“Our challenge, then as now, is to facilitate the organic growth of a New Zealand culture, not the synthetic, deliberate choosing and mixing of elements” – Mike Grimshaw
The recent riots in the UK and the government’s heavy-handed response, marked by censorship and imprisonments, have raised concerns. Under the leadership of new Prime Minster Keir Starmer, the state’s approach to managing dissent appears increasingly authoritarian. Social media mogul Elon Musk has also come under fire for allowing for, and himself posting, misinformation. Tony […]
Bad Archive, Flora Feltham. Wellington: Te Herenga Waka University Press 2024. In the last of this series of intriguing essays, the narrator attends a conference for writers of romance fiction. One of the speakers, a prolific novelist, defines her practice thus: “I’m mainly Paranormal, Historic Scotland, Urban Contemporary and Veterinarian … usually with an Enemies […]
Free speech and tertiary education in NZ Given the recent debates, disputes, and discussions concerning free speech in New Zealand universities, it’s timely to go back and examine a forgotten episode from which we might learn how – and how not – to proceed today. In a time where issues of free speech are somehow […]
“There is a deliberate and often orchestrated attempt to filter out dissenting or independent thinkers at the professional level” – Nick Hanne
“Why is there the need for a Free Speech Union if there is a Council for Civil Liberties?” – Mike Grimshaw
“I have written before on here about my identity crisis, and also about life in old age. Now, they come together….” – Joanne Wilkes
“… this fiasco is what happens when – through cowardice or worse – leaders fail to lead and act according to their stated values” – @JulietMosesNZ
“Shaun Johnson needs to do the same, and tell Webster he’ll take a crack at five-eight” – The 18th Man
“…we need to ensure the family unit is more than just a traditional nuclear family and even Thatcher endorsed that” – Mike Grimshaw