With most of the economic policy options for the coming NZ election now in front of us, it would appear we are continuing down the route of GDP growth, low inflation, government surpluses and Triple A credit ratings as measures of economic policy success. But, these are only means towards some desired ends or ultimate goals?
Read MoreHow to drive voting & policy debate this election... and how not to
What odds a policy debate this election? And how do we elevate it above more sensationalism and dirty politics? Here are some dos and don'ts
Read MoreRedesigning the Reserve Bank?
Are Labour’s proposals for the changing the way the Reserve Bank operates sensible or nutty (as nutty as the current legislation)?
Read MoreHave We the Right Approach for Regional Wellbeing?
Past policies of banging on about economic growth have failed. A new report argues we should strategise differently with more comprehensive goals.
Read MoreHow to lose when you win
Jordan Williams' apparently crushing defamation victory from last year carried within it the seeds of its own demise. And in overturning that victory, the High Court has some less than complementry things to say about his own behaviour.
Read MoreSuffer the little children to come unto Trump
Trump and his enablers tell us bombing a Syrian air-force base was driven by humanitarian principles. It was not. It was about ratings.
Read MoreHow we might NOT have gone nuclear-free after all
Our nuclear-free stance has become a central part of New Zealand's modern identity, but Sir Geoffrey Palmer has revealed it may never had happened but for one thing
Read MoreIn qualified praise of the Andrew Little defamation verdict
The defamation case against Andrew Little did not result in his having to pay any damages. All in all, I think that is a good thing for the country as a whole.
Read MoreThe Changing World Economy; Four Themes.
Extracted from a paper delivered to Wellington South Rotary; 22 March
Read MoreHit & Run: Why doesn't NZDF start by answering this question?
NZDF has changed it's position on civilian casualties and never explained itself. It has two ministers with different versions. How does any government agency get away with this?
Read MoreWhy Bill English has done the hard thing, with Hit & Run
It's too easy to call an inquiry just to put the questions to bed, so the Prime Minister has called it right. Why put people through the mill without incontrovertible evidence?
Read MoreHow Much Should the Government Be Spending?
Is the fiscal pact between Labour and the Greens a defeat for the left?
Read MoreOperation Burnham: the cover-up continues
The New Zealand Defence Force claims that it has replied fully to the allegations raised in Hit and Run. It hasn't - and what it has said just continues its cover-up of what happened in Afghanistan.
Read MoreOperation Burnham
We can honour both our soldiers and the Afghans, but only by finding out what really happened on that August night in 2010... though that may not require a full inquiry
Read MoreClosed shop attitudes will only strengthen Trumpists
Despite the fears, what it means to be a journalist has changled little. It's journalism itself that's fragmenting. So, in rebuttal of Tim's post last week, it's time to start judging journalists on their merit, not some outdated idea of 'the public interest'
Read MoreThe Productivity Commission's Report on Tertiary Education was not productive – it needed to be
According to the Productivity Commission the current tertiary education system is blocking innovation. But in its recent report that promised to put forward New Models of Tertiary Education it delivered none. Its failure should not end the debate. There is an urgent need to bring about change
Read MoreInternational Rankings of New Zealand University Subjects (2017)
How do New Zealand’s university departments rank internationally?
Read MoreSome questions for the NZDF
Almost a week after the release of Hit & Run, we have more questions than answers from the Defence Force and the Government.
Read MoreWhich way is Bill English's moral compass pointing?
The Prime Minister has in recent times been prepared to shift some moral ground for political ease. Now he faces the greatest moral test of his short time in power in the face of calls for an inquiry into the O'Donnel raid
Read MoreBeing “criminally inadmissible” to Canada unless “rehabilitated”
My anti-apartheid protest convictions nearly kept me out of Canada. Luckily, I had friends in high places. What though of those many people in our world, especially those seeking refuge from war and oppression, who do not?
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