John Key loves closing a deal. But when it comes to SkyCity and plain packaging he seems to have lost sight of the fact that how you do things is the mark of a man... and a government
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Friday February 22
Car bomb targets Baath Party in Damascus; Bo Xilai on hunger strike; South Korea and US to stage joint military drills; Indian workers stage two-day strike; Human Rights Watch faults Mexico over 150 disappearances; and more
Read MoreA press release we will never see
First they came for the partners of beneficiary fraudsters, and I was silent. Then they came for the professional advisors of corporate entities, and I thought "hang on - this is completely ridiculous!"
Read MoreGame of Thrones: choosing a new Pope
That a New Zealander won’t be part of the papal conclave was possibly the least interesting thing to say about the shock resignation of Pope Benedict XVI
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Thursday February 21
Japan's trade deficit at record high; South Korea and US hold defense talks; Bulgaria's government resigns; senior Taliban officer arrested in Pakistan; French troops to begin pulling out of Mali; and more
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Wednesday February 20
Chavez returns to duty after two months off for cancer treatment; China denies hacking claims; former Japanese prime minister paves way for Japan-Russia leadership meeting; Obama may consider arming Syrian opposition; ANC dismisses new South African party; and more
Read MoreRandom thoughts on risk and responsibility
If you can't insure something, are you still responsible for the risk of owning it? And how sorry for you should we feel if that risk turns bad?
Read MoreRichard Prosser finally makes a name for himself
Admit it -- you'd never heard of NZ First MP Richard Prosser till the Wogistan debacle. Now he is a household name. Plus Ralph Stewart's payout and Novopay.
Read MoreFirst they came for the trees ...
Look deeper into RMA reforms and you might find it's more exciting than you think: an Environment Minister taking her axe to urban trees, and the latest in a series of “democracy deficits” - this time affecting Auckland
Read MorePeople smugglers, asylum seekers, and Ozzie Rules
John Key opened Pandora’s Box when he revealed that Australia had considered using its navy to shepherd a boatload of asylum seekers to New Zealand, but nobody seems to want to look inside. It isn’t a pretty sight.
Read MoreA living wage: There are no reasons not to
The initial response to a call for councils and other big employers to commit to a living wage of at least $18.40 an hour has been dominated by excuses. But what could be more important?
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Thursday February 14
Obama offers "rough sketch" of foreign policy for second term; 100th Tibetan monk self-immolates to protest Chinese rule over Tibet; Muslim insurgents killed during raid on Thai military base; Mexican president presents crime prevention plan; NATO air strike kills civilians in Afghanistan; and more
Read MoreDCD scandal must have consequences for Fonterra
The serious and repeated errors made by Fonterra over DCD should mean an end to the cosy little concessions all New Zealanders make to the dairy giant
Read MoreGee, I wish we had one of them doomsday machines
Is it OK to threaten to do a really bad thing if it means that you don't actually have to do it, even if you have to really be prepared to do it so as to make the threat work?
Read More"Wogistan" - Richard Prosser crosses the line
Robust free speech must be strenuously protected, but a written rant by a New Zealand First MP goes beyond defensible lazy thinking to racist insult, and must be condemned
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Tuesday February 12
Pope's resignation surprises even his closest aides; Japan will donate patrol boats to Philippines to monitor China's prescence in disputed waters; South Korea working on unmanned attack helicopters; 36 killed in stampede at Indian religious festival; EU finance ministers meet; and more
Read MoreWhere's Steven?
The launch tonight aboard the Rainbow Warrior of Greenpeace NZ’s clean economy report recalls the time New Zealand turned away from nuclear energy. Now, as then, we’re at an historical crossroads. But where is the Economic Development Minister?
Read MoreInflation control first, or The Daddy Bear Guide to Monetary Policy
Imagining Reserve Bank Governor Graeme Wheeler as a popular children's book character. Will he learn the lesson of 'what is smart and what is not'?
Read MoreHow to keep Waitangi Day on the straight & narrow
Waitangi Day events played out more peacefully than expected, but the risk of division remains if we don't pay attention to public opinion
Read MoreThe buzz on drones is just beginning...hopefully
It's taken a few years, but finally Obama's fetish for drones has been outed. It is critical that what follows is an open and transparent debate over the place of these tools of extra-judicial killing, particulary because it seems everyone's getting them.
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