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
Our Executive Director, Dr Oliver Hartwich, talks to Radio New Zealand about maths in schools, and our recent research which found that one in three New Zealand primary school teachers could not add simple fractions. Read more
Our Head of Research, Dr Eric Crampton, appeared on Radio New Zealand to talk about the housing crisis and what steps should be taken to relive pressure on the housing market. Read more
Wellington (20 June 2016): The New Zealand Initiative has welcomed the launch of LGNZ’s Excellence Programme, saying the introduction of a local government performance benchmark was overdue. The programme aims to independently rate participating councils on four criteria, using a simple ranking system. Read more
Thank goodness for Auckland City’s urban planners. Although the rest of us are unable to see past Auckland’s housing crisis, it is reassuring that they remain committed to a loftier vision. 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
Comments sections are hardly the place to go for well-considered musings on topical issues. They are, however, a repository for the layman’s understanding of complex issues. Read more
Groucho Marx did not want to belong to any club that accepted people like him as members. Next Thursday, the British will have to decide if they feel the same way about the European Union. Read more
Our Executive Director, Dr Oliver Hartwich, talks to ABC Radio about the possibility of the UK voting to leave the European Union, following news that German government bond yields have turned into negative territory. Investors are now paying the German government to hold their money, fearing that the UK will opt for Brexit. Read more
Political hierarchies are like fish: both rot from the head downward. So, when fishing starts to stink, we need to first look at the fisheries management hierarchy. Read more
University of Otago Associate Professor Nick Wilson argued that Disney’s classic 101 Dalmations should carry an R rating. Why? Read more
I have just returned from a journey of discovery in the UK and the US looking at how they navigate the notion of school choice. As a concept, it remains highly contentious. Read more