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
The Spinoff: The poll numbers that could spell death for National
When half the country thinks we’re on the wrong track, a government is in trouble.
The Post: Sorry, conservatives, there is no magical money tree
Ironically it is the right, not the left, that has fiscal delusions.
The Spinoff: Our alarming rates of child poverty are entirely avoidable
No real change last year is still bad news.
The Post: Beyond the petty politics, can social investment actually succeed?
The left should overcome its kneejerk reaction against the idea.
The Conversation: Racing enjoys special treatment under NZ gambling laws. Why?
Taxes are normally higher on harmful activities, but not for racing-related gambling.
The Spinoff: The iwi-run savings scheme giving Ngai Tahu kids a kick-start
Whai Rawa offers tamariki a chance to build wealth reciprocally.
The Post: Hypocrisy at heart of how New Zealand treats the unemployed
For the centre-right, unemployed people are necessary, but still not treated well.
The Spinoff: Doing more with what we already have: a challenge to the abundance agenda
Building more stuff is not the only path forward.
The Post: This week’s floods show why we need to talk about climate change - and keep talking
The link between global warming and extreme weather is not made often enough.
The Post: How better modelling could fix economic blind spots
An intellectual revolution is coming to one of the world’s most powerful disciplines.