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Facing our truancy epidemic
By Rowan Light
Move over COVID-19, New Zealand is facing a different kind of epidemic. New data released by the Ministry of Education…
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A permanent solution to our seasonal problem
By Julian Wood
In February this year, Maxim Institute called for a shift away from New Zealand’s over-reliance on temporary workers towards investing…
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Discussion Paper | The Case for Character Skills
By Kieran Madden
“Intelligence plus character—that is the goal of true education.” – Martin Luther King Success early on in life is about…
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This Government’s Poverty Problem
By Kieran Madden
Prime Minister Ardern is sitting on a shiny mountain of political capital that would, as one editorial pointed out, make…
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Avoiding America’s political polarisation
By Danielle van Dalen
“I remember when President W. Bush was elected and there were protests in the street calling him a war criminal…
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Don’t underestimate humans in the future of work
By Kieran Madden
“Excessive automation at Tesla was a mistake,” reflected tech luminary Elon Musk. “Humans are underrated.” For someone like Musk, whose…
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Book Club | Small is Beautiful
“I thus come to the cheerful conclusion that life, including economic life, is still worth living because it is sufficiently…
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Half-right no substitute for the whole truth
By Kieran Madden
“A problem well-defined is a problem half-solved,” the saying goes. Caricatures of complex problems on the other hand, lead us…
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The common purpose behind the political bloodsport
By Rowan Light
It’s as reliable as the pub chats following a Bledisloe Cup match. After any general election: the deluge of post-election…
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With the future in mind
By Danielle van Dalen
As I hope all New Zealand voters now know, we’re currently being asked to decide not only who will lead…
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The context of choice as compassion
By Danielle van Dalen
Conversation around the End of Life Choice Act has often focused on a desire to be compassionate at the end…
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Not the most restrictive law
By Danielle van Dalen
Advocates of the End of Life Choice Act have suggested that it’s the tightest legislation of its kind, and that…
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Creativity needed to support new jobs
By Julian Wood
In the economic battle against COVID-19, there was hope we might all “be home for Christmas;” a hope that wage…
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Catching the tide for “the lockdown generation”
By Rowan Light
As the COVID-19 pandemic grinds on, we must attend to the needs of our young people, our taiohi. “Taiohi” in…
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The early years consensus
By Kieran Madden
The first three years are critical for a child’s development and long-term success in life, but policy has unfortunately been…
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Asking the big questions on Social Insurance
By Julian Wood
Back in May the Government signalled its interest in exploring new forms of unemployment insurance saying: “we have an opportunity…
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Minor parties and election delay
By Danielle van Dalen
A side effect of New Zealand’s election delay is that every political party now has an extra four weeks to…
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Book Club | Man’s Search For Meaning
“A man who knows the way for his existence will be able to bear almost any how.” INTRODUCTION Viktor Frankl’s…
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Searching for meaning in the lockdown
By Rowan Light
With the sudden return to lockdown, it makes sense that many New Zealanders are experiencing anxiety and despair. Hoarding or…
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Getting the story straight on jobs
By Kieran Madden
“Lies, damn lies, and statistics”—so the saying goes. Statistics New Zealand’s release of this June’s unemployment figures wasn’t a lie,…
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