Heart of the city

It's all very well to make the news and carry umbrellas and keep dry shoes
And say what everyone's saying here - and wear what everyone else must wear

But today I'm tired of the whole affair - I want free life and I want fresh air
I want to go to Garden Place - curl my hair and paint my face

Grab a coffee and a chair - find half of Council sitting there
Surf the net in the wi-fi space - read a yarn in the story place

Take the kids and grandma,too, take the monkeys from the zoo
Watch pink scooters hurtle by, gaze at the web cam in the sky
See the river passing through, listen to poetry as you do
Paint a picture! care to dance? in Garden Place, you'll have your chance!

Don't undersell yourselves, girls

I suspect that this headline in the Waikato Times of 4 July was written by a male sub-editor who would himself expect to be described as an adult. We are unlikely to see a headline which reads, "Don't undersell yourselves, boys".

According to the article, women are responsible for earning on average 12% less than men because we don't sell ourselves well. The recently dis-established Pay Equity Unit of the Department of Labour might have provided a more thoughtful analysis; as did Margaret Wilson's recent lecture at the university: It is time to talk about women - again, in which she outlined progress in women's participation in the public life of this country and where we still have a way to go.

Cutting classes!

If you have picked up a Continuing Education supplement from your letter box this weekend you will know that from next year most high schools will no longer offer evening classes. Each year, more than 200,000 New Zealanders attend these safe, affordable and accessible classes.

I could accept the need for cuts if this government were not spending additional billions on roading. In a recession, more than ever, these classes are needed to enable people to gain skills, build confidence and remain connected to the community. For some, attending a class at the local high school may be the first tentative step on the way to further learning.

For people coping with difficult or stressful situations attending an evening class is a better option than swallowing pills or playing the pokies.