The least of these, my brethren

The least of these, my brethren

The president of Black Power’s Whanganui chapter, Damien Kuru, is currently in prison for manslaughter. A jury found him guilty in the killing of Kevin Ratana, a Mongrel Mob member, even though he wasn’t…

Advice to the Mayor of Whananaki

Advice to the Mayor of Whananaki

I felt compelled to respond to Shane Jones – This mob mentality needs a short, sharp shock NZ Herald June 20th. I respect Shane Jones as a person of intellect and as an effective…

The Two Colossi of Ahuriri, Pat Magill and John Harre

The Two Colossi of Ahuriri, Pat Magill and John Harre

Closing a Community Chapter. The Two Colossi of Ahuriri, Pat Magill and John Harre   On Monday 24 April Pat Magill, my kaumatua Pākehā, tangata Tiriti, called a few of us together for a coffee at…

The obligation of citizenship

The obligation of citizenship

Denis O’Reilly’s community in Waiohiki, Hawke’s Bay, is one of many still reeling from Cyclone Gabrielle and the flooding. In this update, he writes about the continuing challenges, and why the census matters even…

Situation Report, Waiohiki. The scale of devastation is vast. Nerves are frayed.

Situation Report, Waiohiki. The scale of devastation is vast. Nerves are frayed.

Situation Report, Waiohiki, 1st March, 2023 Ranginui is relentless. The scale of devastation is vast. Behind what’s left of my home and down Omarunui Road it looks like the Somme. Individually and collectively our community…

Tihei mauri ora! Tihei Aotearoa

Tihei mauri ora! Tihei Aotearoa

( Waiohiki Flood Recovery-Givealittle ) I began this kōrero at Waipatu, Heretaunga, in Hastings, in the early morning hours of Saturday, February 18, 2023. The sun had not yet risen, but it will….

EDGE #431 – On the Brilliance of Katherine Mansfield + 39 Global Stories

EDGE #431 – On the Brilliance of Katherine Mansfield + 39 Global Stories

EDGE #430 – Ten Things to Keep in Mind Before Visiting NZ + 48 Global Stories –

EDGE #430 – Ten Things to Keep in Mind Before Visiting NZ + 48 Global Stories –

Putting Power in the Hands of Whanau

Putting Power in the Hands of Whanau

With submissions on the proposed Charities Amendment Bill closing a couple of days ago, Denis O’Reilly argues against the changing attitude towards charities and what he sees as the move away from a pragmatic,…

A Matter of Better Judgement

A Matter of Better Judgement

Cultural Reports under Section 27 of the Sentencing Act seek to address the entrenched asymmetry or negative disproportionality in criminal justice outcomes for Māori offenders. Its complex. Justice Sir Joe Williams holds that “We tend…

Sermon on the Mahau

Sermon on the Mahau

KNOX The following sermon, a panegyric for William Knockers Allen, was delivered on 7th November 2022 by Denis O’Reilly from the mahau, the front porch, of the whare Taamaki Makaurau at Ihumatao, Auckland, to members…

Tangata Tiriti – Learning to Stand Upright

Tangata Tiriti – Learning to Stand Upright

In late June 2022 I joined many other New Zealanders in celebrating Matariki. Maori-led and defined Matariki has emerged as our first recognised indigenous holiday, or if you prefer holy day, seeing that it…

EDGE #429 – 2022 Commonwealth Games NZ’s Most Successful + 24 Global Stories

EDGE #429 – 2022 Commonwealth Games NZ’s Most Successful + 24 Global Stories

Here we go Again

Here we go Again

If we don’t learn from the past, we are doomed to unsuccessfully grapple with present and future social problems. The Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern calls these problematics ‘wicked problems’. They are complex. Answers to…

Sort Out the Warriors

Sort Out the Warriors

It’s a man’s game. Jacinda Ardern should take over the Warriors. After what was looking like becoming a troublesome season for the Labour team, she has made some tough calls over positional play. I’ll…

EDGE #428 – Aldous Harding’s Latest a NY Times Critic’s Pick + 15 Global Stories

EDGE #428 – Aldous Harding’s Latest a NY Times Critic’s Pick + 15 Global Stories

A Great New Zealander You Most Likely Never Heard Of

A Great New Zealander You Most Likely Never Heard Of

In the year of my birth, 1952, a man from Timaru, and a student at the high school which I was later to attend, St Patrick’s Timaru, William Colin Mathew Durning (BDS, MDS, PhD),…

EDGE #427 Pandemic Effects Roil Aotearoa – End in Sight + 30 Global Stories

EDGE #427 Pandemic Effects Roil Aotearoa – End in Sight + 30 Global Stories

Laurie O’Reilly’s voice from the grave

Laurie O’Reilly’s voice from the grave

Last week I attempted to present to the Social Services and Communities Committee dealing with the ‘Oversight of Oranga Tamariki System and Children and Young People’s Commission Bill’. I am troubled by the intention…

EDGE #426 – Newsreader Oriini Kaipara Presents World-First + 15 Other global stories

EDGE #426 – Newsreader Oriini Kaipara Presents World-First + 15 Other global stories

EDGE #425 – How Peter Jackson Became a Local Hero after LOTR + 15 Other global stories

EDGE #425 – How Peter Jackson Became a Local Hero after LOTR + 15 Other global stories

EDGE #424 – Floeting Rings In A Revolutionary Diamond Setting + 27 Global Stories

EDGE #423 – What’s On Thomasin McKenzie’s Cultural Radar? + 15 Global Stories

EDGE #423 – What’s On Thomasin McKenzie’s Cultural Radar? + 15 Global Stories

EDGE #422 – New Zealanders Struggling to Find a Home + 24 Global Stories

EDGE #422 – New Zealanders Struggling to Find a Home + 24 Global Stories

EDGE #421 – Kinetic Façade Brings NZ Pavilion To Life At Expo 2020 + 27 Global Stories

EDGE #421 – Kinetic Façade Brings NZ Pavilion To Life At Expo 2020 + 27 Global Stories

EDGE #420 – Tokyo Paralympians Return Victorious + 25 Global Stories

EDGE #420 – Tokyo Paralympians Return Victorious + 25 Global Stories

EDGE #419 – New Zealand Olympians Triumph in Tokyo and 15 Global Stories

EDGE #419 – New Zealand Olympians Triumph in Tokyo and 15 Global Stories

We say goodbye to Creative Rebel Paratene Temokopuorongo Matchitt

We say goodbye to Creative Rebel Paratene Temokopuorongo Matchitt

Its Saturday. 24th July 2021. I’ve got other mahi to do but my soul tells me to write, if only briefly. I’ve got profound views on current worldly issues to share with you in…

EDGE #418 – Integrating Mātauranga into UNESCO’s Work +12 Global Stories

EDGE #418 – Integrating Mātauranga into UNESCO’s Work +12 Global Stories

EDGE #417 Lorde’s Just Scratching the Surface of Her Powers + 24 Global Stories

EDGE #417 Lorde’s Just Scratching the Surface of Her Powers + 24 Global Stories

EDGE #416 New Zealanders Flock Home to the Edge + 15 other global stories

EDGE #416 New Zealanders Flock Home to the Edge + 15 other global stories

EDGE #415 Crowded House Is Back and Loving It + 30 other global stories

EDGE #415 Crowded House Is Back and Loving It + 30 other global stories

He Poroporoaki mo Carl Meredith Bradley. BA. MA Ph.D

He Poroporoaki mo Carl Meredith Bradley. BA. MA Ph.D

Carl Bradley died suddenly last week. Just 52 years of age. He was a friend and colleague. Carl was an Aikido 4th Dan black belt and on an upward trajectory in his sport. He…

EDGE #414 Great Scotts Take First and Second in Texas + 25 Other Global Stories

EDGE #414 Great Scotts Take First and Second in Texas + 25 Other Global Stories

EDGE #413 Manaakitanga Behind Our Strong Covid Response+ 15 Global Kiwi Stories

EDGE #413 Manaakitanga Behind Our Strong Covid Response+ 15 Global Kiwi Stories

EDGE #412 Trapped in Museums for Centuries, Maori Ancestors Are Coming Home  + 27 Global Kiwi Stories

EDGE #412 Trapped in Museums for Centuries, Maori Ancestors Are Coming Home + 27 Global Kiwi Stories

EDGE #411 New Year Edition – Peter Jackson Astonishes With Beatles Documentary + 15 Global Kiwi Stories

EDGE #411 New Year Edition – Peter Jackson Astonishes With Beatles Documentary + 15 Global Kiwi Stories

EDGE #410 Holiday Edition – Richie McCaw World Rugby Player of the Decade + 24 Global Kiwi Stories

EDGE #410 Holiday Edition – Richie McCaw World Rugby Player of the Decade + 24 Global Kiwi Stories

EDGE #409 – Nanaia Mahuta “blazes new trails” as foreign minister – NY Times + 21 stories Happy Thanksgiving Edition

EDGE #409 – Nanaia Mahuta “blazes new trails” as foreign minister – NY Times + 21 stories Happy Thanksgiving Edition

EDGE #408 – Global Media Outlets React to Jacinda Ardern’s Win + 24

EDGE #408 – Global Media Outlets React to Jacinda Ardern’s Win + 24

EDGE #407 – New Zealand Passport Takes Top Spot + 15 other stories

EDGE #407 – New Zealand Passport Takes Top Spot + 15 other stories

EDGE #406 New Zealand a food producer of global scale + 33 other stories

EDGE #406 New Zealand a food producer of global scale + 33 other stories

EDGE #405 – Travel + Leisure Takes in the Best of Auckland + 24 more stories

EDGE #405 – Travel + Leisure Takes in the Best of Auckland + 24 more stories

EDGE #404 – How New Zealand Is Beating the Coronavirus Pandemic + 18 other stories

EDGE #404 – How New Zealand Is Beating the Coronavirus Pandemic + 18 other stories

EDGE# 403 – Helen Clark to co-Lead WHO COVID-19 Panel on Global Response, Future Prevention + 21 other stories

EDGE# 403 – Helen Clark to co-Lead WHO COVID-19 Panel on Global Response, Future Prevention + 21 other stories

Calling All Change Agents

Calling All Change Agents

In the mid 1980’s when the Whakatu meatworks closed we ran a programme at Waiohiki to support workers made redundant by the extraordinary restructuring of our economy. Men and women who previously had been…

EDGE #402 – New Zealand “The New Leader of the Free World” + 21 other stories

EDGE #402 – New Zealand “The New Leader of the Free World” + 21 other stories

EDGE #401 – New Zealand Will Be Waiting for You + 12 other stories

EDGE #401 – New Zealand Will Be Waiting for You + 12 other stories

EDGE #400 – The Economist: What Next for New Zealand’s Economy? + 12 other stories

EDGE #400 – The Economist: What Next for New Zealand’s Economy? + 12 other stories

EDGE #399 – New Zealand One of World’s Most Resilient Economies +12 other stories

EDGE #399 – New Zealand One of World’s Most Resilient Economies +12 other stories

EDGE #398 – Te Whaea: Our Lady of Aotearoa by Denis O’Reilly +12 other stories

EDGE #398 – Te Whaea: Our Lady of Aotearoa by Denis O’Reilly +12 other stories

Te Whaea: Our Lady of Aotearoa

Te Whaea: Our Lady of Aotearoa

By Denis O’Reilly. Late last year I attended the unveiling for the late Hon. Parekura Horomia. Helen Clark gave a panegyric for her deceased acolyte. At the time of the tangihana itself, Helen was…

EDGE #397 – PM Jacinda Ardern Inspires Across Planet + 20 other stories

EDGE #397 – PM Jacinda Ardern Inspires Across Planet + 20 other stories

Ruby Princess and the Great Discontinuity

Ruby Princess and the Great Discontinuity

Denis O’Reilly is a New Zealand community leader and activist. This is his 91st essay for nzedge.com. My time as a bouncer on the door at Ali Baba’s in Cuba St Wellington, circa 1975,…

EDGE #396 – Charles Ma, City Maker, Leads Thinking in Knight Frank City Wellbeing Index + 12 Other Stories

EDGE #396 – Charles Ma, City Maker, Leads Thinking in Knight Frank City Wellbeing Index + 12 Other Stories

EDGE #395 – Jennifer Ward-Lealand Te Atamira named Kiwibank’s New Zealander of the Year + 12 Other Stories

EDGE #395 – Jennifer Ward-Lealand Te Atamira named Kiwibank’s New Zealander of the Year + 12 Other Stories