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The simple announcement of a show for children sparked two petitions, a series of articles and plenty of community comment that stretched nearly two months, Doug Sail discovered when he reviewed the news that made headlines in August 2020 as part of our series looking back on the year that was. A Timaru woman launched a petition calling on the town’s library to cancel an event which would have seen a drag queen duo address children on diversity. Taranaki-based drag queens Erika and Coco Flash were due to visit Timaru on August 20 to deliver their Rainbow Story Time NZ session as part of a...

Claire Trevett: The lol-lights and comedy awards of 2020 23 Dec, 2020 04:00 PM 5 minutes to read OPINION: The hunt for the laughs in 2020 was particularly challenging. In politics, not much good happened to anyone other than Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. Her re-election with a full majority in Parliament was the reward for having to contend with all the crap (there is no other word for it, sorry) 2020 unloaded on her desk. Even the PM admitted she would have been happy to trade in a few seats for a less fraught year. The election result emerges. Cartoon / Rod Emmerson But ...

BEJON HASWELL/Stuff Rangitata MP Andrew Falloon, pictured in Timaru on July 8, 2020, 12 days before his resignation over allegations of sending an indecent image. A scandal involving former Rangitata MP Andrew Falloon was a dominating feature of July’s news writes Doug Sail, as we continue our series looking back on the year that was. Rangitata MP Andrew Falloon resigned in disgrace in July after it was revealed he had sent an indecent image to a young woman. The 37-year-old National Party MP, elected to Parliament in 2017, announced in a press release on July 20 that he would not be cont...

Bejon Haswell/Stuff A large crowd gathered to watch the Pleasant Point Christmas Parade. The parade has gained notoriety for its “politically incorrect” comedy floats alongside the regular Christmas parade entries from local businesses, schools and community groups although Friday night's event seemed tamer than usual. Bejon Haswell/Stuff A float referencing the Speaker of the House Trevor Mallard using taxpayer money to settle a defamation lawsuit. Denton said she doesn’t think this reflects a change in the parade’s tone or that there are subjects people aren’t finding funny any...

A year in politics 2020 was a punishing and relentless year in politics, both abroad and at home. We take a look back at the ‘unprecedented’ year. It was a year which exhausted the word “unprecedented” and forever tainted the exhortation: “be kind”. In early December, MPs went hard and early into the summer break as Parliament shut up shop for the year. Lucky for some. January The year 2020 began roughly a year ago. MPs were gearing up for the election with National in the box-seat to govern. Multiple polls had National ahead of Labour. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s daughter ...