Update: Tool is live! ¶ "On track to surplus" ¶ That's not really true. Revenue projections are down on the 2012 Budget, and the Government would be in deficit - except they cut the Operating Allowance for Budget 2014 by $200m. ¶ I…
Like almost everyone in the Western world, I remember 9/11 vividly. I woke in the morning to the rolling TV coverage and the collapse of the Twin Towers on repeat. Terrorism met the Age of Spectacle in a purpose-planned event.…
It appears that there will be no major changes to our MMP system before the next election. ¶ I'm okay with that. While I support each of the recommendations in isolation (I think the 5% threshold is too high, and the…
As part of the deal with the government announced this morning, SkyCity will -- along with a range of other concessions and favours -- be allowed to install 230 more pokie machines in exchange for building and operating an international…
I doubt that anyone would have anticipated that one of 2013's television hits would have been captured by the cameras of Parliament TV, yet that is what happened. In concert with a level of social media chatter usually reserved for…
On 9 May 2013, the Labour Party Secretary filed a donation return with the Electoral Commission, in respect of four payments it received via The Public Trust, from the Estate of Brian James Dalley: ¶ $411,500.00 received on 23 April 2012,$7,250.00…
Fiona and I celebrated her birthday on Tuesday night with dinner at Coco's Cantina (free-range veal Milanese ftw!) and then Lawrence Arabia's show at Golden Dawn. We literally walked into the venue just as he started playing, and gee, it…
It was never likely that Len Brown would stand unopposed for the Auckland mayoralty this year. Indeed, he wouldn't want to: being a consensus candidate is all very well, but it's a lot easier to claim a mandate when you've…
The recent Boston Marathon bombing and the events that followed it were a predictable, unpredictable news phenomenon. More people died in another soulcrushing purge in Syria and in the bewildering series of assasinations that were engulfing the Pakistani elections, but…
Statement of the obvious: New Zealand Music Month, May of every year, plays no role at all in the current government's political branding. The New Zealand Music Commission is pretty much left to get on with it. Although Arts minister…
Sunday 28th April was Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day, and we had our second workshop at Minnie Street Studio. It went extremely well, thanks to the efforts of Petra, Jonathan and Sophie, and the great group of people who attended. ¶ The…
Last week was both a bad week and a good week for 22 year-old Ben Uffindell, the founder of the fledgling (eight weeks old!) satirical website The Civilian. It was bad because he was threatened with legal action by Conservative…
One of the things I try to do when I blog is to know what I don't know. I don't always keep to that maxim, of course, and when I do it tends to limit the scope of the blog.…
Heavy metal has a dread secret: the majority of people who play and enjoy the music are actually really nice. But please don't tell anyone. And especially don't publish any career-ending tweets like this one from John Campbell. ¶ Dear All,…
As most of you will know, Maori Television's Anzac Day coverage has become one of its broadcast taonga -- and they're all lined up to do the job again tomorrow. Note that at 7am tomorrow, they'll be screening Cameron Bennett's…
From where I sit, autumn is always a long time coming. Summer hangs on, and on, and on... In the end, three changes combine to suggest it's autumn in Auckland. Shorter daylight hours, a subtle change of leaf colour here…
I understand why London Mayor Boris Johnson pitched his city's near-billion-pound plan for cycle infrastructure as a bid to "de-Lycrafy cycling". The idea that cycling takes special clothing isn't particularly helpful in emphasising riding a bike as a normal, everyday…
Tomorrow is Record Store Day and I need to make a confession. I don't go to record stores. Well, not much anyway, and more often to browse than to buy. Which is odd given that over the years I've not…
For the great majority of those celebrating last night's marriage equality vote -- those who can already wed their chosen, or who have no wish to do so -- the victory in the House was symbolic. And that is appropriate.…
This is a slightly weird day for me. Today, something I've been fighting for for years is going to come to pass. The Marriage Equality bill is going to pass its third reading. What will I do tomorrow? ¶ Obviously, the…
There is rising concern about sexually explicit material in new media forms to which teenagers are exposed. An official report sounds the alarm about unprecedented sexual precociousness among girls and makes a string of recommendations to government … ¶ That was in…
This is the text of an email I sent the national leader of the New Zealand Baptist churches a month ago. ¶ Dear Craig ¶ We haven't met, but I'm a long-time adherent of Wellington Central Baptist. I'm writing to you about…
Television is not, as we all know, reality. And "reality television" is sometimes especially not. But we do rely on it to reflect some version of ourselves. Done right, it helps us define who we all are. ¶ It's odd to…
So the Big Day Out is back -- and this time it's in my 'hood. I had been aware that there were discussions about bringing back some form of the Big Day Out to New Zealand, and that Western Springs…
April 28th 2013 is Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day. Join Capture for our second annual (and highly enjoyable) pinhole workshop at Minnie St Studio. ¶ The Capture Pinhole Photography Workshop 2013 Date: Sunday 28th April, 2013 ¶ Time: 10am - 4pm (ish) ¶ The…