OpinionOpinion byGlenn DwightStudio creative director and occasional writer ·The Country·20 Jun, 2026 05:01 PM5 mins to readGlenn Dwight is the studio creative director – regional at NZME and an occasional writer for The Country.‌Scattered across New Zealand are a special group of people who proudly deny the cold and continue wearing shorts to spite winter. Photo / Pexels, Masood AslamiToday is officially the shortest day of the year, the winter solstice, and there are many ways New Zealanders choose to celebrate the occasion.

Some avoid the day entirely and, like bears, hibernate beneath a cave of blankets, beanies, and hot water bottles, only emerging for food, which, in keeping