During my years as an education academic, Professor Elizabeth Rata of the Faculty of Education at the University of Auckland always stood out as a model scholar. She has always argued calmly for her ideas, using logic and evidence. Read more
It was a sight to behold. Last week, members of the far-right Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) interrupted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s speech at the Austrian Parliament. Read more
Mike Hosking discusses Roger Partridge's Sunday Star Times column about Environment Minister David Parker’s Resource Management Act reforms and the three extraordinary interventions during March that point to the reform’s inevitable demise. Read more
This month, Environment Minister David Parker’s Resource Management Act reforms will be consigned to the dustbin of history. Provided, that is, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins is listening. Read more
2022 marked a turning point in New Zealand’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The country reopened to international visitors in the middle of the year, and by the year’s end, most sectors of the economy got back to something close to business as usual. Read more
Anyone who has read Douglas Adams's excellent Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy knows about the Vogon race of Vogsphere – the galaxy’s natural bureaucrats. They’re officious and callous. Read more
In a liberal democracy, the police are crucial to maintaining order and enforcing the law. But recent incidents, such as the disruption of British feminist Posie Parker’s event in Auckland, have raised concerns about the police’s ability or willingness to carry out these duties impartially. Read more
New Zealand’s resource management system is a contradictory mess. At least, that is the impression you get reading a recent report commissioned by the New Zealand Infrastructure Commission on the cost of climate consenting. Read more
The NZ Initiative are urging for the Severe Weather Emergency Recovery Legislation bill to be amended with an immediate post-implementation review of the legislation. In the consultation process the Government and administration committee left less than 24 hours for submitters to respond to the bill, therefore providing no opportunity for deliberation. Read more
Kiwis on the minimum wage will have an extra $1.50 an hour in the pocket from tomorrow. The increase, which comes in from April 1st, brings the wage to $22.70 an hour. Read more
Once again, the Ministry of Education has shown that it prefers ideology to evidence. Last week, it published a Common Practice Model (CPM) – a model of teaching literacy and numeracy to be followed by teachers across the country. Read more
In this week’s podcast, Oliver Hartwich and Michael Johnston are joined by visiting professor Dr Antje Barabasch to discuss vocational education and training, the Swiss dual education system, and the differences with the New Zealand system. Professor Dr Antje Barabasch is head of the research axe “Teaching and Learning in VET” and the research field “Learning cultures and instruction”. Read more
Mike Hosking discusses the Initiative's media release about the consultation process for the Severe Weather Emergency Recovery Legislation Bill that gave submitters less than 24 hours to respond, a timeframe that Executive Director Dr Oliver Hartwich has described as “outrageous.”
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In recent years, threats to freedom of speech have intensified. The Posie Parker brawl last Saturday is just the latest example in the culture war around free speech. Read more
Public servants jumping roles may have melted the Government's pay freeze. The policy that was introduced for high-paid public servants during the Covid-19 pandemic has now ended. Read more