Republic Closing In On NZ
Australia's election result a few days ago with Anthony Albanese the new PM opens the door wide open for Australia becoming a republic in a couple of years or so.
Albanese has semi-promised a referendum on the matter of Australia remaining under the British crown or becoming a republic with a president as head of its constitution.
Albanese has also a referendum in mind of giving the Aborigines special rights ( something along Maori rights here) as a people who have lived in and "owned" Australia for at least 65 thousand years. And this might take preference over declaring Australia a republic by referendum.
All this means for NZ is kicking our approach into gear on the state of NZ as potentially a republic also. Both sides of our main political parties have strong supporters of such a move but especially the Labour Government. And the connection/relationship between Ardern and Ablanese will likely be close and comfortable and active.
I don't think Australia or NZ really want to be a royalist country under the banner of a King Charles and Queen Camilla.
We're talking new year resolutions...
Tidying the house before going to bed each night, meditating upon waking or taking the stairs at work.
What’s something quick, or easy, that you started doing that made a major positive change in your life?
GOODBYE THE POST - NOT QUITE.
Finally joined the large throng of former The Evening Post, The Dominion and DomPost home and office delivery subscribers and cut out a delivered newspaper. Well almost.
This follows in the footsteps of the Upper Hutt Leader being scrapped from weekly delivery.
Now I am among those who receive a digital copy of The Post on a computer and smart phone and a delivered Saturday- only copy of the same. The savings in costs is close to $800 per year. But that is not the real reason for my cancelling delivery.
The delivery wrapped-up newspaper (which can occur as early as 11pm) was being thrown either onto the driveway and skidding onto flowers lining the driveway or direct hits onto the sunflowers.
The Post has become a shell of a major capital city daily newspaper. It is almost not and local regional news - especially sport - is usually non existent.
The name is not good. Google The Post and you get a host of NZ Post sites which are entirely unrelated. The Post is a featureless name. The Dominion (or The Dom for short) had character as a name and a history as a newspaper in Wellington.
Just a thought: The Harvey Norman News Bulletin sounds relevant.
The Evening Post at its zenith and even with the competition of the morning paper (The Dominion) was NZs best selling newspaper with a relative huge home delivered demand.
But where I have lived for the past 4 years or so, I may have been the sole resident receiving The Post in a radius of 300 metres of housing north, south, east and west.