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 ouraudience loved the most. Today it's the top five from Newstalk ZB's Mike Hosking.
Diplomatic doormats - Winston Peters' career-defining cock-up in Turkey
Following the Christchurch terror attacks, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stirred the pot at his rallies by playing excerpts from the mosque gunman's livestream. PM Jacinda Ardern suggested Winston Peters would deal with the situation, as he was travelling to Turkey. While Peters did meet the president, he didn't end up raising the matter with him.
Hyperbole and hot air - Greta Thunberg will grow into a Jacinda Ardern
In September, Hosking took aim at young climate change activist Greta Thunberg, claiming she had "won the award for world's most annoying kid by lecturing adults with a startling amount of hot air and hyperbole". And the terrible fate she has ahead of her? Becoming "a Jacinda Ardern".
Shopping bags were a hot topic midway through the year, as the Government announced a ban on single use plastic bags. Hosking described this as the "ideal contender for faux action of the decade" - bringing up the bootloads of reusable bags he had accumulated due to forgetfulness.
The Shchetkova family is the proof our immigration system is a farce
In January, the Ukranian owners of a St Heliers restaurant were denied residency as their business did not add significant benefit to New Zealand, according to Immigration. Hosking compared their case to that of convicted Czech drug smuggler Karel Sroubek, who does have residency. "Do you think we got that one right?" he asks.
