Every NCEA Level 1 assessment unit – the achievement standards – will be replaced from next year. The new standards were published last month. Read more
Medsafe targets a 100-day initial evaluation for drugs already approved elsewhere. It took longer than 176 days for half of the drugs assessed over the past year. Read more
Last week it was reported that Queensland public servants have been offered up to five days of paid leave to tend to their ‘social and emotional wellbeing’ in the wake of the results of the Voice referendum. This is an obvious step in the right direction. Read more
Over a month has passed since the conflict between Hamas and Israel escalated dramatically. The death toll of the 7 October massacre exceeds 1,400, marking this as the most severe episode of violence affecting Jewish people since the Holocaust. Read more
If New Zealand required local crash testing for every new car model, dealerships would be late to stock a small number of mass-market vehicles at higher cost. It would be stupid. Read more
Dr Michael Johnson talks to Dr Christine Braid, of Massey University, and Linda Kimpton, a literacy advocate. They discuss what structured literacy is and how an incoming Minister might approach getting structured literacy embedded. Read more
Dr Eric Crampton was briefly on Newstalk ZB's news segment talking about his latest research note. Listen below. Read more
Like many young Kiwis, I was surprised to learn during the election campaign that Chris Hipkins and Christopher Luxon both bought their first homes at the tender age of 24. As someone who has recently written on the history of housing in New Zealand, I should not have been so surprised. Read more
Dr Oliver Hartwich talks to Ran Yaakoby, the Israeli Ambassador to New Zealand, about the conflict in the Middle East. In this discussion, they talk about the attack on October 7, the ongoing conflict, the role of the media in all of this and the rise of antisemitism in Europe. Read more
Dr Oliver Hartwich is interviewed on the RNZ podcast The Detail, about the MMP system in Germany. Listen below. Read more
New Zealand will soon have a new government following the final 2023 election results. It will comprise three parties: National, ACT, and New Zealand First. Read more
When a new pharmaceutical is so successful that it blows out the national income accounts, it’s probably safe to call it a wonderdrug. Semaglutide, marketed as Ozempic when treating Type II diabetes and as Wegovy for weight loss, turned a half-year 0.3% decline in Danish GDP into a 1.7% year-on-year increase. Read more
This week we have a special guest, Lord Jonathan Sumption, in this combined Free Kiwis and The New Zealand Initiative podcast episode. Lord Sumption talks to us about his advocacy on free speech and is in NZ as a guest of the Free Speech Union. Read more
The Wellington City Council is juggling a few financial priorities at the moment. The top priority is to clear as many curb-side parking places as possible, to make way for bike lanes. Read more
The election is now firmly behind us, and the shape of the Sixth National Government of New Zealand will soon emerge. Likely coalition partners National and ACT have staunchly advocated for deregulation in their election campaigns. Read more