Karl du Fresne: My complaint to the BSA about the use of 'Aotearoa'

On the night of August 1 I was watching Sky Open’s coverage of the Olympic Games. The presenter, Laura McGoldrick, repeatedly referred to New Zealand as Aotearoa. I found this irritating, not least because it was unsubtly making a political point in what was supposed to be a sports programme, but I wasn’t so enraged as to throw something at the TV. We have become accustomed, after all, to media people flaunting their impeccable ideological credentials by the use of Aotearoa, despite the name having no popular mandate. That’s what they’re counting on: that we’ll come to accept it as the norm – or as Jacinda Ardern once put it, that Aotearoa will be adopted “organically”. How convenient to avoid the complication of seeking formal public endorsement. 

Bruce Cotterill: What New Zealand can learn from sport

We’ve just finished another two-week-long sporting extravaganza, courtesy of the Olympic Games.

It’s interesting that these resilient young people flash across our screens at a time when our country is at a difficult place. We are bruised economically, and divided politically.

Point of Order: Buzz from the Beehive - 13/8/24

Govt brings an end to the ban on gene technologies – and Greenpeace responds by calling for a culling of cows

An announcement from Social Development Minister Louise Upston yesterday quickly generated a storm of critical comment.

Mike's Minute: This was the best Olympics ever

The best Olympics ever.

Sadly it wasn’t in our timezone, which doesn’t help the communal buzz of a nation gathered together.

But we won more golds and, in my book, that is really what the Olympics is about.

NZCPR Weekly: Olympic Success - Political Failure

Dear NZCPR Reader,   

In this week’s NZCPR newsletter we reflect on the wonderful success of our Kiwi Olympians – and the failure of politicians running this country, our NZCPR Guest Commentator Barry Brill shares concerns that the risk assessment data provided by the Government to inform climate policy development is not fit for purpose, and our poll asks whether Jacinda Ardern is the most radical Prime Minister New Zealand has ever had.

*To read the newsletter click HERE.
*To register for the NZCPR Weekly mailing list, click HERE.  

Karl du Fresne: Underwhelmed by the Olympic Games? So am I

I’m already over the Olympic Games. It wasn’t always like this. Historically, the Games have been the ultimate sporting contest, commanding rapt worldwide interest.

I’m no sports fanatic, but even for me there was a frisson of anticipation as the Games approached and a feeling of being caught up in the contagious general excitement once they began. Everybody watched and everybody talked about it. It was the subject of water-cooler conversation before we’d heard of water coolers.

Kevin Donnelly: Level the playing field and you'll lose the competitive Olympic edge

GIVEN events over the first week of the Olympics, it's clear that many are unhappy with how winners and losers are chosen and the system of awarding medals. In some cases, such as that of Australia's James Magnussen, who failed to win gold by 0.01 of a second, the argument is that if the results are so close then both first and second deserve gold.

And one only needs to see the emotional distress suffered by those who fail to win gold, such as Stephanie Rice, to realise the irreparable emotional and psychological damage caused by an unhealthy focus on coming first. Add the suspicion that some contestants are taking performance-enhancing drugs and there's no doubt the modern Olympics no longer embodies the ancient ideals on which the Games were based.