At the beginning of 2017, New Zealand finds itself probably in the best position it has been in for decades. Key figures like economic growth, unemployment and inflation show a country in great shape. Read more
Fisheries management in New Zealand has been resting on its laurels for too long. The Quota Management System was once world-leading. Read more
Over summer, I’ve been disturbed with how many people shamelessly flaunt their inherited assets. These people are born with a certain privilege. Read more
Eric Crampton is a thin, boyish-looking Canadian who brings an original perspective and even a sense of fun to economic debates, which have not traditionally been a source of great humour. A case in point. Read more
Christmas is getting better. Maybe it’s because Kiwis are getting better at keeping New Year's resolutions. Read more
Now that Steven Joyce is to be given the Finance Minister reins, it is worth looking forward to what a Joycean finance ministry might bring. Joyce took a very active role in his administration at MBIE. Read more
For all of John Key’s achievements, his administration failed miserably in one area: housing affordability. When he became prime minister in 2008, house prices were already high. Read more
For some people, Christmas has come early. Just think of our new Prime Minister Bill English. Read more
There is no doubt that Aucklanders want to live in a world-class city. There is less agreement on what that means. Read more
Everyone is familiar with the idea of keeping up with the Joneses. It comes from an early 20th century American comic strip featuring the social-climbing McGinis family and their struggle to keep up with their more affluent neighbours, the Joneses. Read more
When assessing John Key’s legacy, context is critical. Key came into office in late 2008 in the midst of the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. Read more
New Zealand has had a pretty decent eight years under John Key. The rest of the world’s descent into madness accelerated sharply, and New Zealand’s has looked better by comparison. Read more
I leaned at the bench, feeling exhausted. Looking around, I could tell they were all feeling much the same. Read more
By any measure, this year was not short of political surprises, from Brexit to Donald Trump. Yet neither was as shocking as John Key’s resignation as New Zealand Prime Minister yesterday. Read more
From ‘that’ NCEA maths exam that left students in tears, the confusion around exams during last month’s earthquake, to the seclusion of special needs students, it seems the education sector rarely gets a break. And it looks like that will not change anytime soon with the latest news in education. Read more