Cites Dictator’s emphasis on health, education throughout Latin America Fidel Castro was a “giant” who saved Cuba from revolving door coups and counter coups declares New Zealander Bernard Diederich who was a close friend of Castro’s since his ascent to power. Mr Diederich and his wife were on the invitation list for the 10th anniversary of the Cuba revolution. Had it not been for Castro, emphasises Mr Diederich, Cuba would simply be another “poor and uneducated” Latin nation. Mr Diederich cites Castro’s intense interest in science and religion as additional, and unrecognised, aspects to the personality of the dictator. Mr…

Personally wheeled in drinks trolley to New Zealand dealer employees   Gentlemen Your news of the deal that Henry Ford 11 sought to make with New Zealand prime minister Keith Holyoake in Wellington in the mid 1960s has the ring of truth. Mr Ford, and it was always “Mr” Ford, was like his grandfather the founding Henry Ford (pictured) in that he was a production and marketing genius. He saw opportunities in terms of great simplicity. He had also the gift of the common touch. When he and his Detroit group came to Wellington they stayed at the White Heron…

Henry Ford offered Keith Holyoake a game changer. | Napier - MSCNewsWire - Tuesday 22 Nov, 2016 | Just over a half century  ago Henry Ford proposed to New Zealand prime minister Keith Holyoake a deal that would have forever changed the face of the economy. The deal was this... If the New Zealand government would allow Ford to bring its cars into New Zealand fully built-up and ready for the road, then the Ford Motor Company, said Mr Ford (pictured at the time) would make New Zealand one of its key centres globally for the supply of castings and…

Was too busy to pick up award from Governor General   | Napier-MSCNewsWire-18 Nov 16 |  Bob Dylan is too busy to meet the Nobel Prize committee to pick up his Nobel Prize. He has, instead, he claims “other engagements.” The musician's determination to stick to his routine will remind New Zealand provincial historians of a similar business-as-usual determination in the face also of the collection of an award. The local incident similarly involved a notable, this time one involved in the practice of local government. The mayor of Woodville was too busy to receive the Governor General Sir Bernard…

Reminder of HMS Veronica at Napier Earthquake |  Napier - MSCNewsWire - Thursday 17 Nov,2016 | The full steam to Kaikoura by the United States Navy brings to a close the high water mark of the New Zealand contribution to international political correctness which took the form of outlawing from ports US Navy vessels. In the event the steaming of the USS Sampson to Kaikoura has about it overtones of the support provided by HMS Veronica to Napier when the British naval vessel happened to be in port during and after the Hawkes Bay earthquake, the nation’s worst. New Zealand’s…

Bank officials proclaim themselves “stoked” by disappearance of depositor protection. In a remarkable display of modern financial marketing presentation techniques the cancellation of Kiwbank’s deposit guarantee is being portrayed as an advantage for........Kiwibank’s depositors.  The 14 year old deposit insurance scheme will disappear on February 28 next year. The deposit guarantee was always an important selling proposition for Kiwibank. The reason is that other New Zealand bank deposits are not guaranteed by anyone and certainly not the government. Kiwibank marketeers are slickly presenting the pending disappearance of the bank deposit guarantee as an example of the bank maturing and generally…

Sports Medicine Growth Keeps Medicos Mum. When Muhammad Ali came to the Hutt Valley in 1979 a member of his entourage was a stooped man who passed unnoticed even to boxing aficionados. It was in fact Jimmy Ellis, former World Heavyweight champion, and the author of Ali’s favourite tag line, Float Like a Butterfly/Sting Like a Bee. At that time all those years ago the late Jimmy Ellis (pictured) we now know was in the grip of dementia pugilistica. The stilling of all official condemnation of boxing remains one of the weirdest silences in today’s age of officially imposed urban…