• Features

    Does Wellington need to be a supercity?

    by  • February 2, 2013 • Articles, Features, FishHead magazine • 0 Comments

    Wellington is under increasing pressure to import Auckland’s supercity model. So is amalgamation really the answer to all our problems?  (First published in FishHead magazine, April 2012)  The area’s local councils say there’s no need for such sweeping changes: a gradual process of sharing more services will do the trick, they say. But others...

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    The threat of inequality

    by  • January 23, 2013 • Articles, Features • 0 Comments

    I’ve just written a piece for an international project aimed at improving governance – the way countries are run – known as the Sustainable Governance Indicators. The piece is about our rising inequality, and how it threatens some of the things we hold dear: a relatively free and transparent political system, for example. It’s...

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    Why education may be over-rated

    by  • September 11, 2012 • Features • 2 Comments

    A recent paper from Britain’s Fiscal Studies journal has some sobering reading for people who think that education alone can solve the problem of how to create more opportunities and greater social mobility for all. Looking at the UK’s massive rise in the number of people getting degrees, it points out that most of...

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    Debating inequality at Te Papa

    by  • August 19, 2012 • Features • 0 Comments

    As part of my book on inequality in New Zealand, I’ve set up a couple of Thursday night talks at Te Papa. The first one, on Sept 13th, is a free, open-invite event for anyone who’s worried about the increasing gap between rich and poor in New Zealand. More details below. Another talk in...

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    Not doing it for the kids

    by  • June 18, 2012 • Features, FishHead magazine • 0 Comments

    A shortage of childcare providers is forcing parents to drive their kids  across the city each morning. Fees are soaring, and parents don’t get the information they need to weigh up the options. So what’s going on in early childhood education?  (First published in FishHead magazine, February 2012) It is, as Melanie Heaphy puts...

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