New Zealand Listener

Editor Kirsty Cameron Chief Subeditor Geoff Cumming Managing Editor Ruth Brown Art Director Derek Ward Books Editor Mark Broatch Entertainment & Arts Editor Russell Baillie Digital Editor Dionne Christian Content Producer Louise Barnes Subeditors Richard Betts, Patrice Gaffaney, Rod Pascoe Senior Designer Richard Kingsford Designer Ingrid Schümann Editorial contact listener@aremedia.co.nz Contributors this issue: Andrew Anthony, Jennifer Bowden, Steve Braunias, Russell Brown, Michael Cooper, Greg Dixon, Peter Griffin, Charlotte Grimshaw, Andrew Kerr, Paul Little, Graham Reid, Chris Schulz, Alex Scott, Aaron Smale, Cliff Studman, Sarah Watt, Marc Wilson Chief Executive Officer Jane Huxley General Manager Stuart Dick Editorial Director Sarah Henry Head of Digital Melissa Walsh Senior Digital Content Producer Katie Delany Sales Director Claire Chisholm Senior Account Managers Amy Madden Amy.Madden@aremedia.co.nz Chloe Jordan Chloe.Jordan@aremedia.co.nz Classified Sales Kim Chapman classifieds@xtra.co.nz Editorial…

In Wellington from January 13-19, a New Zealand men’s team is taking on nine other countries in an attempt to qualify for the world championships in Finland later in the year. You have probably never heard of this international competition because it is not in rugby, cricket, hockey, netball or football, or any of the other sports that get regular TV coverage. A few days before this, the New Zealand women’s under-19 team is competing in Perth for one of the 16 spots at their world championships to be held in Italy. Our team is currently ranked 13th in the world. The sport is floorball. Originating in Sweden in the 1960s, it is now played around the world with a strong following in Europe and Southeast Asia. It is played…

The article on the New Zealand honours system (“Age of entitlement”, December 27) was timely and informative. Yet it made no mention of an anomaly that debases the system, namely the discrimination against the husbands of women who have been honoured with a damehood. As the article states, the wives of men anointed with a knighthood are entitled to the honorific “Lady”, and it cites several examples: Sir Colin Meads (Verna, Lady Meads), Sir John Key (Bronagh, Lady Key) and Sir Roger Hall (Dianne, Lady Hall). Fair enough. But for men whose wives have received a damehood there is no such recognition. They remain plain “Mister”, no matter how much they may have contributed to their wives’ distinguished careers. Double standards? Certainly. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR listenerletters@aremedia.co.nz The Editor, NZ…

For competition number 125, we asked for a haiku about your experiences of summer holiday travel. FINALISTS: The crimson glory of the pōhutukawa a season of hope ‒ Patricia Bishop, Hamilton Let others travel and leave the city peaceful for the rest of us ‒ Stephanie Parkes, Auckland Let me pass you fool Do you think you own the road? Hope you get a flat ‒ Duncan King, Manurewa Rain bows to the sun Takes its leave to brew a storm Over summer break ‒ Susan Hall, Oamaru Sand rides home with us Sun still warm on tender skin Wet Max drums the seat ‒ Dennis Hooper, Lower Hutt WINNER: Beech-clad mountains guard the snow-fed inky blue lake sandflies swarm my car ‒ Sharyn Barberel, Auckland For the next Bright…

1. What’s Wellington’s football team in the A-League called? ❑ Roar ❑ Victory ❑ Glory ❑ Phoenix 2. How many hills was Rome traditionally founded on? ❑ Three ❑ Four ❑ Seven ❑ Nine 3. When was the first recorded planting of radiata pine in NZ? ❑ 1859 ❑ 1899 ❑ 1917 ❑ 1925 4. The Hague-Visby Rules apply in which arena? ❑ Carriage of goods by sea ❑ Intellectual property rights ❑ Trade in services ❑ Government procurement 5. In the cartoon Calvin and Hobbes, Hobbes is a stuffed toy what? ❑ Tiger ❑ Dog ❑ Cat ❑ Bear 6. Diana Prince is the civilian identity of which superhero? ❑ Captain Marvel ❑ Supergirl ❑ Catwoman ❑ Wonder Woman 7. The death of James Dean led to which actor…

According to the UK Met Office, 2025 was the warmest year on record in these islands. All of the top 10 warmest years have occurred in the past two decades, and four of the past five years appear in the top five warmest years. Taken together, that information doesn’t necessarily warm the heart. The idea of man-made global warming is alarming, to say the least, particularly as the will to address it is coming under enormous economic pressure nowadays, as the British government shows signs of stepping back from its green commitments. But once we’ve taken sober stock of these worrying developments, it’s also true to say that many sun-starved Brits are only too happy to find the temperature gently rising and skies slowly clearing (last year was also the…