New Zealand Listener Issue 32 2019

Do we laugh, cry or simply shake our heads that when growth in Auckland house prices finally ends, after many years of a sharp upward trajectory, economists talk as if this is a bad thing? Yet it is not just economists. Everyone who has borrowed huge sums – because that was the only way they could buy a house – worries about prices falling. Most concerned are those whose equity in their home would be wiped out if our largest city saw a correction such as those recently in Melbourne and Sydney. So far, that is not forecast, because of the simple fact that Australia has an oversupply of houses whereas New Zealand, and particularly Auckland, remains chronically undersupplied. By Kiwibank’s latest analysis, the country is short of 130,000 houses, up from…

I lived in Tokyo for three years in the early 2000s and felt much safer there than I do in Auckland (“Fear enough”, July 27). In Tokyo, you could go out at any hour of the day or night, and regardless of where you were or what you were doing, the likelihood of getting mugged or assaulted was almost nil. Japanese people are respectful and tolerant, and although many love to drink, aggression related to this is almost unheard of. It would not be uncommon to return home late at night and see a businessman passed out on the footpath with his briefcase acting as a pillow. I never heard of harm coming to anyone sleeping in this precarious fashion. Compare this with Auckland. I would hesitate to recommend anyone walk around…

Rhonda Ramsay, Thames FINALISTS Meghan, Duchess of Sussex: “Add another couple of zeroes to the cost of this blazer!” – Hans Zindel, Palmerston North Meghan: “What dress code?” – Mike Lynch, Upper Hutt Meghan: “Ooo, I can hardly bring myself to touch Archie’s nappies.” – Ron Sherman, Nelson Meghan: “This is my tolerance for selfies – zero, zilch, zip!” – Hans Zindel Meghan: “So I picked out this tiara, but the Queen said, ‘That belongs to One. Only We can wear that.’ Turned out that didn’t mean yes. And they call ME difficult!” – Claudia Freeman, Gisborne Meghan: “And here’s our last shred of privacy.” – Brian Holden, Tekapo Meghan: “Quiet please! I’m a Duchess.” – Jody Coast, Timaru…

“Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin and Boris Johnson walk into a room … Oh, god – this isn’t even a joke any more! Help!”– seen on Twitter“If you’ve ever thought, ‘I like Donald Trump and his policies and his hair but I really just wish he could read’, then Great Britain has the leader for you.” – The Daily Show’s Trevor Noah“If chefs prepared food on the Moon, their dishes would surely be interesting, but their restaurants would have no atmosphere.”– astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson“FaceApp is great because it shows what you would have eventually looked like if we had stopped climate change.”– public relations consultant Ben Thomas“Wow. They’ve made an app that ages you more quickly than Twitter.” – writer Sathnam Sanghera“It’s just the ‘States of America’ now, folks.” –…

“Everything is on that street; the corner shop is on the corner …” Otago Daily Times, 24/6/19 It proved difficult, so he returned the next morning and reduced the phallus to sawdust. Wainwright, who owns the Woodville Organ Museum, had been caretaker of the reserve for many years. Dominion Post, 15/6/19 At the rear of the garage and opening to the grounds there is a private and completely separate studio with its own beautiful bathroom and deck. This versatile space is ideal for parking guests … Press, 17/11/19 How a poor, smart boy became a deprived billionaire Stuff.co.nz, 18/7/19 Also Police are investigating a theft of a battery from Bunnings, a few good leads coughed up some good results. Coastal News, 11/7/19 LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND: Entries must describe New Zealand events. The first sender of those accepted will receive…

1. True or false? Colonel Sanders was a veteran of numerous wars. ❑ True❑ False 2. Which actress starred with Pierce Brosnan in the 1980s TV series Remington Steele? ❑ Stephanie Zimbalist ❑ Farrah Fawcett ❑ Heather Locklear ❑ Jane Seymour 3. Which of these meals is not traditional to Louisiana? ❑ Gumbo ❑ Clambake❑ Jambalaya❑ Po’ boy 4. True or false? The word “porpoise” is simply another word for dolphin. ❑ True❑ False 5. Which of these artists was known for painting portraits of people with elongated necks? ❑ Joan Miró❑ Amedeo Modigliani ❑ René Magritte❑ Henri Matisse 6. Which term describes the practice of making goods smaller, but selling them at the same price? ❑ Attenuation ❑ Downscaling❑ Shrinkflation❑ Diminution 7. Whose song includes these lyrics: “It’s better to burn out than to fade away”? ❑ The Doors❑ Janis Joplin❑ The…