a membership list of the Tory old boys club. And what a pompous put-down… Read More ›
The Press -News column July 2.
Now, who will resign? The news ricocheted across the city yesterday morning, like a thunderclap. Despite all the soothing tones of reassurance, despite all the varnished rhetoric that the big bad wolf of revocation would be kept from the council door, International Accreditation New Zealand ( IANZ) has walked the talk and blown the house… Read More ›
The Press-News column June 25
The Mayoral Race. Christchurch, buckle in, stock up the popcorn, we’re in for a thriller. The city’s mayoral chains have not seen a tug-of-war of this year’s proportions, since 1974. Unlike the last few mayoral races, which ended up being sonamulant cakewalks for the incumbent, I believe we’re facing the most ferociously contested bout since… Read More ›
The Press-News column June 19
Alcohol Reforms. Last week I argued that most one-way door policies imposed on the hospitality trade, have subsequently been abandoned on the grounds of ineffectiveness. Some correspondents have challenged me to furnish those claims with supporting evidence. Fair enough, too! ALAC assessed Christchurch’s previous one-way policy, concluding in their own publicly available evaluation that it… Read More ›
The Press-News column June 11
Locking Down the City. Does the re-created Christchurch really want to aspire to have a neutered nightlife? If the Timothy-try-too-hards win the day, Christchurch after dark will be barely less dreary than Dipton, with a nightlife verve to rival Canberra’s. A coma. The proposal to ban entry to inner-city bars at 1am is knee-capping nonsense…. Read More ›
The Press – News column May 28
A Fishy PR Sham Lyttelton has been uplifted by the awesome generosity of the Auckland-based Landmark organisation. Their $1 million donation will kick-start the replica rebuild of the Timeball Station, which Mayor Bob Parker has rightly lauded as the resurrection of Lyttelton’s most important landmark. What a pity the Christchurch Mayor hasn’t exhibited the same… Read More ›
The Press – News column May 21
Send Them Packing. Damned if they do, damned if they don’t. Christchurch Airport has come under heavy fire for booting out the overnight squatters, who’ve freeloaded for far too long. The backlash to their “outski” edict has been operatic. The nightly spectacle of the arrivals terminal morphing into a rag-tag gypsy camp has festered out… Read More ›
Mike Yardley News and Travel 