James Hector: father of GeoNet 27 Aug 2013 | 07:27 am

James Hector, about 1875 The first European immigrants in the 19th-century quickly learnt that earthquakes were part of life in New Zealand, especially after the damage caused by the 1848 Marlborough...

Do the All Blacks miss mud? 23 Aug 2013 | 07:23 am

So, this question came to mind as I was trawling through images to illustrate our just-published story: Sport and the nation. I should preface all this by pointing out I haven’t been a rugby follower...

Christchurch revisited 22 Aug 2013 | 08:25 am

In between the two recent large Seddon earthquakes I revisited Christchurch. The joke at the time was that I was going to escape the earthquakes. Of course, I didn’t escape them. And in Christchurch, ...

Suitable for young people?: controversial children’s literature 5 Aug 2013 | 10:05 am

The book in the centre of New Zealand's most recent children's book controversy (cover image courtesy of Ted Dawes) When Into the river by Ted Dawe won the young adult fiction category at the New Zea...

In celebration of daily life 1 Aug 2013 | 04:47 am

An art deco living room, recreated in the 2000s (click for image credit) Today we mark the launch of three stories about domestic life in New Zealand: Home décor and furnishings, Card and board games...

Quake quiz 29 Jul 2013 | 07:50 am

Arsenic at Waiuta 25 Jul 2013 | 04:36 am

Sign warning of contamination at the site of the old processing plant, Waiuta The recent announcement that the government is to commit money to clean up arsenic pollution at the historic West Coast m...

Yesterday’s Seddon 6.5 magnitude earthquake 22 Jul 2013 | 06:48 am

Map showing the epicentres of the recent quakes (Source: Geonet) Yesterday, at 5.09 in the afternoon, a magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck in Cook Strait, between the North and South islands. It was fel...

In-the-field research: motor sport 16 Jul 2013 | 09:56 am

Mark pretends to be a petrolhead – for research purposes Here at Te Ara we try to acquire as much background knowledge as possible of our subject matter, but there are times when we find ourselves wo...

Sad anniversary: 150 years since the start of the Waikato war 12 Jul 2013 | 06:13 am

A (highly idealised) depiction of Rewi Maniapoto at the battle of Ōrākau, April 1864 – the final battle of the Waikato war (Click for image credit) Over the next five years much public attention will...