Compiling the best reading of the week from your friendly local website.
Gareth Morgan: Why is a Right-to-Life campaigner leading the inquiry in the right to assisted death?
“To have the Chair of our Health Select Committee not open to evidence and reasoning is a travesty of natural justice, indefensible anywhere apart from a theological state like Iran or Saudi Arabia.”
Iain Sharp: Why are so many New Zealand book reviewers so gutless?
“If I feel the same hesitance to name names nowadays as I did back then, it’s because there are too many. We could shoot Bernard Carpinter, fire David Larsen off in a rocket to circle Jupiter and give Dale Williams a pat on the head with a greenstone club, but the other rounders-up are no better.”
José Barbosa: Backseat Driver featuring Anika Moa
Forced to follow Anika Moa’s commands to the letter, José Barbosa must complete one level in a video game.
Madeleine Chapman: Men in business class, women in economy: A tale of two T20 World Cups
“If players’ revenue-earning potential is the deciding factor, doesn’t that mean we should pick the most exciting players – the Chris Gayles – and fly them first class? Then take the most boring players – the Mark Richardsons – and fly them economy?”
Alex Casey: Bachelorette legend Chrystal Chenery on the new season of The Bachelor
“We figured it out halfway through filming – if you were bitching about someone, and you happened to see a camera, you’d literally have to hold a cup in front of your face, do something really weird, or swear. You just have to ruin the scene completely.”
Tara Ward: Sam Heughan talks Outlander and Loch Ness Monster truths
“The problem is that I’m a fake ginger. It’s kind of upsetting because they really are ginger, and they’re pasty and white as well. Whereas I’ve got that Jamie Fraser, slightly dirty, swarthy skin. I’m very proud to be a pseudo-ginger.”
Toby Manhire: ‘The rounding out of Paula Bennett’: Lunch with National’s rising star
“I grew up in the most macho, male environment: older brothers, different rules for the only girl, I grew up in a really male dominated environment – and when even my 82-year-old dad is saying, actually that might have been all right in my day, but it’s not all right now, society’s changed.”