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Big questions for local councils
Do you expect your council to light your streets and fix the potholes? Do you think it should provide clean…
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The future is not (only) digital
“The Fourth Industrial Revolution” is upon us—the exponential rise in technology that is set to disrupt every aspect of our…
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Investing in people, regardless of return
Like the proverbial frog in the slowly heating pot, many of us are blissfully unaware of the change currently going…
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MIC 08 | The experts against euthanasia
With David Seymour’s End of Life Choices Bill up for a first reading in Parliament, legal assisted suicide is firmly on…
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The illusion of certainty in the End of Life Choices Bill
David Seymour is convinced his End of Life Choices Bill, drawn from the Private Member’s Ballot last Thursday, would be…
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Media Release: Euthanasia bill flawed from the start
“David Seymour’s private member’s bill is based on an illusion. It assumes that it’s possible to create safeguards around assisted…
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The State must serve
Is the government’s flagship Social Investment approach simply the “incremental privatisation of social services?” When journalist Richard Harman posed this…
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What are you reading?
As we approach the election season, I’ve noticed a distinct uptick in the number of messages I’m seeing from the…
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‘Cash for class’ a bankrupt idea
According to PISA, 42% of New Zealand students are skipping school at least once every two weeks. Why are kids…
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The Budget partnership between the people and our Government
Each year the Budget charts a broad course for the years ahead. It outlines how much money the Government has,…
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The trust trade-off
The Government is going all in on its Social Investment strategy for fixing social ills, but the big data it…
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Urban/rural split could lead to political polarisation
Alex’s latest op-ed features in The Christchurch Press, where he discusses the political and social risks of growing demographic rifts between…
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Maori names can be a driving force towards recognising history
Last week, talkback lines and social media comment sections were alight with responses to an article published in the Dom…
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“Urban/rural split could lead to political polarisation” – Alex Penk in The Press
Alex’s latest op-ed features in The Christchurch Press, where he discusses the political and social risks of growing demographic rifts between…
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Tax the robots?
We’re now quite used to dire predictions concerning the future of work, job stability, and automation. As far back as…
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Sir John Graham Lecture 2017 | Polls Apart
Reclaiming respect in a time of polarised politics Now the initial jolt has worn off from “shock” election results around…
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Creating opportunities to contribute
Last week New Zealander Robert Martin took up his position in Geneva as Spokesperson for Disabled People on the United…
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Our insecure future of work
Many pinned Trump’s election and the Brexit vote as being fueled by people’s fear of losing their way of life….
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Like a bickering couple, we need to find healthy ways to disagree about politics
Elections bring out conflict and some of it can be really damaging. Because we’re living together, we’re building a shared…
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New Zealand, let’s stop being a cheap date
Travellers are enamoured with us. Last year, 3.5 million visitors arrived in New Zealand to check us out. This is…
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