At midnight last night, submissions closed on the Education and Training Amendment Bill (No. 2). The bill would introduce new measures to protect academic freedom, which is defined in the Education and Training Act as ‘the freedom of academic staff and students, within the law, to question and test received wisdom, to put forward new ideas, and to state controversial or unpopular opinions.’ These measures are sorely needed. Read more

Like most of the developed world, we in New Zealand live – we like to think – in a representative democracy. Rather than directly voting on issues, we vote for politicians who represent us in Parliament and in local councils. Read more

Last week, the University of Otago came out with its new statement on institutional neutrality – a statement that was not only new, but that also forged a bold new approach to the whole concept of neutrality. Institutional neutrality, the statement declares, ‘means that University leaders will not communicate institutional positions on controversial political topics except where such issues directly impact the University’s role or functions.’ So far, so neutral – and nothing much that’s new. Read more

‘History doesn’t repeat,’ Mark Twain is said to have said, ‘but it often rhymes.’ And there could hardly be a better example of two events rhyming than the recent Canadian and Australian elections. In both countries, the centre-right was flying high in the polls, with leads of up to 20% in Canada and 10% in Australia. Read more

Worries about social cohesion are on the rise. Initiative Chair Roger Partridge aired his concerns in the Herald last month, and this month saw the launch of a report on the subject by the Helen Clark Foundation. Read more

Struggling to think of a good topic for a humorous column this week, I unexpectedly got a major break when my name was – unbelievably – added to a Signal messaging group of top New Zealand government officials. The texts reveal the magnitude of some of the problems that New Zealand politicians have to deal with. Read more

As someone who is fond of a tipple but who is also unhealthily health-conscious, I’ve long tried to keep up with news on the science of alcohol and health. My main response has been mild bemusement, as booze has been declared to be not so good for you, then actually pretty good for you, and – more recently – Very Much Not Good for You At All. Read more

Panic ensued this week after it was revealed that young people have been going to summer music festivals, listening to music – and in some cases even getting drunk. As a report for RNZ revealed, there has been a crackdown on outdoor festivals all through the summer, with four postponed and another four cancelled outright. Read more

A few years ago, when I was still a classics lecturer, I started to notice a disturbing trend. Scholars were being denounced on Twitter (RIP) for wrongthink. Read more