Opinion

Banging heads against EQC wall

As a Christmas gift for my husband, I commissioned a custom-printed T-shirt which says "Survived 8000+ quakes, dealing with EQC and AMI darn near killed me."

How to blow half-a-million in one easy lesson

This is the story of a half-million-dollar remark. I don't know whether it has a moral.

Making headway in time of turmoil

Soon after the February 22 quake I found myself in front of a bevy of media microphones and cameras.

Romance transforms the beast

It was one of those television moments when millions of viewers across the world exhaled a heartfelt sigh of delight.

Christchurch let down by engineers

OPINION: I used to think that if an engineer declares a building safe, it's safe... but my respect is wavering.

'Manifold sins' cost 12 lives

It was hard to stop crying after I read the history of the building that crushed us.

Getting back up is the key for city

Just when you think things are getting back to normal the hand of fate and quake knocks you back down on the mat.

Coast to Coast - tough even for the fittest

OPINION: Psst, Canterbury couch potatoes. Want to know how tough it is to do the Coast to Coast's Longest Day? Ask ex-All Black Dallas Seymour, who was famed for his fitness in his rugby career.

Editorial: Out of action

PROBLEM SHIP: The HMNZS Canterbury in Lyttelton following the earthquake that devastated Christchurch on February 22 last year.

OPINION: The navy too nonchalantly accounts for the withdrawal from service of HMNZS Canterbury.

Row over breastfeeding advertisement is unfortunate

OPINION: Piri Weepu is not only an admired All Black and a key player in last year's Rugby World Cup campaign, he is a role model for both men and Maori.

City needs cohesive leadership

OPINION: Critical decisions need to be made on who leads Christchurch through the rebuild and beyond, says a local government law expert.

Mall start of a miracle

John Suckling looks back at one of the success stories of post- quake Christchurch.

Day care's existence justified

Family First's day care report has to be filed under 'clutching at straws'.

Food Bill 'no threat'

Minister for Food Safety Kate Wilkinson responds to the ongoing criticism of the Food Bill.

We will never give up

Mayor Bob Parker says we have all found we could go further, dig deeper, and draw on more inner strength than many knew we had.

What price a cultural inheritance

I'm sorry we upset the British with our antics in London on Waitangi Day. They're not used to this sort of thing.

Better communication can shine a light in the darkness

Better communication and true community engagement are the keys to rebuilding Christchurch

I'm a 'winner' but many others aren't

In August, two goons marched up the drive and slapped a sticker on my house.

Living on edge of darkness, despair

Almost a year on from the February 22 quake, most residents are able to move on and embrace a new normal.

New alliance to reclaim Aotearoa

The ebb and flow of Maori-Pakeha relations, from guilt- ridden patronage to populist recrimination, is as old as the Waitangi Treaty.

Foreign ownership of our land gives overseas investors power

Ultimately, everybody in this country is a migrant; it is just a question of how long ago our ancestors migrated here.

When immoral uncertainty is our reality

OPINION: So Peter Lynch's anti-Tony Marryatt pay-rise protest and call for early council elections was a lynch mob, according to some critics of the peaceful demonstration on Wednesday.

Protest organiser 'over-cooked the cause'

OPINION: A call for the mass-sacking of Tony Marryatt, Bob Parker and the councillors is too radical for most, says Mike Yardley.

Getting by in a world of bathroom etiquette

OPINION: I am once again living with my cousin and his fiancee, which means, among other things, sharing a bathroom.

Relationship advice for city councillors

OPINION: As if I am not busy enough advising the council on its communications strategies, I have now been roped into also providing the council with some relationship counselling.

Editorial: Overseas investment is a win-win

OPINION: The imminent sale of the Crafar farms and another sale of two smaller farms to James Cameron are good news for the New Zealand economy.

Church fathers insisted on stone

Christchurch has an opportunity to build a better cathedral, writes Colin Brown.

Iwi keen but cautious on buying a slice of SOEs

I couldn't tell you how many conversations I have had over the past 20 years about Maori or iwi owning a slice of New Zealand infrastructure assets.

Protesting with Christchurch's elders

My impression of Wednesday's Just Say No rally is that about half of the attendees had grey or white or little hair.

Overkill, bedevilment in Food Bill

Mary Hobbs shares her concerns about provisions in the Food Bill currently before Parliament.

To be rich, have a butler and save Kirks

If only more rich people had the class of Mr Dotcom, whose habits have seized my imagination.

Cities join to curb sex trade nuisance

Otara-Papatoetoe Local Board chairman John McCracken explains how he has been working with the council on proposed law changes to combat street prostitution.

No time to iron knickers, revolution is here

Since a cross-dressing Bulgarian came to live under my roof, I've become used to having my underpants ironed.

Discord more damaging than quakes

Christchurch faces a moment of crisis that offers both threat and opportunity, says Bishop Victoria Matthews.

Council needs choristers, not soloists

Cantabrians deserved better from the Christchurch City Council.

Fuse lit under 'Bob and Tony show'

Council reporter Sam Sachdeva shares his thoughts on the saga surrounding council chief executive Tony Marryatt's salary.

Life's frustrations in Christchurch move on

Recently a friend's daughter returned for the first time since the February grand mal to her rented digs in Peterborough St to salvage her belongings.

Stand up People's Republic of Christchurch

WILL HARVIE - © Fairfax NZ News

Voting rights of Cantabrians have been trampled in recent years.

Editorial: To leak or not to leak

OPINION: Leakers and whistleblowers have always been important in a democratic society.

Anger in a city dispossessed

Christchurch City Council CEO Tony Marryatt, left, and Mayor Bob Parker.

On the anniversary of the February quake, Christchurch still faces some daunting challenges.

Assisting the council for a free lunch

Lucky for us, Martin van Beynen could be just the man the Christchurch City Counil needs.

Editorial: Central government's support needed

OPINION: Cantabrians can feel encouraged by John Key's assurance this week that the Christchurch rebuild is at the top of his priority list for the next three years.