Idiocy comes in many forms. Some people choose not to vaccinate their children. Others think it better to extract multiple teeth from school children rather than have them drink fluoridated water. Read more
Why did the libertarian chicken cross the road? None of your business! Read more
In my previous piece for Interest, I wrote that government agencies’ response to the rising road toll was inadequate. The Ministry of Transport, the NZ Transport Agency and the Police each essentially blamed drivers. Read more
National’s supporters on the right could have been forgiven for expecting a lot after the 2008 election. After three terms of Helen Clark’s Labour government, and National’s opposition to Labour’s policies, they had a right to. Read more
Judging by its coalition agreements, the new Government’s unofficial motto is not to do everything differently but to do a lot of things better. But not every change is for the better. Read more
Our newly sworn-in Government has about 1000 days to deliver on its campaign promises. Fixing the education system will take more time. Read more
They say that you can't teach an old dog new tricks. But you sure can teach new dogs some old tricks. Read more
In the DC comic story, a flying Superman spies Lois Lane tied across a railroad line. A fast-moving passenger train is but metres away. Read more
A NZIER report released this week discredits a WorkSafe NZ safety programme that started in November 2011. The programme aims to reduce workplace falls from heights of below 3 metres. Read more
Almost a month after the election, New Zealand is about to have a new government. Yes, other countries take longer to negotiate coalitions. Read more
If no person’s life, liberty or property are safe while Parliament is in session, what’s the rush to have a new government? As I write this column, no coalition has been struck. Read more
Two weeks ago, and as part of an ongoing series about transport planning, investment and outcomes, I wrote about the road toll. In that period a further 15 car occupants have died, including four people north of Taupō this past Tuesday. Read more
When mathematician Stanislaw Ulam challenged Paul Samuelson to point to anything in economics that was both universally true and non-obvious, Samuelson pointed to David Ricardo’s principle of comparative advantage: Even the least productive countries still benefit from trade. Richard Thaler’s Nobel Prize is richly deserved for several substantive contributions in behavioural economics. Read more
It is Friday, 13 October and I am not writing about the coalition talks. We would have hoped to have a new government by now. Read more
In its 2017 Annual Report, the Board of Directors of the Reserve Bank refers to itself as “a unique governance body in the public sector”. But unique is not necessarily synonymous with good. Read more