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Latest FromPaul Little

The NZSO is preparing to show there's more to its repertoire than Brahms and Beethoven.

ENTERTAINMENT

Orchestras get into the groove

21 Jul, 2018 5:00am
4 minutes to read

'Serious' orchestras are often connected with the screen. Paul Little finds out why.

The Thai caving rescue mission was incredible - but let's not forget previous rescue missions, Paul Little writes. Photo: Royal Thai Navy via AP

WORLD

Paul Little: Heroic acts aren't a competition

15 Jul, 2018 5:00am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: Why does it have to made into a competition?

Despite the great food to be found within, I'm of the opinion that anything to do with SkyCity represents a net loss to the community. Photo / Greg Bowker

LIFESTYLE

Paul Little: Made to pay for dinner in advance at SkyCity

8 Jul, 2018 5:00am
4 minutes to read

COMMENT: It wasn't a meal apparently, it was an event.

NEW ZEALAND

Paul Little: Put our national anthem out of its misery

1 Jul, 2018 5:00am
4 minutes to read

COMMENT: American singer Crystal Collins might have done us a favour by wringing its neck.

Emily Blunt and Millicent Simmonds in A Quiet Place. Photo / Supplied

ENTERTAINMENT

Oh the horror ... Why we love freaky films

30 Jun, 2018 5:00am
6 minutes to read

What's the appeal of being frightened out of your wits.

David Rankin has taken exception at “appropriation of cultural practices”. Photo / Dean Purcell

NEW ZEALAND

Paul Little: Is it cultural appropriation or sharing?

24 Jun, 2018 5:00am
4 minutes to read

COMMENT: Having baby is hard enough without people getting into public rows over placenta.

All Aucklanders will have to hand over $67 for food-scrap refuse, no matter how much or how little waste they produce. Photo / 123RF

NEW ZEALAND

Paul Little: A complete waste of... well, everything

17 Jun, 2018 5:00am
4 minutes to read

COMMENT: What a load of rubbish.

Why do we keep following social media such as Facebook? Photo / 123RF

LIFESTYLE

Why you need a break from social media

17 Jun, 2018 5:00am
10 minutes to read

The jury is out on whether devotion to social media can tip over into addiction.

In spite of the odds, Grease proved to be the one that we wanted. Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta as Sandy and Danny. Photo / Getty Images

ENTERTAINMENT

How the makers of Grease got just about everything wrong

16 Jun, 2018 5:00am
6 minutes to read

Grease has just turned 40. Paul Little looks back, in humour.

Critics of Auckland Council lament safety hazards and poorly maintained, low-quality equipment in the poorer parts of the city. Photo / Stephen Parker

NEW ZEALAND

Paul Little: Not so great expectations

10 Jun, 2018 5:00am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: If the council treated people fairly, how would poor people know their place?

How can we stop police chases ending in tragedy? Photo / George Novak

NEW ZEALAND

Paul Little: New approach needed to catch fleeing drivers

3 Jun, 2018 5:00am
4 minutes to read

COMMENT: How about arming cops with drones to chase runaway drivers?

University of Otago student paper 'Critic Te Arohi' Menstruation Issue (image pixelated). Photo / Supplied

NEW ZEALAND

Paul Little: No place for censorship, period

27 May, 2018 5:00am
4 minutes to read

COMMENT: Readership of Otago University's student newspaper skyrocketed this week.

Children exist to be themselves, not who we want them to be.

LIFESTYLE

Are your kids a disappointment?

20 May, 2018 5:00am
3 minutes to read

Children exist to be themselves, not who we want them to be.

A pair of bouncers outside The Little Bistro in Akaroa on the alert for waitress-impeding children.

NEW ZEALAND

If we're banning people from restaurants, why stop at kids?

13 May, 2018 5:00am
4 minutes to read

Tolerating children is a sign of a decent society and part of being a mature adult.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle attend an event to mark the second year of youth-led peace-building initiative Amazing the Space at the Eikon Exhibition Centre. Photo / AP

LIFESTYLE

How to have fun on Meghan and Harry's big day

12 May, 2018 10:45am
6 minutes to read

Paul Little tells us how to ensure you have a right royal time next Saturday .

ENTERTAINMENT

Hunt for the Wilbur person

5 May, 2018 5:00am
5 minutes to read

Paul Little discovers how much of the best-selling novelist is actually in his books.

A man's sign in support for fact based science at the March for Science in Portland. Photo / Getty Image

NEW ZEALAND

Paul Little: Where would we be without science?

22 Apr, 2018 5:00am
4 minutes to read

COMMENT: Science is based on research and facts and used to describe the world.

Dancing with the Stars has certainly has its ups...and downs. Photo / Supplied

ENTERTAINMENT

What it's really like to go Dancing with the Stars

21 Apr, 2018 1:00pm
5 minutes to read

We talk to DWTS cast members to find out what it's really like on the reality show

NEW ZEALAND

Paul Little: Free speech is as important AF

15 Apr, 2018 5:00am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: What the f***? There is a chill creeping over the notion of free speech.

Older men often don't take advantage of the perspective their years give them. Photo / 123RF

LIFESTYLE

Why old men are bitter and bossy

8 Apr, 2018 12:14pm
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: I'm at an age where, 50 years ago, people thought it's reasonable to start dying.

Over the years <i>Scooby Doo</i> has inspired numerous conspiracy and other theories suggesting a dark side behind the seemingly innocent cartoon.

ENTERTAINMENT

Why Scooby Doo is still famous

7 Apr, 2018 5:00am
5 minutes to read

Paul Little delves into the history of the famous and most scatterbrained television dog.

Julie Anne Genter. Photo / Mark Mitchell

NEW ZEALAND

Paul Little: Old white men in diaper distress

1 Apr, 2018 5:00am
4 minutes to read

COMMNET: How Julie Anne Genter frightened the old white men by asking for equality.

Just going in, being present, allowing them to talk, having the sensitivity of knowing when to shut up can help - Monsignor Bernard Kiely. Photo / Getty Images

LIFESTYLE

What to say when someone gets bad news

31 Mar, 2018 9:00am
9 minutes to read

Sincerity, listening and not trying to fix things are all good starts.

American actor Gary Lockwood on the set of 2001: A Space Odyssey, written and directed by Stanley Kubrick. Photo / Getty Images

ENTERTAINMENT

50th anniversary of 2001: A Space Odyssey

31 Mar, 2018 5:00am
5 minutes to read

Paul Little looks at what made the prescient film so weird and so wonderful.

Was Judith Collins being disingenuous when she said Labour had nine years in Opposition to come up with solutions to the housing crisis?

NEW ZEALAND

Paul Little: Bigger issues than blasphemy

25 Mar, 2018 5:00am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: Isn't there something more important to deal with?

Millbrook Resort - another luxury for the wealthy. Photo / Brett Phibbs

BUSINESS

Paul Little: New laws won't stop billionaires

18 Mar, 2018 8:33am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: The Govt is making it harder for foreigners to buy NZ homes. How sad for them.

Censuses in biblical times may have been better run than ours. Photo / Michael Cunningham

NEW ZEALAND

Paul Little: Hard to make sense of the Census

11 Mar, 2018 5:00am
4 minutes to read

COMMENT: I'm not sure how many of results from the Census will be accurate or useful.

New National Party leader Simon Bridges in his office at Parliament, Wellington. Photo / Mark Mitchell

NEW ZEALAND

Paul Little: It's simple, Simon, speak out

4 Mar, 2018 5:00am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: It's simple for Simon, he just needs to bug the Government for a couple of years.

If loving grammar is showing your age, so be it. Photo / 123RF

NEW ZEALAND

Paul Little: I spy with my little 'I' a grammatical error

25 Feb, 2018 5:00am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: Minding your ps and qs.

Amy Adams, Bill English and Chris Bishop. Photo / Mark Mitchell

NEW ZEALAND

Paul Little: Will Bill English finally get that tattoo?

18 Feb, 2018 5:00am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: Why do so many politicians take so long to get the message they are a failure?

Hilary Barry and Jeremy Wells present the new series of Seven Sharp on TV ONE. Photo / TVNZ

ENTERTAINMENT

Paul Little: New faces fascinate the nation

11 Feb, 2018 5:00am
4 minutes to read

COMMENT: Seven Sharp – and The Project – are best thought of as light entertainment shows.

The norms by which we organise our relationships are shifting. Photo / 123RF

LIFESTYLE

Is this the secret to finding true love?

11 Feb, 2018 5:00am
10 minutes to read

Modern love is no longer conventional — and that is a good thing, right?

Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslett in the movie Titanic.

ENTERTAINMENT

Unromantic's guide for Valentine's Day

10 Feb, 2018 5:00am
5 minutes to read

The unromantic person's guide to poems, people, music and movies.

We need more beautiful things in our lives. Critics should lighten up. Photo / Supplied

NEW ZEALAND

Paul Little: 'Cheesy' disco ball a bit of fun

4 Feb, 2018 5:00am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: Critics of Rocket Lab's Humanity Star need to lighten up.

The Auckland Art Gallery receives about 25 per cent less funding from the council than it did five years ago. Photo / File

NEW ZEALAND

Paul Little: Why does Motat beat gallery?

28 Jan, 2018 5:00am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: Is this the beginning of the art-pocalypse?

Queenstown shopkeepers are standing up to cellphone slaves. Picture /123RF

NEW ZEALAND

Little: Put down that cellphone

21 Jan, 2018 5:00am
3 minutes to read

Some shoppers can't be bothered getting off their cellphones.

Sudden deaths, when people have had no time to prepare, are the worst.

LIFESTYLE

How to prepare for your death

21 Jan, 2018 5:00am
10 minutes to read

You're dead. What's the worst that could happen?

Oprah Winfrey at the 75th Annual Golden Globe Awards. photo / Paul Drinkwater

ENTERTAINMENT

Little: President O . . . for real?

14 Jan, 2018 5:01am
4 minutes to read

As if the Trump fiasco had taught no one about danger of mistaking glamour for authority.

A lit-up Harbour Bridge may look great; if only they used less jargon to describe it.

NEW ZEALAND

Paul Little: Kids not lost for words

7 Jan, 2018 5:00am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: Is purging dictionary of words censorship, or reflecting onward march of life?

Less is so much more when you're cleaning out the basement. Photo / 123RF

LIFESTYLE

Paul Little: Clearing clutter isn't as simple as it sounds

31 Dec, 2017 5:00am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: Clearing clutter sounded like a perfect post-Christmas plan. It wasn't.

NEW ZEALAND

Paul Little: 2018 - The Year in Preview

31 Dec, 2017 5:00am
8 minutes to read

Paul Little takes an imagined look back at the year ahead . . .

Future medical training will include what can or can't be done for patients. Photo / 123RF

NEW ZEALAND

Paul Little: Death with dignity

24 Dec, 2017 5:00am
4 minutes to read

COMMENT: End of Life Choice Bill is chock-a-block with safeguards to protect vulnerable.

A lot of men fail to consider a bit of a biff as a mechanism for dealing with relationship issues.

NEW ZEALAND

Paul Little: Assault discharge a puzzle

17 Dec, 2017 5:00am
3 minutes to read

A lot of men I know fail to consider a bit of a biff a way to deal with relationships

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Photo / AP

NEW ZEALAND

Paul Little: Let's hope young leaders can rule well

10 Dec, 2017 5:00am
4 minutes to read

COMMENT: Do all these young new world leaders know how to do the job?

We are in the middle of an epidemic Chronic Excuse Syndrome. Photo / Getty Images

LIFESTYLE

Why do we make so many excuses?

3 Dec, 2017 5:00am
4 minutes to read

COMMENT: We are in the midst of an epidemic of chronic excuse syndrome.

Credit cards are the irresistible bait in the debt trap - so attractive and potentially lethal.

BUSINESS

Christmas is coming, the debt is getting fat

3 Dec, 2017 5:00am
10 minutes to read

Paul Little went to Debtors Anonymous to meet those battling an addiction to spending.

Joker Dick Frizzell.Photo / Brett Phibbs

NEW ZEALAND

Paul Little: Even Jesus told a great dad joke

26 Nov, 2017 5:00am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: Dad jokes are part of the glue that holds a family together.

Twitter has recently suggested doubling its character limit to 280. Photo / 123RF

LIFESTYLE

A lot of tweeting, very little sense

19 Nov, 2017 5:00am
4 minutes to read

OPINION: Only recently have strangers been able to abuse each other with a few clicks.

LIFESTYLE

Why we don't know how lucky we are to live in NZ

18 Nov, 2017 1:00pm
3 minutes to read

Urzila Carlson, 41, remembers a tough year of changes.

Tainui Kuru as Tony Manero in Saturday Night Fever.

ENTERTAINMENT

Making a song and dance of it

12 Nov, 2017 5:00am
8 minutes to read

It's 40 years since Saturday Night Fever was released. A new stage show is coming to NZ.

US President Donald Trump's contempt for the media has been a godsend. Photo / AP

WORLD

Paul Little: Thanks for the laughs, Donald

5 Nov, 2017 5:00am
4 minutes to read

OPINION: The USA has been made a laughing stock, but it wasn't all bad.

LIFESTYLE

Teina Pora campaigner's brush with death

4 Nov, 2017 10:00am
3 minutes to read

Private investigator and Teina Pora campaigner on how cancer has changed his outlook.

Winston Peters and Jacinda Ardern shake hands after signing their coalition agreement at Parliament. Photo / Mark Mitchell

NEW ZEALAND

Paul Little: The first week - words into action

29 Oct, 2017 5:00am
4 minutes to read

OPINION: A few thoughts on the week that was.

Winemaker Kim Crawford. Photo / Doug Sherring

LIFESTYLE

Kim Crawford reveals struggles of bad grape-growing year

28 Oct, 2017 3:15pm
3 minutes to read

Kim Crawford, 61, on struggling through a year of bad grape-growing and crying children.

I'm not sure where in the list of causes of accident failing to display your rego sits, but I doubt it's very near the top. Photo / Doug Sherring

NEW ZEALAND

Paul Little: The perfect road money maker

22 Oct, 2017 5:00am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: Not displaying a rego doesn't make you a danger.

LIFESTYLE

Why Michael Meredith says it's time to move on

21 Oct, 2017 12:00pm
3 minutes to read

Why restaurant life seems glamorous but is actually really hard...

It is what it is. What does that even mean? Photo / 123RF

LIFESTYLE

Little: Fibs that get us through the day

15 Oct, 2017 5:00am
4 minutes to read

OPINION: We muddle through much of our lives supported by lies

A temporary memorial at the scene in Las Vegas. Photo / Getty Images

WORLD

Paul Little: Different shooter, same old story

8 Oct, 2017 5:00am
3 minutes to read

COMMENT: Solution can be summed up in two words that inspire fear in US: gun control.

LIFESTYLE

Astounding images of our endangered animals

7 Oct, 2017 7:30am
5 minutes to read

The world's most endangered animals as you've never seen them before.

LIFESTYLE

Auckland restaurateur's gamble pays off

30 Sep, 2017 10:00am
3 minutes to read

Tony Astle, 67, tells Paul Little about the year a gamble paid off, big-time.

Television journalist Mike McRoberts. Photo / Jason Oxenham

ENTERTAINMENT

Why Mike McRoberts took TVNZ to court

24 Sep, 2017 3:25pm
3 minutes to read

In 2001 Mike McRoberts tried to leave TVNZ for TV3 - and ended up in court.

AJ Hackett with Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy. Photo / Mark Mitchell

NEW ZEALAND

Can you name the Governor-General?

24 Sep, 2017 1:57pm
3 minutes to read

OPINION: The Governor-General will sign off the new Government - but who is it?