As 2023 draws to an end, it is time for a stocktake on the most significant geopolitical issue of the past couple of years: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. At first, this unprovoked attack seemed to trigger a revival of Western unity and determination. Read more
On 5 December 1933, ninety years ago this week, America ended alcohol prohibition. Fourteen years of prohibition had reduced drinking, but at a terrible cost. Read more
Two decades ago, a new term – ‘PISA shock’ – entered the German lexicon. The Germans had prided themselves on a world-class education system. Read more
The country’s education establishment has come out swinging. ‘Destructive,’ ‘weird,’ and ‘radical,’ are how the critics have described the Christopher Luxon-led Coalition Government’s education reform agenda. Read more
New Zealand is a long, narrow country with a very low population density. Air transport is expensive and passenger rail almost non-existent. Read more
Peter Shirtcliffe, long-time Chairman of Telecom and laureate of the New Zealand Business Hall of Fame, joins Oliver on the podcast. Telecom (now known as Spark) was NZ's largest listed company from 1990 to 1999. Read more
When it comes to politics, it is often easier to create new policies than to dismantle existing ones. Returning a scrambled egg to its original state would be an apt metaphor for the challenge facing Prime Minister Chris Luxon’s newly-formed coalition government in New Zealand. Read more
In the rugged landscapes of Thingvellir National Park, just outside Iceland’s capital Reykjavik, lies a reminder of a simpler time in governance. During a visit many years ago, I was struck not just by Thingvellir’s natural beauty but by its historical significance: Thingvellir was the site of Iceland’s parliament from the 10th to the 18th century. Read more
Economics enjoys the reputation of being the “dismal science”. And yes, there is hardly a policy in which economists cannot find a flaw. Read more
Andreas Heuser, Managing Director with Castalia, joins Dr Eric Crampton on the podcast to talk about the massive energy potential of deep geothermal. They discuss what supercritical geothermal is, climate policy and the need for fast-tracking consenting processes. Read more
Every three years since 2000 - except during the Covid-19 pandemic - the OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa) has assessed the reading skill of 15-year-olds from an ever-increasing range of countries. From 2003, mathematics was assessed as well. Read more
Dr Michael Johnston recently spoke on RNZ's morning news about NZ's poor PISA 2022 results following their release earlier in the week. Listen below. Read more
Wellington (Tuesday, 5 December 2023) – Changes are coming to the way New Zealand students will be tested for reading, writing, and numeracy for NCEA. From 2026, if students fail any one of these new tests, they will not be able to achieve any level of NCEA. Read more
From 2026, students will have to pass new assessments in reading, writing and numeracy to attain any level of NCEA. However, pilots of the new assessments in 2022 and the first full-scale assessment round for these new standards in 2023 indicate that if they are adopted as a corequisite for NCEA as planned, completion rates for the qualification will fall precipitously. Read more
The New Zealand Productivity Commission was borne of the 2008 coalition agreement between National and Act. And it was ended by the 2023 coalition agreement between the same two parties. Read more