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Removing rage from our public debates
By Alex Penk
Rage against the machine. Stick it to the man. If you’re not for us, you’re against us. They’re familiar sayings,…
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The Art of Disagreeing Agreeably
By Kieran Madden
Illustrations by Anieszka Banks When engaging with someone you disagree with, own the fact that it could get awkward. New Zealanders…
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Preparing for economic downturn
By Julian Wood
There’s been a lot of recent chat about a possible economic downturn, and many seem to be living under the…
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“Adulting” is only hard without community
By Danielle van Dalen
Growing up can be tough. But last month the British Government took cushioning the blow to new extremes when they…
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Beyond the “Growth Mindset” hype
By Kieran Madden
In just over a decade, “Growth Mindset” has graduated from an exciting theory to accepted wisdom in classrooms across the world. But when it comes to actually changing mindsets in the classroom, the hype is way ahead of the evidence.
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Black Caps offer leadership lessons even in loss
By Alex Penk
Big moments reveal who we really are, and they don’t come much bigger than a World Cup final, especially when you’ve lost in controversial circumstances.
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Don’t turn away
By Kieran Madden
“Our noses were almost touching…we were breathing the same air.” These are the words of Marcia Khoza, whose mother was…
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The pitfalls and priorities of Public Private Partnerships
By Julian Wood
New Zealand has a long and contentious history of private public partnerships (or PPPs). The biggest argument in favour of…
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Weaving together: Aroha as capacity and work
By Guest Author
Susan Wardell is the winner of the 2019 Maxim Essay Competition. On the 15th March 2019, fifty lives were violently…
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Future of End of Life Choice Bill more murky than ever
By Danielle van Dalen
The End of Life Choice Bill passed its Second Reading in Parliament last week with 70 votes in favour and…
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We can’t afford to sleep on climate risks any longer
By Julian Wood
The story of Rip Van Winkle, first published 200 years ago, resonates deeply with me. I too feel like I…
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Referendums are not the pinnacle of democracy
By Alex Penk
If the most recent polls are right, the cannabis referendum won’t pass. Some will be pleased with this, others frustrated,…
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Work = wellbeing
By Danielle van Dalen
“Choose a job you love and you’ll never work a day in your life.” This cliché was printed on a…
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Budget reveals wellbeing will cost more than Rules allow
By Julian Wood
The figures announced in last week’s Wellbeing Budget stretches the Government’s self-imposed Budget Responsibility Rules (keeping the level of net…
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Government needs to give answers on “wellbeing”
By Alex Penk
This week the Government will unveil the first-ever Wellbeing Budget, somewhat breathlessly described by the New York Times as “New…
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Creating poverty-busting opportunites that work for people with disabilities
By Alex Penk
by Alex Penk and Danielle van Dalen This week there’s been a lot of coverage about employment opportunities for people…
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Creating better opportunities for work
By Danielle van Dalen
New Zealand is in the middle of a national conversation on poverty, and yet, despite being over-represented in the poverty…
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The “yeah, nah” government
By Kieran Madden
That gutting feeling of unfulfilled expectations is hard to shake, and the bigger the promise, the bigger the disappointment. The…
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Making New Zealand “sexy”
By Julian Wood
In contrast with our apparently “sexy” accent, New Zealand is struggling when it comes to being attractive as a long-term…
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Raising resilient children through healthy relationships
By Kieran Madden
When we hear of the overwhelming, and often heart-breaking challenges that some families face it can be easy to feel…
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