OPINION

New inequality statistics are a bit like Pavlov’s bell. Even the hint of them can induce salivation – regardless of whether the meal winds up being meaty in the end. Read more

With just about everyone proffering advice to post-Brexit Britain, it is unlikely the country will pay attention to this piece. And nor should it, given that Britain will soon be truly free to thumb its nose at advice givers. Read more

What is the difference between Austria and Australia? Well, when the Austrians recently went to the polls to elect a new president, procedures were so flawed that their Constitutional Court told them to hold the election again. Read more

Do you feel like hissing at the people at the front of the plane when you walk past them to the cheaper seats at the back? If you are in the first class seats, do you cringe as people walk past you? Read more

There was a whiff of Monty Python about the Brexit referendum. In Life of Brian, the People’s Front of Judea asks the famous question: “What have the Romans ever done for us?” As it turns out, very little – apart from providing Judea with sanitation, medicine, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, a fresh water system, public health and peace. Read more

‘Teach a man to fish, and he’ll eat for life. Give him someone else’s fish, and he’ll vote for you.’ Politicians obviously know about this saying. Read more

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