The Ch'íyáqtel First Nation near Chilliwack, British Columbia, is tiny. The Band counts 731 members, some 58% of which live on Ch'íyáqtel lands. Read more
Every Wednesday, New Zealand Initiative staff meet to discuss our columns for the week. It is part of our routine. Read more
All my friends sometimes skip school. For my school ‘think tank’ project, I decided to explore why they do so, and to propose some ideas for reducing the behaviour. Read more
One really ought to seek professional help for following German politics from Wellington. Like all addicts, I have a splendid rationalisation: My fortnightly column on European affairs for Newsroom requires me to stay informed about German politics. Read more
If you think you understand something pretty well, here’s a fun exercise. Explain in detail how the thing works, including how one part causes another part to move. Read more
It all began with a selfie. Four beaming politicians captured their own optimism in the late German autumn of 2021. Read more
In his victory speech, Donald Trump promised Americans a new “golden age”. While he had the numbers to win the election, the economic realities he faces will make delivering on his promise challenging. Read more
Every year in New Zealand, around 62,000 young people leave school. Just 6% of them enter apprenticeship training. Read more
Some Australian scandals never get the New Zealand coverage they deserve — which is a shame, as they can tell us much about our neighbours. Qantas’s Chairman’s Lounge debacle is a case in point. Read more
When New Zealand’s Foreign Minister Winston Peters met his Indian counterpart Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar in Australia this week, some New Zealand journalists were puzzled. Why would bilateral talks happen in a third country? Read more
Imagine that someone invents a new cigarette that produces even more tar and harmful chemicals. Nobody is quite sure how much worse it is than a standard cigarette. Read more
I can’t pretend that dinnertime on the 21st of October was anywhere near as exciting as dinnertime on the 3rd of November. On the evening of Sunday the 3rd, I expect most of us were tuned into the final overs of the third cricket test, hoping that New Zealand would be the first to sweep a full test series in India. Read more
New Zealand’s poor productivity statistics are less puzzling if you understand the country’s land use planning and consenting system. It isn’t much of an exaggeration that, for many activities, anyone’s “no” can block anyone else from doing anything. Read more
If next week’s American Presidential election is a coin toss, that coin looks increasingly weighted toward Trump. In early October, the race was much closer to a fair coin toss. Read more
Imagine trying to take instructions from a deceased client, or entering into a contract with your great-great-grandparents. According to our Supreme Court's latest decision, these absurdities might not be far-fetched. Read more