The American libertarian author and satirist PJ O’Rourke used to joke that “Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys.” The problem really is one of trust. At least when O’Rourke was writing, the average American teenaged boy couldn’t be trusted with whiskey and car keys. Read more

Pierre Elliot Trudeau, Canadian Prime Minister for most of 1968 through 1984, and father of the current Canadian Prime Minister, had a wonderful quip about being neighbours with the United States. In a 1969 state visit with President Nixon in Washington, Trudeau said, “Living next to you is in some ways like sleeping with an elephant. Read more

Barrister Gary Judd KC’s complaint to the Regulatory Review Committee has sparked a fierce debate about the place of tikanga Māori – or Māori customs, values and spiritual beliefs – in the law. Judd opposes the New Zealand Council of Legal Education’s plans to make teaching tikanga compulsory in the legal curriculum. Read more

While instant gratification reigns supreme and attention spans are shorter than a Tik-Tok video, the grand old game of test cricket finds itself, like the New Zealand economy, on a sticky wicket. The rise of T20, with its frenetic pace, flashy uniforms, and pyrotechnic displays has left the traditional five-day format looking as outdated as a record player. Read more