It says much about the character of Colin Meads that when he unveiled a bronze statue of himself in his hometown of Te Kuiti earlier this summer, the All Black legend felt the need to apologise to the large crowd that had gathered in tribute to him.

CANADIAN Margaret Atwood is one of the most acclaimed and prolific authors of the past 30-plus years, a woman of towering intellect and imagination. 

Lawyers for a nurse accused of fatally shooting a new mother and speeding away with the dying woman’s infant son said she was confused and mumbling in court today, and they plan to review her mental state.