Thoughts are with Buzz Aldrin, who went to the moon and back. Unfortunately he has ended up at the mercy of an underfunded NZ health system

Spare a thought today for Buzz Aldrin who was medivac’d from the South Pole to Christchurch Hospital by the American National Science Foundation. A statement on his website gave the following information: EVACUATION TO CHRISTCHURCH NEW ZEALAND – 1915 UTC Thursday 1st December. The evacuation flight for Buzz Aldrin has successfully landed at Christchurch, New…

Migrant Tales – Gurveer Singh’s Story: Revealing the Bay of Plenty’s Racism Underbelly

Welcome to our series of Migrant Tales – hundreds and hundreds of first-hand accounts of the migrant experience of New Zealand Gurveer Singh’s story was first published in the Bay of Plenty Times. His tale is a fairly common one among migrants in New Zealand – they fall for the immigration websites’ hard sell, pay…

All of Marlborough’s GPs Are “Full” As Almost 20% of Clinics Close Their Doors to New Patients Around NZ

More evidence emerged today of New Zealand’s failing health system with the news that 182 health clinics across the country have stopped accepting new patients, including all the clinics in Marlborough. More than 150 medical clinics around New Zealand have closed their doors to new patients. People barred from joining their chosen clinic face will…

Families Leave Kaikoura as First School Reopens, Aftershocks Continue to Rattle Residents. List of Damaged Buildings Begins to Emerge

Similar to what happened after the Christchurch earthquake, residents have began leaving the small town of Kaikoura after the massive 7.8 earthquake on the 14 November 2016. The large magnitude of the quake made it one of the world’s three largest earthquakes in 2016, and second in magnitude to only one New Zealand earthquake since…

Kaikoura Business People Talk About Their Post-Quake Survival Fears for the Town.

Small business people in Kaikoura talk to John Campbell about life in the township; and the long, hard road back to some semblance of normality. Click on the above image to listen to the interviews Some are coping better than others with post-quake hardships. The interviewees in order of appearance are : Dave Mckee –…