Clive Bibby: Are we worthy custodians of our proud heritage?

When watching the D-Day landing footages on TV recently, I couldn’t help comparing that generation who were prepared to die, as so many others did, in order to keep us free, with the current generation and wondering whether today’s young men and women would have responded to the call as their grandparents had done so magnificently. 

As one commentator said: “there can be no doubt that their effort on that day will go down amongst the greatest examples of self sacrifice in the history of mankind.”
The fact that it changed the course and ultimately the outcome of the war seems almost incidental compared to the heroism displayed by so many on this and other battlefields during the entirety of World War 2.

Bruce Cotterill: Why we need a good dose of national pride

It feels like we need a good dose of national pride.

It’s been a challenging year in many ways. The end of a controversial government has left us almost unrecognisable from our 2017 selves. That government left us financially bereft and emotionally divided. Many New Zealanders are more fanatical than ever on matters of health, education, law & order, race, or even climate.

And as you would expect, our media coverage over this last year has reflected these matters and the growing uneasiness around many of them. But sometimes we all get a bit close to it all.