In his book The Ascent of Money, Harvard economic historian Niall Ferguson introduced us to what he called “the perennial truths of financial history”. They were: “Sooner or later every bubble bursts. Read more
As German-American journalist and satirist H.L. Mencken once explained, “Every election is a sort of advance auction sale of stolen goods”. Read more
Can you remember back to a time when fizzy drinks weren’t maligned, but instead a rare treat? When you and your eagle-eyed siblings watched over the soda pouring ritual with great intent, studiously making sure the levels were equal, and that no one was preferred (by so much as a drop)? Read more
Schools are labs and students are the subjects. Though this may sound controversial, behind closed doors teachers experiment on their students. Read more
Chances are if you have had any discussions about migration in the past 12 months they have been about foreigners or Kiwis returning from Australia. But foreign migration is not the only cause of human traffic. Read more
Had Telecom left its renaming to the online world, it is unlikely ‘Spark’ would have been the name chosen. After all, this is a community whose vernacular specialises in cat videos, with an attention span that rarely exceeds 160 characters. Read more
If you read a headline claiming chocolate can help you lose weight, what would be your first reaction? Based on their own experience, some people may be sceptical. Read more
With Auckland’s housing crisis now a permanent feature on the Herald’s front page, it is worth restating how this problem started: not enough homes were built to keep up with natural demand. When too many buyers chase too few goods, prices have to rise. Read more
Some policies cut through logjams. Canada, a nation known for its lumberjacks and log drivers, might have found one that would break New Zealand’s refugee policy logjam. During last year’s Syrian refugee crisis – a crisis that has not yet ended – community groups, churches and Kiwis who care rallied to help. Read more
With the dust on the failed Wellington mega-merger process having only just settled, it is a disappointing turn of events to see a new merger proposal back on the agenda, albeit in a smaller form. That is because the previous merger - which would have amalgamated the Greater Wellington Regional Council with district councils in Wellington, Porirua, Kapiti Coast, Hutt, Lower Hutt, South Wairarapa, Carterton and Masterton into a unitary authority - offered so few benefits and such high costs that it never got out the gate. Read more
There are a few things that New Zealand and Panama have in common. Both are home to about four million people. Read more
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, an admired African novelist, once said ‘show a people as one thing, as only one thing, over and over again, and that is what they become’. It sounds like a cliché but it applies neatly to the portrayal of our schools and students. Read more
If there is one lesson I have taken away from high school English, it is that all movies have deep and hidden meanings that were embedded by the director to reward smart people. Well, at the risk of making others feel inferior for not observing this, I would like to point out the political brilliance of Hunt for the Wilderpeople. Read more
Any discussion around foreign direct investment in New Zealand is guaranteed to provoke hearty debate. More often than not, public uproar over the issue tends to be spurred on by media reports of an impending sale of New Zealand land to overseas interests. Read more
Last month Local Government Minister Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga provided the first peek at the latest round of Local Government Act reforms, dubbed the Better Local Services package. The announcement was not a surprise, particularly as it came in the wake of failed council amalgamation proposals in Wellington, Northland and Hawke’s Bay. Read more