Gordon Walters became ‘infamous’ for his koru paintings. Let’s just get that out of the way. His name became synonymous with appropriation: the koru symbol appropriated from Māori, for personal gain and fame. These images are everywhere. Less well-known are his other images. I was lucky enough to have a book loaned to me: Francis […]
This is the start of my education, circa 1956. It’s odd to think that I end my working life in the education system. I never meant to but some jobs I had made me feel I needed a little more of a challenge than stripping mould frills off soap (McLeods), straightening labels on coffee jars […]
And today I got to see A thousand ropes. What can I say? It’s disconcerting and comforting to see the familiar places in Wellington and hear the accent; it’s wonderful to see faces that seem familiar (and some are); to see Leon Narbey’s photography and more great work from editor Annie Collins. That’s before we […]
It’s a while since I bought light bulbs and visiting Mitre 10 on Saturday was a bit. Um. Mind boggling. It was really helpful to have the large signs above each type of light explaining the relationship in lumens and watts. I now have in my house: Eco classic bulb in the loo LED in […]
Second day of early old age (:-)) I saw two movies: Moonlight at the Lighthouse cinema in Pauatahanui and The Orator at home on dvd. Both are moving stories of outsiders who find a sense of resolution. I enjoyed The Orator because it is close to home. But also because of the beautifully understated story […]
I’m lucky enough to live in a country that has universal superannuation. Those of us over 65 also get a gold card, which allows us free travel between certain times of the day. It was introduced in 2007 when politician Winston Peters, then (and now) leader of NZ First Party lobbied for its introduction as […]
I first heard of neoliberalism via Michael Apple who talked about its impact on education. Lately it’s become a bit of a catch cry for what’s wrong with the world. I remember having a heated discussion with a receptionist at a local educational institute when I objected to students being called ‘clients’ or ‘customers’. I […]
