Smoking
My wife smokes. She is a considerate smoker. She never asks, "do you mind if I smoke in your presence?" She goes away and smokes where it cannot hurt anyone else. This is often very inconvenient. What's worse her health is shot. But unfortunately she is addicted and stopping has, so far, proved impossible. She has said that she wishes cigarettes had not been available 40 years ago.
We had an opportunity to save future generations. There was no question of banning smokers. Instead the idea was to stop people becoming smokers. Of course the tobacco lobby screamed and applied pressure. But we had a strong government who said, "No! Our people's health comes first." Unfortunately the current government caved in.
All sorts of stupid arguments were raised. One of the best looked at 20 years time. Imagine two forty year olds. The older can go into a shop and buy cigarettes. The younger is banned. But look at it more closely. The elder is spending $500 a week, coughing his guts out while trying vapes and patches. Meanwhile the younger, who is not addicted, has a larger disposable income and better health.
Perhaps I'm being unfair on the government. Perhaps they didn't just cravenly cave in. Several had worked for the tobacco companies in the past. Whilst they aren't being paid now (that would be an illegal conflict of interest) what happens when they retire? In the UK there was the 'revolving door syndrome'. Government ministers would hand out favours and then when they left office, suddenly they became non-executive directors.
Have you got New Zealand's best shed? Show us and win!
Once again, Resene and NZ Gardener are on the hunt for New Zealand’s best shed! Send in the photos and the stories behind your man caves, she sheds, clever upcycled spaces, potty potting sheds and colourful chicken coops. The Resene Shed of the Year 2026 winner receives $1000 Resene ColorShop voucher, a $908 large Vegepod Starter Pack and a one-year subscription to NZ Gardener. To enter, tell us in writing (no more than 500 words) why your garden shed is New Zealand’s best, and send up to five high-quality photos by email to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz. Entries close February 23, 2026.
Poll: 🤖 What skills do you think give a CV the ultimate edge in a robot-filled workplace?
The Reserve Bank has shared some pretty blunt advice: there’s no such thing as a “safe” job anymore 🛟😑
Robots are stepping into repetitive roles in factories, plants and warehouses. AI is taking care of the admin tasks that once filled many mid-level office jobs.
We want to know: As the world evolves, what skills do you think give a CV the ultimate edge in a robot-filled workplace?
Want to read more? The Press has you covered!
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52.2% Human-centred experience and communication
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15% Critical thinking
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29.9% Resilience and adaptability
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2.9% Other - I will share below!
Brain Teaser of the Day 🧠✨ Can You Solve It? 🤔💬
Make a hearty dish. Take just half a minute. Add four parts of kestrel. Then just add one. What have you made?
(Trev from Silverdale kindly provided this head-scratcher ... thanks, Trev!)
Do you think you know the answer? Simply 'Like' this post and we'll post the answer in the comments below at 2pm on the day!
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