The craving by New Zealand real estate agencies to reinvent the language is a continuing source of amusement.

Something which always grates is the ridiculous common-place expression “Each and every”, usually used for emphasis.

Contrary to everyone’s worst fears the Inauguration went off without any incident across America.

Last week I pointed out how New Zealand women had become smitten with New Zealand Initiative boss Oliver Hartwich and for the eight years he’s been here, have, according to Internal Affairs, been naming their babies after him.

I’ve broken into shaking fits recently but have happily now located the problem. It transpires I’ve been going through withdrawal symptoms as it’s nigh on six weeks since the Herald last gave the greatest piece of journalistic fiction in this country’s history a run, namely “The Tragic Life and Death of Sonny Fai”. They first created this non-story 12 years back and have used it regularly as a filler ever since.