If you were to ask ten people on the street what they would consider a successful life, I can almost guarantee you would get ten completely different answers. According to Woody Allen, simply showing up accounts for 80 per cent of success. Read more
Education is a highly polarized and political area. But here’s one thing no one can deny the importance of in education: relationships. Read more
Regulations govern conduct and a well-regulated society is a well-ordered and civil society. But bring up the topic of government regulation and expect passionately polarised responses for or against more rules or less red tape. Read more
For the past four years, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has topped Forbes’ list of most powerful women. She was actually ranked first on that list for nine out of the last ten years, not least thanks to her pivotal role in the European debt crisis. Read more
This month the primary school teachers' union, the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI), and the body representing principals, the New Zealand Principals' Federation (NZPF), gave a thumbs down to the $359m Investing in Educational Success (IES) policy announced by John Key in January. This represented a major system change and is designed to build collaboration among teachers. Read more
From their council offices, looking down on the choked roads of Auckland at rush hour, it is easy to see why planners see rail systems such as the City Rail Link as the most viable solution to congestion. Certainly, trains are an important public transport option. Read more
In today’s society, you would be hard-pressed to find anyone to object to human rights. Even the nastiest dictatorships still try to maintain at least the semblance of a human rights culture, even if they violate these rights constantly. Read more
Clearly, New Zealand needs a viable plan in order to deal with its urban problems, especially housing affordability and congestion. But whether intensified, compact development should be pursued, on the basis of greater health benefits in particular, is far from clear. Read more
Those who read the business pages may have come across the term quantitative easing (QE), an apparently magical potent for reviving debt-ridden economies; almost like a shot of adrenaline in the arm of a dying patient. Prior to QE, the orthodox medicine for monetary authorities to use to stimulate the economy was to lower interest rates on some form of official debt, such as the interest rate the central bank pays on overnight deposits, and/or increase liquidity in the banking system by buying back government term debt. Read more
Next year, Lithuania will join the eurozone as its 19th member. The direct impact of Lithuania’s accession will be negligible. Read more
As the election gets closer, there is no doubt that immigration remains a potent campaign issue. Few other topics elicit such an emotional response as the questions of who should come to New Zealand or, indeed, how many should come. Read more
Last week Minister for the Environment Amy Adams piled into the Auckland Council over the Unitary Plan, saying the rule set was unlikely to come close to delivering the 300,000 plus houses the city needs over the next 30 years. The minister noted that the plan imposed even more red tape on the already regulation-choked sector, and if anything, was likely to worsen housing affordability in Auckland. Read more
Just a couple of months after the visit of the Duke and the Duchess of Cambridge, what do we still remember of their tour? With hindsight, what are the lasting effects, what are the enduring messages, what are the traces they left behind? Read more
It may be an uncomfortable truth, but there are some of us who enjoy rights and privileges above others, simply by virtue of being born. Not by talent, hard work, or any other factor reflecting merit, these people enjoy a privileged status in New Zealand. Read more
Recently my partner and I sat down to watch the Lego movie; a thoroughly entertaining laugh-a-minute watch, typical of the style of today’s animated films that somehow manage to pitch the tone and humour at both adults and children alike. For my partner, who grew up with Lego and can make incredible creations with a thousand tiny colourful pieces (biased as I am) it was a journey of reminiscence. Read more