The next issue (April 2019) will be a milestone, because it will be Watchdog 150. We marked number 100 (way back in August 2002) by inviting members’ and readers’ comments, and published 2-3 pages of them in that issue. You can read them at http://www.converge.org.nz/watchdog/00/02.htm (it’s rather poignant to realise that several of those who wrote are no longer with us). It has taken us 17 years to get from number 100 to number 150 (at three issues per year) and we can’t guarantee that Watchdog or CAFCA will last another 17 years to make it to number 200 (not to mention me. If I do, I’ll be 85).

We’ve never opened up Watchdog’s pages to letters – at three issues per year it’s not practical, and frankly there’s not room, what with all the other stuff we have to fit into it (the digital equivalent of letters to the editor is Facebook. CAFCA’s Facebook address is http://tinyurl.com/cafcafb). But we think that turning 150 is a good enough reason to make an exception. So, we’re inviting members’ and readers’ comments. Send them to us by no later than March 1, to cafca@chch.planet.org.nz or by snail mail to CAFCA, Box 2258, Christchurch 8140.