New Zealand Listener Issue 25, 2022

The government has set the audacious goal of one million people speaking te reo by the year 2040. However, there is currently a scarcity of teachers in the education system who can contribute to this, hence the investment of millions of dollars into Te Ahu o te Reo Māori programme, which aims to grow and strengthen an education workforce that can integrate te reo into the sector. How on earth are schools going to find the resources they need to deliver a topic that will necessarily involve the correct pronunciation of Māori and also have the knowledge of tikanga and Māori values? It’s going to take more than money: input from speakers who have learnt te reo already will be critical to its success. Since the late 1970s, Te Ataarangi movement has…

WINNING CAPTION Ann Neale, Nelson FINALISTS Prince William: “I wanted to be a fireman, too, but my daddy said I have to be a king.” – Kate Gore, Tauranga William: “Will you be my friend if I share my lunch with you?” – David Blaker, Auckland William: “Celtic or Rangers?” – Sue Spence, Kerikeri Boy: “I’m sorry your hair fell off. Are you sad?” – Margaret Cannon, Palmerston North William: “So, how do you think you could be a better friend to Louisa?” – Marie Curran, Dunedin. William: “When I count to three, you will be sound asleep.” – Steve Godsiff, Timaru Caption: Prince William attempts to hide from the paparazzi. – Vic Evans, Nelson Caption Competition {listenercaption@aremedia.co.nz} TO ENTER Send your captions for the photo at right to listenercaption@aremedia.co.nz, with “Caption Competition No 465” in the subject line. Alternatively, entries can be posted…

SMEs (small to medium enterprises) make up 97% of all businesses in New Zealand and are the backbone of the country. They keep us going. Every day, we see and hear about sectors struggling to find workers. When we talk with other businesses around the country, they all report the awful situation of trying to find new staff and, as we have experienced, hiring workers at the living wage and losing them in short order. The official unemployment rate in the first quarter was 3.2%, or fewer than 100,000 people, but the number on Jobseeker benefits in March was 177,642. The government tells us we should be hiring more New Zealanders, but guess what: they aren’t there. It has been three years since our business achieved a full staff complement, with a…

“Don’t forget he’s the prince, so to him she’s not the Queen of England in her palace, she’s just granny in her house with the grandma smell.”– Trevor Noah on Prince Louis looking unenthused at the platinum jubilee celebrations“You grow up in a place, and you don’t recognise it. It becomes a stranger. When we think of it, we just want to cry.”– Eric Wong, who left his native Hong Kong for England with his family in 2020“Prejudice is a great time saver. You can form opinions without having to get the facts.”– EB White“Never, for the sake of peace and quiet, deny your own experience or convictions.”– Dag Hammarskjöld“We live in an era of globalisation and the era of the woman. Never in the history of the world have…

1. In modern athletics, which of these objects has been thrown the farthest distance? ❑ Javelin❑ Hammer❑ Discus❑ Shot 2. What is New Zealand’s fourth-largest island by area? ❑ Auckland Island❑ Great Barrier Island❑ Waiheke Island❑ Chatham Island 3. A plaque in St Paul’s Cathedral, London, reads in Latin: “If you seek his monument – look around you.” To whom does it refer? ❑ Capability Brown❑ Christopher Wren❑ Antoni Gaudí❑ Christopher Marlowe 4. Today, one bitcoin is worth tens of thousands of dollars. In 2010, the first commercial transaction using bitcoins exchanged 10,000 of them for … what? ❑ Two pizzas❑ A Caribbean island❑ An old houseboat❑ A tropical fish 5. The song Summertime was originally composed by George Gershwin for which opera? ❑ The Turn of the Screw❑ La bohème❑ Porgy and Bess❑ Turandot 6. Which of these TV…

My wife’s cousin was in town last week with her three children – ages nine, six and three – and when we dropped by for a visit, the adults minus one gabbed in the kitchen while I caught up with the kids. I tend to prefer the company of wee ones anyway. Age has drained me of the energy needed to cope with the subtlety of adult relationships; subtext wears me out. Her kids are dazzling – smart, funny, silly, curious, and kind – all qualities that can be easily nurtured in children lucky enough to be born to the right parents in the right postal code. Sadly, millions of American children live where they are simply not a priority, at least when it comes to public policy. You may have noticed…