ANZAC Day in a time of war
Dawn service address at the Waiheke War Memorial. Mike Lee. We gather here and all across New Zealand on this ANZAC Day morning – as our parents did, and their parents before them, to...
The election of paradoxes: how the ‘insider’ was really the outsider – and vice versa
This is my last column as the councillor for Waitematā & Gulf so I wish to thank all the wonderful people who have helped and supported me over my time as your representative. A...
Citizen Dahll and the battle to save the waterfront trams
The courageous battle by Ponsonby wine merchant Puneet Dhall and his passionate supporters to save the waterfront heritage tramway deserves our admiration and thanks. The Wynyard Quarter tramway operating as Dockline Trams was an...
‘Stand for New Zealand! Every man who is a soldier stand for New Zealand!’- Anzac Day 2021 (Dawn service Waiheke Island). Kippenberger’s rallying cry to his troops in the battle for Crete still resonates today.
Today we gather once again to remember the sacrifices of those who served & those who gave their lives for New Zealand, principally in the great world conflicts of the 20th century. The last time...
Eulogy for Cliff Robinson
It was a shock for me when Laila Harré called me to tell me Cliff had passed away that Sunday evening – though given his age and his long battles with health it shouldn’t...
The Super City must die? – thoughts on Auckland local government amalgamation 10 years on. My talk to Waiheke REBUS
A bit about my background: I have lived on Waiheke on and off since 1979. I was a merchant navy officer and raised my family here in the 80s and early 90s. I have...
My response to ‘News Room’ – ‘the Lefties who want less housing’
My thanks to News Room Editor Tim Murphy for publishing this letter with an apology. Dear Editor, For some reason, even though I have been out of Auckland politics for just on a year...
Auckland Council bureaucrats’ sneaky plan for Waiheke – my letter to ‘Gulf News’
I write in regard to Auckland Council’s perfunctory ‘Draft Waiheke Area Plan’ public consultation. Gulf News readers may recall I warned the public about what the council was planning last year. Clearly nothing has changed since...
Te Horo – place of wonder and dreams
My return to column writing in the July edition of ‘The Hobson’. A favourite place I plan to include on my post-lockdown road-trip is not really a tourist destination. There’s not even a motel...
For Gerry Hill
From A celebration of Gerry’s life. Held at the Grey Lynn RSC. 1 Francis Street, Grey Lynn. 11 January 2020. “How much more easily is the leave-take loved. For the flame burns more purely...
Stop stealing our port!
Group of 10 former Auckland civic leaders slam proposed “expropriation” of publicly-owned port of Auckland A group of former Auckland civic leaders* has expressed alarm and dismay at the proposed plan to “move” Auckland’s...
A tale of two voyages – Endeavour and St Jean Baptiste – December 1769 – emissaries from the outside world reach northern New Zealand
Captain James Cook and the Endeavour sailed through the Auckland region, past the eastern end of Waiheke, northbound, in late November 250 years ago in his epic voyage of discovery. It was a momentous event in New...