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…

Mana in Mahi isn’t your average work-for-the-dole scheme

By Kieran Madden

Translated to “strength in work,” Labour’s Mana in Māhī scheme shows real potential to make a difference in the lives…

Is there demand for a tourist tax?

By Danielle van Dalen

I’m no economist, but even I know that basic economic theory says that as the price for a product increases,…

Beware the consequences of the waka-jumping bill

By Danielle van Dalen

Like many, my first introduction to politics was through a class election. My group decided our key campaign promise was…

Labour’s courageous move on poverty

By Jeremy Vargo

Labour’s announcement last week of the Child Poverty Reduction Bill was almost instantly hailed by many as a huge step…

Three strikes, out

By Alex Penk

The “Three Strikes” legislation is going to be struck out. The new Government has promised to repeal the law in…

Save Social Investment

By Kieran Madden

National’s Social Investment Approach must stay, but not as we know it. Imagine, for a moment, that policies are cars….

Dodging the lolly-scramble for power

By Alex Penk

As a kid, there was one word that always got your heart racing and your legs pumping at a community…

Taxes, trust, and transparency

By Kieran Madden

“When the facts change, I change my mind. What do you do, sir?” This, apparently, was economist John Maynard Keynes’…

Our politicians must learn what actually makes a difference in education

By Danielle van Dalen

I can clearly remember my favourite teacher. He was a jovial and portly history teacher, who would get incredibly excited…

The battle lines for our votes

By Kieran Madden

It’s the economy, stupid. This phrase, coined by one of Bill Clinton’s wily campaign strategists, has done a crude but…

Supporting the village raising our children

By Danielle van Dalen

An African proverb claims that “it takes a village to raise a child.” Labour’s School Leavers’ Toolkit Policy seems an…

Election Panel – Live Q+A

What questions do you want answered before you vote? Hosted by Maxim Institute, in association with AUT Law School, this…

The true cost of getting “Ready for Work”

By Julian Wood

Labour’s “Ready For Work” policy is a great idea. Unveiled at the party’s conference, the plan offers on the job…

Productive thinking

By Julian Wood

Everybody wants New Zealand to be a great place to work and live. High wages, high growth, high productivity, low…

“Trust me” – politics can be better

By Danielle van Dalen

With one political event after another falling victim to anti-establishment sentiments, I have to ask, is New Zealand next? A…

Promises promises

By Jeremy Vargo

The joint announcement of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Labour and the Greens last week took many by surprise….

Free tertiary policy lacks precision

By Julian Wood

I never knew the “glory days” of tertiary education where everything was free. After high school I was ushered into…

Minimum wage, minimal help

By Kieran Madden

With four in ten poor kids living in families where mum or dad is in work, raising the minimum wage…

MMP refresher – the paths to power

By Jeremy Vargo

Last week, my friends got into a heated discussion regarding David Cunliffe’s statements about Internet Mana. Mr Cunliffe said he…