People with office jobs typically find it hard to explain what they do. Government officials are no exception. Read more
Last week, an Uber driver surprised me in a conversation about the recent Court of Appeal decision classifying four Uber drivers as employees rather than contractors. My driver was blunt. Read more
Local councils and central government are in some financial difficulty. They own and operate many commercial assets with mixed objectives and mixed success. Read more
No longer content with only overseeing human enterprises, the Commerce Commission has set its eyes on perfecting New Zealand’s flora and fauna. “We have found unfair advantages in New Zealand’s ecosystems,” said a Commission spokesperson. Read more
On Sunday, Germany experienced a political earthquake. For the first time since 1933, a far-right party, the Alternative for Germany (AfD), became the largest party in a state election. Read more
Academic freedom is an essential ingredient in any flourishing university system. It allows ideas to be put forward and debated, and thus underpins high-quality research and teaching. Read more
Misguided good intentions paved the way for this winter’s energy crisis. Fortunately, the country has avoided blackouts. Read more
New Zealand often reminds me of The Shire, the peaceful abode of the hobbits in J.R.R. Tolkien’s books. Read more
Classic-era Simpsons episodes may not have had the solutions to all of life’s problems, but they did get a few things right. Be sceptical of monorail salesmen. Read more
A short walk from Wellington’s shiny Tākina Convention Centre, a burst water main floods Kent Terrace. This contrast between impressive civic buildings and failing infrastructure captures local government's challenge: finding a balance between ambition, financial responsibility, independence and accountability. Read more
A Bargain Chemist in Upper Hutt has been unable to dispense prescriptions since it opened in 2022. Its website simply notes “Prescriptions not currently available”. Read more
Captain Williard’s response to Colonel Kurtz’s question about his methods, in Apocalypse Now, is among the most classic lines in cinema. Kurtz, who had clearly gone mad, asked Willard whether Willard saw Kurtz’s methods as unsound. Read more
“We have become a corporate body concerned about brand image in a content marketing world in a climate of cancel culture,” lamented one academic. “I feel my job is at risk if I question the direction the university is taking. Read more
A couple years before the outbreak of the Second World War, the philosopher Karl Popper moved across the world to take up a position at what was then Canterbury College. Popper, who lost no fewer than sixteen family members in the Holocaust, was under no illusions about what would have happened to him had he stayed in Vienna. Read more
As localism – the idea that local communities should have more control over decisions that affect them – gains political capital, questions naturally arise: What would localist policies look like? What do councils think about localism? Read more
