Chinese P.L.A. Navy ship Hengyang in Tasman Sea, 2025 (Australian Defence Force). Days after China fired the first of two missiles into the south Pacific, the fallout continues. It is the first time that I am aware of any nation deliberately test firing missiles in this part of the world. It follows an earlier incident … Continue reading China’s very unwelcome missile testing in south Pacific
The soggy question posed by New Zealand floods
The Leader River attacking State Highway 1 earlier this week (Source: RNZ) This week, northern Canterbury and southern Marlborough experienced the worst flooding in possibly more than a generation. Fuelled by a deep, broad, slow moving low that delivered huge rainfall tallies in the northern South Island - and significant snow in inland and southern … Continue reading The soggy question posed by New Zealand floods
The need to reform the school system in New Zealand
The authors old school in Christchurch (1994-1999; Source: R.N.Z.) In the 1980's New Zealand education was regarded as among the best in the world. Literacy rates were nearly 100% for children over 5 years. Performance indicators for maths, literacy and comprehension were among the best in the O.E.C.D. So, what happened? Starting in 1989, when … Continue reading The need to reform the school system in New Zealand
Need for alternative N.Z. foreign policy stronger than ever
United Nations General Assembly (Patrick Gruban, 2006). Yesterday, I read about a YouGov poll in the United Kingdom, in which young Britons were polled about World War 3. More than half reckoned some kind of global war, if not the nuclear conflagration that most assume W.W.3. would become, is likely within a decade. As the … Continue reading Need for alternative N.Z. foreign policy stronger than ever
Legislation passed under urgency is not N.Z law done well
The New Zealand Parliament, and Beehive (R. Glennie) For years I have watched as successive Governments have passed legislation under urgency in the New Zealand Parliament. In almost all instances, the use of Parliamentary Urgency has not been justified, and this article looks at examples of such behaviour. The most recent example of this is … Continue reading Legislation passed under urgency is not N.Z law done well