We loved Murray Ball's Footrot Flats. The humour was uniquely Kiwi but internationally understood.

Three years ago Scots voted to stay part of Britain in a "once-in-a-generation" referendum on independence. Now they're going to have another vote, even though the future looks distinctly unpromising for an independent Scotland, writes Gwynne Dyer.

Once we enjoyed a very high quality of life by world standards. Now that has gone and, sadly, we're leading the race to the bottom in some aspects of our lives. So what happened to New Zealand? Columnist Frank Greenall examines the question.

The aim of the rural games is to give back something of our legacy to the next generation.

Sensible step While I totally agree with Steve Baron's sentiments (Letters, March 9) about people not wanting to leave their homes

The aim of the 2017 Hilux Rural Games (held in Manawatu last weekend) is to give back something of our legacy to the next generation, writes Rangitikei MP Ian McKelvie. A lot of what makes us who we are is based on our rural roots and values, he says.

The late Tyrell Ruscoe, a skilled craftsman with an artist's eye, excelled at his work of making furniture and at being an estimable person. His exemplary life stood in contrast to the way many lives are lived on the modern world, writes Jay Kuten.

As one of those who has enjoyed a great Saturday's racing - and a great day out - at the Whanganui course, I feel a little miffed

Rates rise Reporter Simon Waters (Chronicle, March 3) falls into the same thinking of many after each QV revaluation: that if values

Fishing insight Recently former Solicitor-General Michael Heron QC was asked to carry out an independent review of the failure of

BILL ENGLISH We're just going to have to wait and see whether we're all going to die. I don't want to pre-empt anything. But as

There has been much mention of the proposed new age for the state funded pension. I believe 67 is the magic number .. for now. I

Like most of our sports, cricket in Whanganui is pretty much run on a shoestring. It relies on a lot of hard effort from volunteers

I'm observing a few inverse relationships at the moment ... you know, where one variable goes up and the other goes down. The most

Here we are at the championship bout between Truth and Lies. In one corner of the ring, weighing in at a true 200lbs is Truth; in

Living in harmony Re: Rachael Hampton's letter (March 7). Well done Rachael - as a Neighbourhood Support group, changes can be made

I've given it a few weeks and according to various friends, there is life after Paul Henry. I agree. The Am Show TV3's brekky show

SUPERANNUATION gets the ideas flowing ... Yeah, right! I don't think there are any New Zealanders -- baby boomers, Gen Xs, Ys or

Stopbanks M Norris (letters, March 6) makes some good points in regard to stopbanks. Particularly that individuals made the decision

AS reported, the former Prime Minister bailed out by falling down his own rabbit hole, claiming he was running late. Hapless Willy

Bill English doesn't strike me as a gambler ... far too sensible for anything more than $10 on the Melbourne Cup. But he may have

Move everything We could easily solve both the sewerage and flooding problems. Let's concrete the whole river channel from Upokongaro

IF you are like me, you will probably look at the last few weeks and say "where did they go?" Time waits for no one (maybe was a Rolling

HAVE you ever stood on a precipice and had the sudden thought of leaping off? Turns out the French have a phrase for that -- "L'appel

THE Government is to be congratulated for a programme that will help young offenders get a driver's licence. The scheme is starting

Alcohol laws I am writing in relation to the front-page Wanganui Chronicle (March 3) article about tougher booze laws in the Whanganui

millisphere (noun): A discrete region populated by roughly one thousandth of the world's population; a bit over seven million people

Ponding areas If the stopbanks are raised 1.5 metres in Anzac Parade what will be the effects on Taupo Quay? What is needed are

By Rosemary Penwarden THE dairy industry has a problem. We know they've messed up our rivers, but less obvious is the mess they're

MONDAY From a young age, I have always wanted to be on stage or on the cover of Woman's Day having just come out of the pool. Talent