New Zealand Listener Issue 6 2018

When Jacinda Ardern – who became Labour Party leader less than five months after first winning an electorate seat – was appointed Prime Minister by NZ First leader Winston Peters, there was an expectation she would grow in the job. Yet few expected it would happen quite so literally. Nevertheless, news that Ardern is expecting her first child in June, after a struggle to become pregnant, has been greeted with genuine warmth and celebration. Her pregnancy has made headlines around the world, because the symbolism of a relatively young woman becoming a mother without stepping off the top of the political career ladder is a timely extension of the feminist principles of the #MeToo movement. Not only are women increasingly insisting on being free from bullying, sexual harassment and automatic relegation, but…

FIND US ONLINE VISIT US ONLINE FOR EXTRA CONTENT AND DAILY UPDATES • noted.co.nz/the-listener • twitter.com/nzlistener • facebook.com/nzlistener “The view from the bright side” (January 27) is a breath of fresh air. Johan Norberg offers a sorely needed counter to the prevailing pessimism of our time. For every Jeremiah out there, his theory might be summarised in three words: read some history. Our grandparents were given to shaking their heads and opining that they didn’t know what the world was coming to. Norberg brilliantly points out the obvious: it is slowly coming to its senses. The problems are still manifold and horrific, but at no time in human history have there been such spectacular improvements at every level of life. Despite a media fixation with the negative and all that alarms, there is ample evidence that…

WINNING CAPTION Lyn Renouf, Porirua FINALISTS Arnie: “Faster cyclista, baby!” – A Neale, Nelson Arnie: I’ll be back … pedalling.” – Keith Davidson, Blenheim Arnie: “I told him, ‘I need your clothes, your shoes and your bicycle’.” – Alice Tartt, Westmere, Auckland Arnie: “Get to da choppa!” – Leonie Bucket, Lake Hayes Arnie: “You plug it into the Terminator terminal!” – Ted Cornell, Waikanae Arnie: “The bike’s on steroids, not me!” – Dave Cuttance, Khandallah, Wellington Arnie auditions for an eco-friendly remake of Easy Rider. – Ricky Feutz, Tauranga Caption Competition {caption@listener.co.nz} TO ENTER Send your captions for the photo above to caption@listener.co.nz, with “Caption Competition No 266” in the subject line. Alternatively, entries can be posted to “Caption Competition No 266”, NZ Listener, Private Bag 92512, Wellesley St, Auckland 1141, or submitted through listener.co.nz/win. Entries must be received by noon,…

“Stunned to hear the White House doctor confirm the presence of both a heart and a spine.” – US politician John Dingell “I’m on two diets at the moment, because you don’t get enough to eat on one.” – Peter Sissons, quoted in the Times “Met an old poet friend today and we laughed about how competitive we used to be. But I laughed more.” – British poet Ian Duhig “If you torture data enough, it will confess to anything.” – economist Ronald Coase, quoted in the Sunday Telegraph “The President said he was going to run America like his businesses. Apparently we have reached the part where he would usually just declare bankruptcy and run away.” – US attorney and politician Jason Kander “The role [Donald Trump] has chosen is that of a poor…

Due to high levels of the bacteria E. coli in Queenstown’s Lake Hayes, it’s likely the scheduled swim/kayak legs in next Wednesday’s Lake Hayes Christmas Triathlon will be replaced by runs. Mountain Scene, 21/12/17 Zips on women’s clothing were an abomination, as were tea and coffee. NZ Listener, 4/11/17 Speaking to Newsroom from the RNZAF 757 that will take her through the skies for the next three years, Ardern said she was trying to keep her feet on the ground – although she admitted that was a difficult task. newsroom.co.nz, 16/11/17 It tried painting a cycle lane on the road and people did not come … Bay of Plenty Times, 11/10/17 A police spokeswoman said the cow had been found wondering on the northern side of Route K … Bay of Plenty Times, 1/9/17 LIFE IN NEW ZEALAND: Entries must…

1. True or false? The US President has a physical “nuclear button” that may be pressed. ❑ True ❑ False 2. Where would you find the busiest pedestrian crossing in the world? ❑ Tokyo ❑ Mexico City ❑ New York ❑ Mumbai 3. What is a hummock? ❑ Small hill ❑ Winged beetle ❑ Swinging bed ❑ Grumpy person 4. True or false? The ancient city of Troy, described in Homer’s Iliad, was a real place. ❑ True ❑ False 5. Who was the most recent person to be given a state funeral in the United Kingdom? ❑ King George VI ❑ Diana, Princess of Wales ❑ The Queen Mother ❑ Sir Winston Churchill 6. What species of penguin was “Happy Feet”, which was found on the Kapiti Coast in 2011? ❑ Adélie ❑ Emperor ❑ King ❑ Rockhopper 7. Where would you see the famous Parícutin volcano, which suddenly sprouted from a cornfield in 1943? ❑…