North & South

free to air

IF YOU’RE not convinced transgender New Zealanders comprise one of our most vulnerable communities, a Waikato University survey, Counting Ourselves, should dispel any doubts. In September, it reported that trans and non-binary Kiwis are at much greater risk of psychological distress and suicidal thinking. It’s also likely that in five years’ time, we will look back on the heated debate over self sex-identification law and wonder what all the fuss was about. But the key word here is “debate” – and the right to have it. Whether or not you agree with Jill Abigail’s views on women’s sex-based rights (see Yvonne van Dongen’s interview on page 73), I believe most of you will defend her right to state them. You might also be surprised to learn an opinion piece on the same…

mike white

North & South’s senior writer, Mike White, is well known for his stories about murder and controversial cases, but his latest book is a long way from crime scenes and courtrooms – it’s about dogs. He’s had many dogs in his life, but when White got Cooper, an SPCA-rescue huntaway, he discovered the extraordinary world of Wellington’s dog parks. “And I was just amazed by the wonderful people and dogs I met, on these scruffy fringes of town belt that we were all drawn to simply because we had a dog that needed exercising and our daily routines coincided.” White’s new book, How to Walk a Dog (excerpted on page 60), tells the story of this special community, the joys and inevitable heartache of owning a dog, and the way Cooper has…

north & south

EDITORIAL EDITOR Virginia Larson EDITOR-AT-LARGE Donna Chisholm DEPUTY EDITOR Joanna Wane SENIOR WRITER Mike White SUBEDITORS Bevan Rapson, Mary de Ruyter FOOD DIRECTOR Simon Farrell-Green FOOD WRITER/EVENTS EDITOR Jean Teng ART DIRECTOR Jenny Nicholls COLUMNISTS Phil Gifford (Music), Rebecca Hayter (High Heels & Gumboots), Michelle Langstone (Michellany), Paul Little (NZ Books & Last Words), Jenny Nicholls (Nerd Nation), Bevan Rapson (Politics), Margo White (Social Studies), Graeme Wilson (Crosswords & Whiz Quiz) SALES AND MARKETING COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR Kaylene Hurley COMMERCIAL BRAND MANAGER Joshua Williams, ph (09) 308-2738/027 351-6950, jowilliams@bauermedia.co.nz BRAND & COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER Katie Ward ph (09) 308-2870, kward@bauermedia.co.nz DIRECT ACCOUNT MANAGER Krista Lange, ph (09) 308-7420, klange@bauermedia.co.nz DIRECTORY SALES MANAGER Kim Chapman, ph (07) 578-3646, classifieds@xtra.co.nz PRODUCTION PRODUCTION CO-ORDINATOR Susan Lewis PRINTER Webstar DISTRIBUTION Gordon & Gotch PUBLISHED BY BAUER MEDIA GROUP (NZ) LP CEO (AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND) Brendon Hill MANAGING DIRECTOR Tanya Walshe GENERAL MANAGER PUBLISHING Stuart Dick EDITORIAL DIRECTOR (CURRENT AFFAIRS)…

mpa stars

Congratulations to North & South deputy editor Joanna Wane (below left), who won Best Journalist (Current Affairs, Business & Trade) at the 2019 Webstar Magazine Media Awards, and art director Jenny Nicholls (below right), who won Best Designer or Team (Current Affairs, Business & Trade). Nicholls, who designs the magazine singlehanded, was also thrilled to be a finalist – for her Nerd Nation columns – in the Best Columnist/ Blogger category, up against the NZ Listener’s veteran columnists Jane Clifton and (winner) Diana Wichtel. Nicholls’ design skills earned North & South a finalist place in the Best Cover category for Current Affairs, Business & Trade magazines. Of Joanna Wane’s entry, the judges said: “These three very different pieces of work show the breadth of this journalist’s writing and research skills. Her insightful…

testing times

HAPPY DNA ENDING My mother, now 94, discovered 40 years ago that she’d been adopted as a two-year-old (Who’s Your Daddy?, October). Over the years, family and friends had visited and written to various English agencies trying to trace her birth certificate and birth parents. All of these attempts were fruitless. Last year, I had a DNA test and received an email from someone saying she was a first or second cousin. Both my parents were only children. There were many emails between me and my newfound cousin’s brother as he tried to work out which of his aunts could have been Mum’s mother. My son and daughter-in-law, who had given me the DNA test as a birthday present, spent hours going through English birth records and finally hit the jackpot when they found…

whiz quiz

1. Who coxed the New Zealand women’s rowing eight, winners of the 2019 world championship title in early September? 2. In addition to his stellar rugby career, Sir Brian Lochore represented Wairarapa in which other sport? 3. No. 10 Downing Street is famous as the residence of the UK prime minister, but who lives in No. 11? 4. Mars has two moons; what are their names? 5. Indonesia plans to relocate its capital from Jakarta to where? 6. Asunción is the capital of which country? 7. Who developed the theory of “technological singularity”, which suggests that biotechnology and nanotechnology will lead to a quantum leap in human intelligence, a theory which underpins Silicon Valley’s Singularity University? 8. Who is the drummer for rock band Queen? 9. In 1935 Mussolini invaded Abyssinia. Where is that? 10. TED talks are widely…