If you are above 40, I hope you would have built some financial net worth through hard work and thrift. And if you are under 40, I hope that at least you aspire to build up some savings for a more comfortable retirement. Read more
Imagine if you were buying your first home and the only information you had was what you could see from the outside and through the windows. It may seem odd, but this is largely what happens in our public schools. Read more
We all know the observer effect: Behaviour changes when someone is watching. Drivers suddenly become law-abiding near speed cameras or at the sight of a police car. Read more
The best cartoon on the Greek crisis just ran in London’s Daily Telegraph. Five identical images depict a sternly looking German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Read more
If you found out your local school had a 60% NCEA level three pass rate, would you know whether you should congratulate the principal or demand a sacking? Students come to school from different starting points. Read more
Nelson’s Medical Officer of Health wants a place at your table. Not in person, of course, but in spirit. Read more
Whether on the sports field or in the boardroom, the adage that ‘if you cannot measure something, you cannot control it’ is well known. It appears Local Government New Zealand has taken this piece of wisdom to heart with the launch of their Excellence Programme. Read more
It is midday New Zealand time, and in Britain they have just started counting the votes of their referendum on EU membership. Polling day surveys show a narrow lead for the Remain camp. Read more
After returning an English exam paper marked “43%”, a teacher asked her 13-year-old student “did you cheat”? To which the student nodded with a “yes”. Read more
Thank goodness for Auckland City’s urban planners. Although the rest of us are unable to see past Auckland’s housing crisis, it is reassuring that they remain committed to a loftier vision. Read more
Comments sections are hardly the place to go for well-considered musings on topical issues. They are, however, a repository for the layman’s understanding of complex issues. Read more
Groucho Marx did not want to belong to any club that accepted people like him as members. Next Thursday, the British will have to decide if they feel the same way about the European Union. Read more
Political hierarchies are like fish: both rot from the head downward. So, when fishing starts to stink, we need to first look at the fisheries management hierarchy. Read more
University of Otago Associate Professor Nick Wilson argued that Disney’s classic 101 Dalmations should carry an R rating. Why? Read more
I have just returned from a journey of discovery in the UK and the US looking at how they navigate the notion of school choice. As a concept, it remains highly contentious. Read more