Top five columns of 2019: Paul Little

Paul Little was 'mad as hell' about youth climate change activist Greta Thunberg. Photo / AP

As we say goodbye to 2019 and welcome in 2020, it's a good time to catch up on the very best of the Herald columnists we enjoyed reading over the last 12 months. From politics to sport, from business to entertainment and lifestyle, these are the voices and views our audience loved the most. Today it's the top five from Paul Little.

I'm as mad as hell about Greta Thunberg

There comes a time in an opinion writer's career when he has to stand shoulder to shoulder with his old white male colleagues and shout: "I'm as mad as hell about Greta Thunberg and I'm not going to take this anymore." Where to begin? Paul Little counts the ways this cheeky Nordic has crossed the line.

Brian and Hannah Tamaki are getting increasingly desperate

Following a number of increasingly outrageous statements, calls were made for people to stop listening to the Tamakis. Why bother? They have few followers and we shouldn't waste our time thinking about them. However, Paul Little reminds us that no matter how small a group may seem, it's best to err on the side of caution.

I furnished a whole house with Ikea

Excitement was brewing in 2019 as Swedish furniture giant Ikea announced they had plans to open a branch in Auckland. But if you've ever furnished a whole house entirely in Ikea like Paul Little had, you might want to be careful what you wish for.

NZ can gain victory in good winning out over hateful content on social media

Social media's role in spreading hateful messages had been widely talked about before the March 15 Christchurch mosque attack, but Little wrote that since the tragedy, this had the potential to be our "nuclear free moment". Excuses about social media platform's technological inability to prevent the spread of hate-filled material just don't wash anymore.

It's time to make 'Kiwi' extinct

According to Little, our national symbol lacks a little "oomph" - and as a name for the people of New Zealand, it's a little too cute and twee. But we do struggle with what to call ourselves formally - for example, many Pākehā hate the name and no one can define it. However, Little has a sneaking suspicion that the term "Kiwi" is only used for a certain demographic of New Zealanders.