Drawing the Line | Measuring Poverty

By Kieran Madden

Just as there is no one accepted definition of poverty, there is also no one measure of poverty. Measures of…

The Looking Glass | Defining Poverty

By Kieran Madden

DEFINITIONS Defining poverty is about distinguishing between those who are poor and those who aren’t, and is an exercise in…

Digging Deeper | Understanding Poverty

By Kieran Madden

Most of us are swimming in ideological waters without even knowing it, and this immersion shapes to some extent how…

Setting the Scene | The Problem of Poverty

By Kieran Madden

INTRODUCTION How we understand, define, and measure poverty matters. Poverty, especially in developed countries like New Zealand, is complex and…

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,…

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…

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…

“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…

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…

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…

2019 Sir John Graham Lecture | Across Our Fault Lines

Repairing the brokenness of the past DELIVERED BY: Professor Pumla Gobodo-MadikizelaStellenbosch University 6pm, Friday, 5 July | Pullman HotelAuckland with…

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…

Alex on Checkpoint RNZ speaking on the End Of Life Choice Bill

On June 27, Alex talked to Alex Perrottet on Checkpoint, RNZ about the results of the End of Life Choice Bill’s…

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…

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,…

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…

Alex’s op-ed on the End of Life Choice Bill featured on the Spinoff

By Alex Penk

Alex Penk’s op-ed highlighting flaws of David Seymour’s End of Life Choice Bill featured on the Spinoff. Read the article: …

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…

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…

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…