Shirley Smith would say that in her childhood she was known as the daughter of (later Sir) David Smith, then she was known as the wife of Bill Sutch and later as the mother of Helen Sutch. Throughout her life she struggled to be a person in her own right.
Read MoreEconomy
Was it Really a Wellbeing Budget?
If the Government is serious about redirecting policy towards wellbeing, it is going to have to do a lot more than making the odd statement in the budget.
Read MoreNew Zealand’s Living Fossil
The Chatham Islands are a world we have left behind.
Read MorePlundering the Planet
Can we consume limited resources forever? Is economic growth just a Ponzi scheme in which we borrow from the future? Is economic growth as we know it coming to an end?
Read MoreFrustrations of an unreconstructed, unrepentant Keynesian
Two weeks out from the Budget, it's a good time to remember what is the means of economic management and what are the true ends
Read MoreWhat Do We Mean by Wellbeing?
The government has promised a ‘wellbeing budget’. No one seems to know what that means. We can set out some preliminary economic understandings.
Read MoreHubbard Bubble: Toil and Trouble
While Chris Lee’s “The Billion Dollar Bonfire: How Allan Hubbard and the Government Destroyed South Canterbury Finance” traces the rise and fall of the finance company, it also provides valuable insights into how the financial system works – or doesnt.
Read MoreToo Near a Third Rail?
Traditionally Capital Gains Tax (CGT) has been politically untouchable. What does the handling of the issue tell us about the government’s political skills?
Read MoreThe Cult of the Generic Manager
Are New Zealand managers good enough; are we relying too much upon them?
Read MoreA Taxing and Spending Matter.
The Public Finance Act is one of those boring statutes which shapes the nation’s wellbeing.
Read MoreHave We Abandoned the Egalitarian Society?
Inequality is not confined to income and wealth; it is in our healthcare and education systems. Is Labour trying to reverse the trend?
Read MoreDo Regions Matter?
If we really are serious about regional wellbeing, we may be pursuing it in the wrong way.
Read MoreAre We Too Slack?
Far too much policy is driven by mañana: when tomorrow comes we panic.
Read MoreKinds of Protests
On Friday March 15, there were two major protests – school students concerned about the future, a terrorist facing toward the past. What are we to think?
Read MoreUp in the Clouds
New calculations suggest that the farm sector is not adding as much to the greenhouse gas clouds as previously thought. But there remains the challenge of global warming which farmers must still take up.
Read MoreWaiting for Brexit
Kevin O’Rourke’s ‘A Short History of Brexit’ provides an excellent introduction to the British muddle, but does not resolve it.
Read MoreTo Tax Capital Gains Or Not to Tax Capital Gains
Taxing the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Read MoreThe Sizzle and the Sausage
Is the public debate underpinned by quality journalism or is it dumbing down?
Read MoreMeditating on Nelson and Population Growth
The city’s motto is 'Palmam qui meruit ferat'. (Let him, who has earned it, bear the palm.) Not sure that reflects a modern New Zealand city. Why does Nelson deserve a palm?
Read MoreIs the Invisible Hand Arthritic?
The report on the failings of the life insurance industry raises the wider issue of how we regulate markets throughout the economy.
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