Writing about European affairs for a New Zealand audience may seem, at first glance, a bit of a strange pastime. What happens in European domestic politics rarely seems to matter down here. Read more
The incoming government has been entrenched in drawn-out coalition negotiations. Across the table from National Party leader Christopher Luxon sit the leaders of two minor parties, both basking in the now-fading glow of recent electoral successes, eagerly eyeing their slices of the economic pie. Read more
Dr Michael Johnston talks to Dr Claudia Rozas Gomez, who is a lecturer in Critical Studies in Education at the University of Auckland. In this episode, they discuss issues and criticisms around university-based teacher education. Read more
When Wellington Airport installed licence plate readers to streamline parking and passenger pickup and drop-off, it did not have to beg Wellington City Council to find room in the council’s 10-year plan for funding. Though partially council-owned, the Airport funds its own operations out of its own revenues and makes its own decisions. Read more
The outcome of New Zealand’s recent coalition negotiations marks only the beginning of the next three years of government. But the principles and policies outlined in the agreements suggest the country now has a reformist administration ready to rebuild the economy, refine regulations, and expand choice in social services. Read more
Many readers will remember being in streamed classes at school. Perhaps you were in a top English class but a lower maths class. Read more
One of my grad school professors recommended Yes, Minister for better understanding the British public service. The series was superb. Read more
Real work begins for the new Government Whatever way you look at it, 2023 has been a long slog for the centre-right parties now trying to seal a coalition deal. The election campaign was unusually long. Read more
Dr Michael Johnston and Ben Macintyre talk about the impact of classroom streaming in NZ, which is the subject of their new research report. It is a topic of debate in NZ, with calls for the practice to be banned by 2030. Read more
The same supervolcano that provides one of the country’s bigger sources of catastrophic risk could well prove part of the answer to one of the country’s bigger problems on the path to 2050. It also helps to illustrate one of the problems in New Zealand’s approach to planning for net zero. Read more
Everyone has a story: where they come from, what they believe in, what they strive for. Such self-mythologies can have powerful effects when they are based on positive values. Read more
Classroom streaming – the separation of students into classes based on their prior attainment – is currently a topic of debate in New Zealand. Some commentators have called for the practice to be banned. Read more
Our latest education report Class Divides?: The impact of streaming on educational achievement and equality was featured in Newstalk ZB's morning news segment across Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. Listen below. Read more
Wellington (Monday, 20 November 2023) – There have been calls to ban streaming in New Zealand schools. Streaming is the practice of separating students into different classes based on their prior learning. Read more
Newstalk ZB mentions Dr Michael Johnston regarding his inquiries to the Ministry of Education about basic information about modern learning environments. Listen below. Read more