Are Aesop’s fables, such as “The Ant and the Grasshopper” still taught to school children? When winter arrives the industrious and thrifty ant refuses to share its food with the hungry grasshopper who had frivolously spent the summer singing. Read more
The Whanganui District Council has taken the bold step of banning the use of electronic cigarettes (vaping) in public areas. Experts recognise that vaping is a much safer alternative to smoking and has been a critical factor in helping people quit. Read more
Peter Jackson took a few liberties with Tolkien’s text for the Lord of the Rings films. Most of them, I didn’t like. But one addition I rather liked came at the start. Read more
Should you be familiar with German children’s literature, you would have encountered a curious character: the illusory giant (Scheinriese). In the works of Michael Ende, best known for his The Never-Ending Story, there is a fearsome giant called Herr Tur Tur. Read more
If your main exposure to economics is hearing bank economists talk on morning radio, you might not have the most accurate picture of what economists do. Trying to guess what interest rates might do, or telling stories about the latest moves in the stock market, are not really what economics is about. Read more
“Who will guard the guards themselves?” Plato asked in the Republic in 380BC. More than two millennia later, well-armed regulatory agencies, instead of armies, wield many of the powers of the state. Read more
Andrew Little has drawn a line in the sand. He has condemned the “blowhard” politics of Winston Peters, and has made it clear this election will not be fought on swinging - um - personalities. Read more
What is worse than watching one's parents argue? It is watching parties argue about parenting. Read more
Despite little evidence of impact, Inquiry Learning is at the heart of New Zealand’s curriculum. One of seven values it encourages in students, inquiry also crops up in the titles of 6 of the 25 ‘Effective Pedagogy’ videos on the New Zealand Curriculum website. Read more
Some people fear rising sea levels, asteroids hitting the earth or global pandemics. It is easy to be scared of such threats because one can easily understand them. Read more
To get the disclaimer out of the way, Mainfreight’s founder and chair Bruce Plested is not only a member of the Initiative. Bruce is also someone I admire. Read more
Have you ever wondered why children learn to speak with relative ease, and yet find reading so much harder? This question was answered in the last 30 years by evolutionary psychology. Read more
Politicians are often accused of trying to pull the wool over the public’s eyes. It isn’t often they try to pull the wool under the public’s feet. Read more
Unless the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) imposes some restrictions on the charter boats operating in the Kaikoura region, the rock lobster fishery could be unsustainable within a couple years, according to local commercial fishers. And they could be right. Read more
We all know two wrongs don’t make a right. But nor does getting something only half right. Read more
