No one could have predicted when David Seymour’s End of Life Choice Bill was passed by Parliament last November that the referendum required to bring the legislation into force would be held against the backdrop of a deadly global pandemic. Since then, the mounting tally of casualties around the world has thrust death and dying …
At a time when a wave of iconoclasm has meant no statue or monument appears safe from destruction — whether it is Gandhi, Churchill or Captain Cook — Judith Collins has taken the opportunity to attack a living icon who has been feted in some quarters, both here and abroad, as the world’s greatest leader: …
New Zealand’s history as a sheep-farming nation means the command “Get in behind!” has long had a particular resonance — but not usually for journalists. However, in late March, as panic over the coronavirus pandemic surged around the world, Dr Gavin Ellis — former editor-in-chief of the NZ Herald — recommended that the media should …
In mid-April, as New Zealand entered its fourth week of alert level 4, the Prime Minister warned us not to make comparisons with other countries over our Covid-19 pandemic response. This extraordinary advice came after Simon Bridges had urged the government to adopt a less-stringent lockdown similar to those in some Australian states. He told …
Watching Todd Muller make his first speech as the newly minted Leader of the Opposition after Simon Bridges’ defenestration on Friday brought to mind a headmaster addressing a school assembly. He showed no particular desire to ingratiate himself with his audience although the occasional flash of self-deprecating humour indicated a desire to connect with them, …
It was just a month ago that the chief executive of Rotorua Lakes Council, Geoff Williams, described suggestions his executive team should consider taking pay cuts as “immoral”. Williams told the NZ Herald: “I am very fortunate to have around me an extremely committed, dedicated and hardworking executive team who are now working even harder …
In ancient Rome, a victorious general would parade through the city to the temple of Jupiter in a gilded chariot amidst a frenzy of adoration. But to keep the triumphant commander tethered to reality, the trusted slave holding a laurel wreath above his head would whisper repeatedly in his ear: “Memento mori” — “Remember you are …
While Jacinda Ardern’s government has been criticised for making decisions during the Covid-19 pandemic that could be interpreted as politically partisan — particularly its award of a permanent $25 a week rise to beneficiaries — it can’t be accused of political favouritism in its dealings with media over the lockdown. One of the recurring criticisms …
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 …