The Bulletin: Transport plans prove to be controversial

Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Government transport proposals prove to be incredibly divisive, EQC re-repair bill climbs, and an extraordinary warning about funding for Auckland addiction services. The government’s transport plans have proven to be the most important policy announcement of the year so far, and have provoked a storm of response. It’s become … Read more

The trouble with that ‘in defence of Trump’ column

In purporting to deliver a disinterested appraisal of the US president’s first year, Heather Du Plessis-Allan creates a perfect storm of misinformation, argues Branko Marcetic. A lot of people will hate the column in yesterday’s Herald on Sunday column, which purported to explain “why Trump’s first year hasn’t been that bad”, for a lot of … Read more

Blindness to the beauty of Ngāruawāhia is blindness to the beauty of New Zealand

Heather du Plessis-Allan sparked controversy this week with a column calling the Waikato town ‘rotting’. In fact, Ngāruawāhia is the epitome of uplifting small-town NZ, writes former resident Tainui Stephens. In 1998 I fled Herne Bay in Auckland to live in Ngāruawāhia. It was one of the best things I ever did. I lived there … Read more