Today in NZ history- 29/10/1894 - SS Wairarapa wrecked on Great Barrier IslandIt remains the third deadliest shipwreck ever in New Zealand waters: 121 lives were lost when the steamer Wairarapa struck Miners Head, the north-west point of Great Barrier Island, 90 km north-east of Auckland.
- 29/10/1919 - Women can stand for ParliamentThe passing of the Women’s Parliamentary Rights Act enabled women to stand for election to the House of Representatives, 26 years after they won the right to vote.
- 29/10/1995 - Forgotten silver film hoax screenedPeter Jackson and Costa Botes' documentary about Colin McKenzie, a forgotten hero of early New Zealand movie-making, was later revealed as the biggest Kiwi film hoax of the century.
- 30/10/1865 - Native Land Court created The Native Land Court was one of the key products of the Native Lands Act 1865. It enabled the conversion of traditional communal landholdings into individual titles, making it much easier for Pākehā to purchase Māori land.
- 29/10/1894 - SS Wairarapa wrecked on Great Barrier Island
Category Archives: writing
Quality sportswriting in the Dom-Post
From an article about the Hurricanes rugby team’s early-season performance. These are consecutive paragraphs: The worry for Boyd was whether the rest of the side would take up the slack. Goodes has been a revelation. He got his chance, when … Continue reading
Her, him and their
From stuff.co.nz this morning: The official who let the Malaysian Government believe New Zealand was comfortable with a diplomat accused of attempted rape going home, should consider their career options, the prime minister says. I get pissed off when people … Continue reading
Posted in Language, writing
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Burnishing bullshit with buzzwords
LinkedIn is a social media site with a business focus. But while it largely eschews Facebook-type trivia, it thrives on organisational bullshit. Today I got a link request from someone I didn’t know, who clothed patent inadequacy in all the … Continue reading
Gobbledygook
A friend who works at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida has sent me a wonderful example of writing from that center’s Daily News staff communication. Spaceport Innovators Today: Facilitating Disruptive Innovation Spaceport Innovators is a KSC cross-directorate open group that improves … Continue reading
Bursting into print again
My new book comes off the printing press this week. Compared to my other books it’s minimal, at 11,000 words and 40 pages. But a lot of work went into it, and not just the recent writing and layout. It’s … Continue reading
Posted in family history, Genealogy, publishing, writing
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