The term of the 52nd New Zealand Parliament is a quarter of the way through. We ought to be getting some impression of the government by now.
Read MoreState of the Union: The 'when a child is born' version
The birth of a child is almost always a joyous event, but it's especially so for a government that desperately needs the time-out to re-set itself and rediscover its discipline and competence
Read MoreIf you take care of your character, your reputation will take care of itself
What do Barbra Streisand and Sir Bob Jones have in common? It’s all about the Streisand effect.
Read MoreEnabling Us to Assess Government Performance Better
It has been said that figures rule the world. Maybe. I am quite sure that it is figures which show us whether it is being ruled well or badly. Goethe
Read MoreGreens in mortal danger
The Green's water bottling decision exposes potentially fatal flaws and complacency at the heart of Green Parliamentary operations
Read MoreMore questions from the Nicky Hager case
Our police force are yet to fully discharged their duty in the Dirty Politics case, which raises further questions about government agencies' respect for journalism
Read MoreWhy the police's apology to Nicky Hager matters
In the wake of the publication of Dirty Politics back in 2014, the New Zealand Police undertook multiple unlawful breaches of Nicky Hager's privacy. They've now apologised for that - but the important thing is to make sure it does not ever happen again.
Read MoreTrade Wars
How Can New Zealand Deal with a Trade War Between Elephants?
Read MoreMeth house clean-up only just begun
I started this blog post wanting to layout the issues left unresolved after a week of reportage on meth houses. I finished it furious at the inept government response, not just since 2016, but since the report was released. Phil Twyford has work to do
Read MoreCommon Good Economics
Another French economist contributes an uncommonly good book.
Read MoreNew welfare taskforce is a slow train... but on which track?
Will the Welfare Expert Advisory Group be simply an excuse for inaction, or an exercise in transformation? Sadly, we will have to wait a while to see
Read MoreIt’s easy to be friends with one who shares the same opinions
There has been a call for a review of the Waitangi Tribunal based on a view that the Tribunal leans against the Crown in challenges to settlement negotiations. Lets just fact-check that.
Read MoreOf Foxes and Hedgehogs
Hedgehogs thrive in New Zealand, more so than in Eurasia where they come from. Any foxes are in zoos.
Read MoreWhat does the Labour’s first budget tell us?
Was it National-lite or is it a new direction?
Read MoreWhy can’t we all just get along?
Overlapping claims in Treaty settlements have been before the Supreme Court and raised on Parliament’s lawn this week. Here’s a quick explainer as to why these can be such difficult issues.
Read MoreBudget 2018: Backing empathy with steel?
Will the Budget truly stand behind the new kindness initiative? Here's a wish list to set the agenda
Read MoreHeke Tangata, Māori in Markets and Cities
My new book describes the great postwar Māori migration from the countryside into the cities.
Read MoreAccountability in Māori organizations
Existing legal and institutional concepts do not serve Māori organisations well. What needs to change?
Read MoreScoring Carbon Emissions.
A powerful social law suggests we often explain or do things the wrong way. This may be particularly true when we try to address Global Warming.
Read MoreWhere it is not necessary to change... take a seat
History doesn't always go in one direction, so why rush to abolish the Maori seats?
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