The coronavirus crisis afflicting the planet raises the issue of vaccines as a commercial commodity made profitable through patents rather than a public good. As a family of genetically related viruses affecting respiratory systems, coronavirus is not new. Covid-19 is its most recent and serious family member. Coronavirus was first discovered in chickens in the …
Covid19 has caused a dislocation in communities across the world with inequalities being exposed, and for many, trust has been broken. We’re seeing compassionate behaviour from criminal organisations and criminal behaviour from legitimate organisations, but maintaining trust in institutions, governments, the business sector and the rule of law is essential for recovery. Fraud, corruption and …
For the sake of democracy New Zealand must emerge from the Covid-19 crisis with viable public and private sector media. Indispensable public service broadcasting must be counterbalanced by equally vital independent media organisations. Together they can hold power to account but one must not be weaker than the other. Public service media, by definition, are …
The received wisdom is that the Covid-19 pandemic has ensured that Simon Bridges will never be prime minister. In fact, according to some he will be lucky to make it to the election as National Party leader. And maybe this is true. After all, the media attention on government action in times of trouble usually …
Should the approach towards Covid-19 be to eliminate (such as China and New Zealand) or mitigate (Sweden) this dangerous virus? This is the question that countries must consider. Professors Michael Baker and Nick Wilson (both public health specialists) describe the differences between elimination and mitigation in their 10 April Guardian article Elimination: what New Zealand’s …
Jacinda Ardern had two Easter messages last week. One was that the Easter bunny was an essential service, which got star billing in the Washington Post and elsewhere across the world. The other was a democracy lesson. In her briefing the Thursday before Easter, Ardern talked at length of how “you” were doing well, observing …
In 1975’s Jaws, which is one of those rare perfect movies, only some of the conflict is with the shark, which is visible in just a handful of shots. For most of the film it is an unseen menace. Indeed, as the characters stare out at an impenetrable ocean, they can never be quite certain …
A governmental response to an emergency like the COVID-19 pandemic needs flexibility, but it is also important that the rule of law is maintained, and that when public officers purport to exercise public powers, they are sure of their ability to do so. From the perspective of someone outside government, this has not always been …
Is David Clark the best possible Minister of Health to be leading New Zealand through the Coronavirus crisis? Confidence in Clark has plummeted with today’s revelation that the Health minister made another recreational trip during the lockdown that appears to breach the Government’s own rules. The Prime Minister has decided not to accept his resignation, …
By Geoffrey Miller A New Zealand academic specialising in Latin America believes that NZ’s relationship with Latin America will remain strong, even if direct flights do not immediately resume to the continent after the immediate coronavirus crisis subsides. Nikita Kent, a Victoria University of Wellington graduate who studied in Peru and recently completed a UN …
The Peruvian government knows it cannot afford a health epidemic. In early March, Peru took quick and decisive action to combat the coronavirus. If preventative action is not taken, the overall hygiene practices and health status of Peruvians give rise to the perfect circumstances for devastating rates of coronavirus cases and mortalities. As of April …
Former editors and journalists of certain illustrious Bauer titles have quickly utilised the shock of its sudden closure to rabidly reminisce, and positively soak in nostalgia. Understandable to those in the industry – there’s a period of piercing pain to work through – but not so much to the public. The Listener, or Metro, or …
The recessionary implications of the spread of Covid-19 have become clearer by the day, with economists now talking of unemployment rates of up to 15%. That may well be an underestimate aimed at calming the market – and the huge numbers of us currently or potentially affected. A corollary interest in the potential of a …
If Grant Robertson’s handouts to everyone from big business to gig workers have turned us all into socialists within a few weeks, it can equally be said that the relentless barrage of information about Covid-19 from around the world has quickly made us all epidemiologists — mostly of the armchair variety. I realised I had …
Jacinda Ardern acted decisively in an attempt to get ahead of the Covid-19 curve, putting New Zealand into strict lockdown far earlier than other western leaders. It was a bold decision with massive economic implications. The public are listening to their prime minister and are united behind her. But the road ahead is littered with …
Without so much as a bang or even a whimper, New Zealand essentially became a socialist state at 11.59pm on Wednesday 25 March 2020. We’d been primed, given time to plan and get back home in time for the lockdown we all hope will win the war against COVID-19. People are confined to their homes, …
It is one of the most powerful scenes in one of the most powerful musicals of twentieth century cinema. In the biergarten of a wayside tavern, deep in the heart of the German countryside, a beautiful young man begins to sing. For the first few moments the youth’s performance seems unobjectionable. It is only when …
The Covid-19 crisis has revealed once again that society relies on the working class, and once again only the working class can get us through. Covid-19 has stripped the fat from society. If you are newly unemployed or still go to a place of work, you’re likely to be working class. If you are still …
By Geoffrey Miller A former Labour press secretary and speechwriter who worked under late Prime Minister Mike Moore says that it’s far from certain that the lockdown solution is the best response to Covid-19 – and we should be questioning the government’s response to the pandemic much more vigorously. Mark Blackham, now director of Wellington …
