Dawn Picken
Weekend and opinion writer
Dawn is a weekend and opinion writer for the Bay of Plenty Times
We are your advocate, Aotearoa. Uncovering stories that matter, asking hard-hitting questions of those in power, live-blogging sport events, monitoring the highs and lows of the NZX and providing Premium expert opinion and analysis. Bringing you distinctive, quality journalism and breaking news from across New Zealand and around the world. With specialists working together to create indepth reads, engaging video, and unmissable podcasts.
Check out Dawn’s latest content
Dawn Picken: A message for singles before V-day
OPINION: Some of us are giving Cupid a break this Valentine's Day.
Dawn Picken: Thoughts from a Quaran-queen in MIQ
Thoughts for surviving isolation - let's try this at home.
Dawn Picken: Free-dumb isn't free - living with liberty in the US
OPINION: If you hate Covid restrictions, you'll love America.
Dawn Picken: Rethinking what it means to turn the page on another year
Opinion: Let's take the pressure off 2022 and ourselves to make the next year wonderful.
Dawn Picken: Celebrate the season while acknowledging loss
Opinion: Covid and life's usual calamities have forced us to make sacrifices.
Dawn Picken: 'I see each meal as a memory'
OPINION: Who we are eating with matters more than what we're eating this holiday season.
Dawn Picken: This is weird - leaving NZ in the Covid age
I flip out before any trip, but pandemic travel has multiplied my freak factor.
Dawn Picken: Keep your friends close and conspiracy theory fans closer
OPINION: Talking to science deniers requires technique and patience.
Dawn Picken: We're missing the mark in debate about sexual harassment
Opinion: Sexual harassment - and the way we've failed to curb it- transcends politics.
Dawn Picken: Thanks to the silent majority
We need to recognise people who are trying to do the right thing each day.
Dawn Picken: Reflection, deflection and the best cheese toastie ever
OPINION: Hard conversations are especially wrenching for the conflict-averse.
Dawn Picken: So many reasons to be angry, so little time
OPINION: Vaccines are not on my list of reasons to be angry.
Dawn Picken: The uphill slog of convincing young people to get vaccinated for Covid-19
OPINION: No jab, no fun? Parents of teenagers are navigating vaccine hesitancy.
Dawn Picken: Running legend backs vaccinations
Opinion: Running legend Anne Audain urges Kiwis to get vaccinated against Covid-19.
Dawn Picken: Getting vaccinated is our best shot
We've seen what happens when Covid-19 vaccination rates are low. Aotearoa can do better.
Dawn Picken: 20 years after 9/11: How do we honour the victims?
OPINION: Twenty years on, what do we owe the victims of 9/11?
Dawn Picken: Lockdown 2.0 parenting - carpe diem can wait
Lockdown parenting is no piece of cake - especially when you can't find flour.
Dawn Picken: Embrace science fact over science fiction when it comes to Covid-19 vaccines
Opinion: Getting vaccinated is more than a personal choice - it affects everyone.
Dawn Picken: Apologies are the first step, not the last word
Saying sorry is just a first step.
Dawn Picken: Once upon a time, I could venture with my kids
Opinion: The anti-staycation: where you wish you had left home but stayed to work instead.
Dawn Picken: Bracing myself for an empty nest
OPINION: You know you've raised an independent soul if they flee the nest.
Dawn Picken: Listen up, I've got something to say
OPINION: We know when someone's focusing on our words and when they're not.
Dawn Picken: Refuse the jab, lose the job
Opinion: Some employees need to be vaccinated against Covid-19 to protect public health.
Dawn Picken: Good fences, good neighbours? I don't think so
Opinion: Fences can be useful, but are we building too many?
Dawn Picken: Mother's Day in the Zone
OPINION: Plenty of parents are flying solo this Mother's Day.
Dawn Picken: Justice for George - a sad, small victory
OPINION: Are we inching closer to a world where Black Lives Matter?
Dawn Picken: Government's fluoridation decision the right call
OPINION: Too many people choose to do nothing when it comes to public health
Dawn Picken: Better campaign needed against vaccine disinformation
Opinion: We can't afford to let the lords of lies win the battle for arms and minds.
Dawn Picken: It's time to think about reopening the border
OPINION: Why should only godwits get to fly?
Dawn Picken: It's not cancel culture, it's progress
OPINION: It's only cancel culture when you don't like the change, Dawn Picken writes.
Paging Dr Google - what happened to expertise?
OPINION: Dr Google will not have the last word.
Dawn Picken: Will you be my Galentine?
Opinion: It's a time to celebrate all female friends, whether they're single, or not.
Dawn Picken: Inequity hurts everyone - it's time to fix the whare
Opinion: We are still living in the house colonialism built and it's time to fix it.
Dawn Picken: Advice for a 17-year-old in a new world
Opinion: For a teenager, postponement looks permanent. But this pause is not forever.
Dawn Picken: Relief the word of the day as Biden takes reins
OPINION: America is on the path to rejoining the world.
Many Kiwis scrambling for keys to the castle
OPINION: Investment in shares may be the way to grow a deposit for a home.
Opinion: How Kamala Harris has singularly defied conventions
OPINION: The vice-president-elect can be a role model to many.
Thirteen things that terrify me this Halloween
Halloween is just a temporary bubble where being scared is fun.
Dawn Picken: Decluttering can improve mental health
COMMENT: The case for decluttering: disposing of junk can improve your mental health.
Dawn Picken on racism: Look in mirror before demanding change
COMMENT: Our institutions reflect our society.
What it's like renovating during a pandemic
Comment: Staring at the same four walls during lockdown has nudged some of us to renovate.
Hawke's Bay Bridge Pa Wine Festival: Give it a swirl
Seven wineries, eight hours, two adults. Dawn Picken is up for the challenge.