OPINION

Eighteen months ago, the Government announced a curriculum change making it compulsory for all schools to teach “key aspects” of New Zealand history. The Ministry of Education was tasked with creating a new curriculum to “span the full range of New Zealanders’ experiences… with contemporary issues directly linked to major events of the past.” Asking the Ministry of Education to draft a compulsory New Zealand History curriculum for school children was always fraught with risk. Read more

Did you hear that LEGO released a minifigure of our PM. It’s big news. Read more

It is hard to know where to begin, there is so much wrong with the Government’s housing package presented on Tuesday. I leave it to my colleague David Law to explain why the measures introduced will hurt housing affordability and supply. Read more

After eight weeks of poring over the 847 pages of analysis from the Climate Change Commission, two findings stand out. First, the Commission shows current policies, including the Emissions Trading Scheme (“ETS”), will deliver our 2050 emissions targets. Read more

The government is at it again. They blame everyone but themselves for high and increasing house prices resulting in low housing affordability. Read more

Suppose you have an apple orchard. You hire labour to pick and pack your apples. Read more

As New Zealand discusses the recommendations of the Climate Change Commission, I get a sense of déjà vu. We are now talking about industry-specific regulations, bans on certain technologies (such as petrol and diesel cars) and subsidies for others (such as electric vehicles). Read more

The recipe for creating conflict over scarce and congestible resources is really rather simple. Start with beautiful natural spaces that attract visitors. Read more

Filings to the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) rarely have entertainment value. That is unless Elon Musk is involved. Read more

It is now three weeks and three days since the Climate Change Commission extended the submissions deadline for its draft emissions budgets by two weeks. The extension was prompted by concerns about the Commission’s refusal to release selected data from its models. Read more

Since 2013, the Ministry of Education has spent $747.7 million on building, upgrading, and maintaining modern learning environments (MLEs). And yet, with nearly three-quarters of a billion dollars spent, the Ministry is only now starting to evaluate MLEs, eight years after their implementation. Read more

In the classic Simpsons’ episode “The Old Man and the Lisa”, young environmentalist Lisa Simpson finally convinced the rather evil Mr Burns of the merits of recycling. Of course, it did not go well. Read more

When you think about who could suffer the most from the sweeping reforms proposed by the Climate Change Commission, the ceramics industry is probably not the first on your list. But the threat from the Commission’s plan is real for the artists, clubs, students, collectors, and employers who use LPG and gas-fired kilns to craft their pottery. Read more

Once upon a time, Arthur Miller said, “A good newspaper, I suppose, is a nation talking to itself.” These days, many media outlets are talking only to segments of the population. For the New Zealand media, 2021 has been a year of cancellations. Read more

It’s a good thing I don’t vape. If I did, I’d be depressed about the Ministry of Health’s proposed vaping regulations. Read more