"The blessing of democracy," he called it, and what he meant was that he had spent day after day, meeting after meeting, hearing from people he helped govern.
The four commissioners -- a doctor, a scientist, a bishop and a retired chief justice -- held dozens of public meetings, heard expert witnesses from New Zealand and abroad, and worked through more than 10,000 submissions from the public.
In the weeks running up to the launch, public meetings heard complaints that the docks could prove to be a hazard by getting in the way of fire trucks.
By the time they are sitting at the spring IEP meeting, hearing once again how little progress their child has made that year, they are totally *that* parent.
Poachers use automatic weapons and high-calibre hunting rifles to kill the animals, the meeting heard.
The meeting heard that the project had raised issues on reporting for Guardian journalists.
The meeting heard that the region had faced severe food shortages at least five times in the past 10 years.
The meeting heard an appeal from Ishmael Beah, above, who fought in Sierra Leone's civil war as a teenager.
Ivory from Mozambique has been traced to markets in Hong Kong and Taiwan, but trinkets and carvings are also sold at craft markets in Maputo, the meeting heard.
The meeting heard that although record numbers of rhino were killed in 2015, the rate of increase across Africa had slowed.
The meeting heard that Parklands' GCSE results exceeded the national target but a declining roll and difficult financial situation made sustaining progress difficult beyond 2011.
