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Poverty related factors for families now and in the future
By Kieran Madden
Poverty-related factors for families now – international evidence[1] As New Zealand-based evidence is limited, we turn to the UK to…
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Foreign donations small fry compared to Govt spending
By Alex Penk
“Pecunia non olet,” or, for non-latin speakers: money doesn’t stink. It’s been a truism ever since the Roman Emperor Vespasian…
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Beware the cult of youth
By Danielle van Dalen
To get a vision of what society values, take a look at a magazine stand. Looking across the cover images…
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Policy for the people, with the people
By Kieran Madden
While reading about a promising new policy initiative by a bright-eyed non-profit organisation, I did a double-take when I read…
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Good migration policy is about more than just jobs
By Julian Wood
Recent political posturing over partnership visas and arranged marriages is a troubling distraction that derails the real, necessary debates we…
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FLINT & STEEL WEBSITE LAUNCH
By Maxim Institute
We are so excited to be launching our Flint & Steel website. We have made all articles from volume one…
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Government should not allow further overreach from Court
By Alex Penk
The Opposition just rolled out the usual tough-on-crime rhetoric disconnected from evidenced-based solutions, announcing that it’s “time to smash the…
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Euthanasia too great a risk for people with disabilities
By Danielle van Dalen
With a final amended version of the End of Life Choice Bill expected to be voted on next month, potentially…
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“Random” answers for poverty prove Nobel-worthy
By Kieran Madden
Far too often, debates on topics that really matter are mired in oversimplification at best, and stagnate in sloganeering at…
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Participate in, don’t just consume community
By Danielle van Dalen
Every time the local elections roll around I read through that little booklet of candidates and find it difficult to…
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Naked politics blocks decent policy-making
By Alex Penk
There’s been a lot of cynicism about the Provincial Growth Fund, and last week Minister Shane Jones went a long…
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Census success needs all of us
By Danielle van Dalen
Imagine if you could influence funding for the healthcare you receive, or for the schools your children attend, with just…
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Review our reliance on temporary workers
By Julian Wood
New Zealanders are heavy users of temporary work migration, so it was disappointing that no-one seriously discussed this last week…
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Choices, consequences, and euthanasia
By Alex Penk
“You see, the reality is that for every choice, there is a consequence.” As the End of Life Choice Bill…
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The failure of audacious goals
By Kieran Madden
“Goals are for losers.” I wouldn’t put it quite as provocatively as cartoonist Scott Adams did in his book How…
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Checking our climate blind spots
By Julian Wood
When it comes to emissions it is easy for us to obsess about factories and farmers as if these activities…
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Avoiding the election budget “black holes”
By Kieran Madden
In April this year, astrophysicists did the seemingly impossible and took a photo of a black hole. The black hole…
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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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