Mum’s worries are never over

It’s fairly natural as a mother to wonder sometimes what life would be like if you hadn’t had children. I’d be two dress sizes smaller and my bank balance many sizes larger. But I would also never have experienced the overpowering feeling of wanting to protect my children at any cost: an instinct, I now realise, that doesn’t go away, no matter what my child’s age.

My heart has wrenched in past weeks over two examples of mothers whose children have been scrutinised on a world stage.

The first is the mother of murdered backpacker Grace Millane. Gillian Millane’s face has shown the hell she and her family have been through even more starkly than the words spoken by her husband after the guilty verdict was handed down last week.

I have no doubt the sympathy of every mother was being telepathically sent to Gillian Millane as she had to listen to the horrible, debasing and agonising details of her daughter’s death, and the hours leading up to it. Listening as Grace’s reputation was dragged through the mud, while the accused’s identity remained hidden.

There is no protection for the reputation of those who have died, something I have always found unfair, but never more than this time.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, another mother has faced a very different dilemma over one of her children. The Queen showed her support for her purported favourite, Prince Andrew, despite his association with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. She travelled to church and went horse-riding with him in very public displays of solidarity, despite a media hunt and public displeasure.

When her child made the astounding decision to do a 45-minute interview in an attempt to defend himself, the royal matriarch swooped in to protect him, and her family’s reputation, one which happens to have a value of about $88 billion.

It is public relations 101 to prepare for an interview. When it’s a 45-minute interrogation involving allegations of underage sex with a co-conspirator who has committed suicide, you would prepare long and hard, anticipate the questions and have well-rehearsed answers.

His responses were ill-considered and arrogant, and he offered no sympathy to the victims of sexual abuse. Instead, word by word, Prince Andrew created a huge mess for his mother to try to clean up.

He didn’t even consider the wider consequences that have included a dramatic withdrawal of sponsorship. Even the fashion designer hired to create his daughter Beatrice’s wedding dress has pulled out to avoid brand damage.

He made the correct response days later while announcing his withdrawal from royal duties. His words were no doubt written by the royal PR machine and approved by his mother.

All in all, the Queen is looking at just another train wreck served up by her family. But this time it is far more serious. It’s not adultery or bickering over private jets, it’s a grown-up child who has, unapologetically, been hanging out with a criminal.

So, if you think motherhood gets easier once your children have flown the nest, it is clear from the past week’s heart-wrenching examples that it’s just the opposite.

The role of being a mother is many and varied; it can bring so much pleasure and so much pain.

My heart goes out to our 93-year-old Queen, who really should be able to expect better from her adult children.

And our hearts go to you, Gillian Millane, and your family – we weep alongside you.

The occupier/protesters of the ship in Timaru’s port at present are hypocrites in claiming they are against oil exploration but they are all clad in clothing derived from oil. Their footwear, outer and more than likely inner clothing, fluoro jackets, helmets, bedding, are all derived from oil.

So they say one thing and do another. The day they use and wear items not derived from oil they will be due some credibility. At the moment they are sadly lacking any.

Discussion over the deteriorating quality of our rivers and lakes and the systemic undermining of our environment has been going on for the last few decades. An article ‘‘Troubled Waters’’ recently published in the New Zealand Geographic magazine argues at length about the potential of mitigating the detrimental effects of modern farming practices.

This substantial investigating piece has subsequently been used by the

Qualifications Authority in an exam paper provoking valuable thought processes for students.

The National Party is adverse to the article being used and National MP Amy Adams claims it is brainwashing students and is anti-farming.

As climate change changes the landscape of the world, people everywhere are re-evaluating the effects of traditional ways of life and in particular industrial farming methods.

Fortunately a new farming philosophy has gained recognition originally based on organic techniques and progressing to regenerative farming methods that improve soil quality and boost production. This new science uses no chemical fertilisers or industrial sprays and reduces damage to groundwater and the environment substantially.

In line with this new thinking the Government has put pressure on farmers to reduce nutrient losses into groundwater, rivers and lakes. At the same time the Ministry of Primary Industries is assisting farmers to reconsider the land use and the reduction of the damaging effects of topdressing with nitrogen and heavy irrigation. So the world is changing and seeking new ways of working with nature. In this area New Zealand and its farmers are leading the world.

What were the idiots in Wellington thinking of when they decided to call prisoners by their first names, or, ‘‘men in our care’’, or even ‘‘paihere’’, which is te reo for ‘‘bundle’’.

Corrections Minister Kelvin Davis said the idea was, ‘‘to humanise the people in prisons’’ and also to ‘‘uphold their mana’’. Another Corrections officer has been told to refer to prisoners as ‘‘clients’’.

Were these people ‘‘upholding their mana’’ when they committed the crimes that put them in prison?

They have also decided to allow the prisoners serving three years or less to vote at elections. This would add about 2000 extra voting papers to be counted.

Does the Labour Party think the prisoners would all vote Labour, and are they thinking the election count would be that close? I don’t think so.

I suspect the overall effect of these difficult NCEA exams will be the exact opposite of what was intended. Larger numbers of students will be turned off ...