It can take courage to champion what you believe in. Especially when your views are at odds with those of the crowd. Read more
One of the underappreciated joys of parenthood is lying to your children. Children are full of questions. Read more
Confirmation came this week that New Zealand’s once world-leading school system continues its steady decline. Ever since the OECD began testing the educational performance of 15-year olds in the early 2000s, New Zealand students have performed progressively worse in all three assessed areas of reading, maths and science. Read more
Despite what Education Minister Chris Hipkins would have us believe, you cannot simply google everything. Technology has undoubtedly transformed our ability to access information, but despite what Hipkins told Newshub, memory still matters. Read more
Moving to New Zealand in 2003 was a bit like stepping into an underpowered time machine. The new-release movies in theatre were ones that had hit the big screen in the US months earlier. Read more
The Ministry of Business’ Fair Pay Agreement discussion paper released last month took a long time coming. The ministry sat on it for 10 months following the release of the Bolger-led Fair Pay Agreement Working Group’s report last December. Read more
When the government presses ahead with incomprehensible proposals, you have to ask “Why?” A classic example is the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment’s Discussion Paper, Designing a Fair Pay Agreements System. Submissions in response to the Discussion Paper were due earlier this week. Read more
On Monday, Lawyers for Climate Action (LfCA) launched in the New Zealand Parliament. It was the silk-wearing equivalent of protesting school children. Read more
This week, opposition leader Simon Bridges announced he would introduce an elite anti-gang task force if elected. Loosely modelled on Australia’s Strike Force Raptor, such a policy may be appropriate on the other side of the ditch. Read more
Forgive them for they know not what they have done. Even for those of us without religious convictions, this is not a bad rule of thumb. Read more
It is too easy to convince ourselves of things that are not true. We all do it and it is hard to avoid. Read more
No one has ever accused the Germans of boundless optimism. There is a reason the word Weltschmerz (world-weariness) was once coined in Germany. Read more
Imagine putting $100 in a bank account that earned 2% annual interest but being unable to calculate how much would be there at the end of one year? ($102) As an NBR reader, that question was probably easy to answer. Read more
“If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands”. Clapping is a common gesture across all cultures – even babies clap. Read more
“For a child in Bluff who might be interested in muttonbirds, they are not going to be interested in the fact that there are seven continents in the world." This statement, made by the elected President of the New Zealand Principals’ Federation, Whetu Cormick, perfectly encapsulates what is wrong with education in New Zealand. Reported in the Herald in response to a question about our national curriculum, Cormick’s example was prompted by our latest research note Ignorance is not bliss. Read more