Blog
Search for a Post
Filter by Category
Killing the cult of consumerism
By Kieran Madden
“Our Gross National Product…measures everything, except that which makes life worthwhile.” Bobby Kennedy’s famous 1968 speech decried how measures like…
Read More
The process of voting on our voting process
By Danielle van Dalen
Last week, Justice Minister Andrew Little flagged the possibility of having an MMP referendum at the 2020 election to reconsider…
Read More
The little things that can change us
By Alex Penk
Last weekend, my daughter was shrieking in my ear with a mixture of delight and fear as we skimmed across…
Read More
On Common Ground
By Kieran Madden
Illustrations by Anieszka Banks “I could have hit him, I could have hurt him…but something in me said, you know…
Read More
Learning Support funding should bridge to work
By Danielle van Dalen
School can be difficult for everyone, but for students with disabilities the difficulties are generally heightened. The Prime Minister acknowledged…
Read More
The Politics of Diving
By Kieran Madden
Soccer goalkeepers sure look spectacular with their acrobatic dives during penalties, but studies show that simply standing in the middle…
Read More
Two-and-a-half cheers for child poverty bill
By Alex Penk
I was born at the tail-end of Gen X, so I grew up with a pop culture saturated by “fear…
Read More
Shaking off stardust politics
By Kieran Madden
Famously elusive about her political leanings, pop sensation Taylor Swift recently went beyond her usual neutral get-out-and-vote message to endorse…
Read More
Better the ballot box we know
By Danielle van Dalen
When online banking was first introduced, my Dad was sceptical. He worried there would be problems with security, access, and…
Read More
Convenience culture needs to die
By Guest Author
About two years ago, I made the decision to refuse takeaway coffee cups. As part of reducing the unnecessary waste…
Read More
The collision of research and real life
By Alex Penk
I’ve never been to Maraenui, but I’ve now had a pretty eye-opening introduction to the Napier suburb. The devastation caused…
Read More
Losing All Blacks nothing to fear
By Julian Wood
In a surprise move, a group of the top 1 percent of male New Zealand income earners are appealing for…
Read More
Mana in Mahi isn’t your average work-for-the-dole scheme
By Kieran Madden
Translated to “strength in work,” Labour’s Mana in Mahi scheme shows real potential to make a difference in the lives…
Read More
Don’t leave law to the lawyers
By Alex Penk
One day, a man called John Entick was at home when in walked Nathan Carrington and three other government agents….
Read More
Sabotaging the lifts in New Zealand’s tower of wealth
By Julian Wood
If you haven’t seen the 2018 Side Eye Inequality Tower by Toby Morris and Max Rashbrooke, it’s well worth a…
Read More
Generational perspective necessary to do policy well
By Kieran Madden
Our view of human nature makes a big difference on which policies we devise and support. “If men were angels,…
Read More
Getting serious about loneliness
By Danielle van Dalen
As Ricky Martin and Christina Aguilera sang: “Nobody wants to be lonely.” But loneliness is more than just missing spending…
Read More
TOP goes for a walk
By Alex Penk
Gareth Morgan has a point. I know this may be an unpopular view, but hear me out. Last week Morgan…
Read More
Booming cities, struggling nations
By Kieran Madden
As a football tragic, I’ve been watching many of the World Cup games at ungodly hours these past few weeks….
Read More
Irresponsible lenders on borrowed time
By Julian Wood
While borrowing money at an annualised interest rate of up to 693% wouldn’t appear at the top of anyone’s wish…
Read More