The Good Society is the home of my writing about how we can shape a better world together.
A detail from Ambrogio Lorenzetti’s Renaissance fresco The Allegory of Good and Bad Government
Stuff: The half-hour trip that robs some Kiwis of 10 years
New Zealand’s life-expectancy gap is shocking, and getting worse.
Stuff: Climate and inequality – How a rising tide can sink the smallest boats
The richest New Zealanders emit far more carbon than others, and some researchers are arguing they should shoulder more of the burden of tackling climate change.
Stuff: Democracy may be in trouble, but the answer is more of it, not less
We must reject the middle-class fantasy of ‘meritocratic authoritarianism’.
Spinoff: How to hide a million dollars in politics
Two trials over the winter have highlighted serious flaws in the way we regulate donations.
Stuff: National's new social plan goes back to the future - but is that a bad thing?
Social investment can be good, as long as we don’t make data god.
Stuff: Sacrificing 50,000 workers on the altar of inflation is madness
Poorer New Zealanders will lose their jobs so that the rich can keep buying new kitchens. That’s hardly fair.
Spinoff: Kris Faafoi and the revolving door
It’s perfectly legal for the former cabinet minister to move straight into a job as a lobbyist. But should it be?
Guardian: Hope and heartbreak for New Zealanders dreaming of a communal life
Cohousing offers a vision of connected, community-based living – but the path to realising the dream can be far from smooth.
Stuff: The curse of cosyism in public life is hurting us all
We need, where possible, to avoid conflicts of interest, not manage them.
Stuff: Two decades of donations scandals – so where are the convictions?
Regulatory agencies seem curiously reluctant to prosecute donations fraudsters.