Are we aiming high enough?

Mahesh Muralidhar asks are we aiming high enough?

Bear Grylls once said there is only one word to describe New Zealand – EPIC. He’s right, we are epic, but are we aiming high enough to future-proof our country? Join Mahesh Muralidhar, Venture Capitalist, as he shares his thoughts on the importance of reinvigorating our economy, what we can do to encourage more start-ups and frontier businesses, and why they are essential for a successful New Zealand.

Will taxing farmers work?

At the Common Room Bryce McKenzie asks will taxing farmers work?

Over the past 18 months Kiwi farmers have taken to the city streets to drum up support for their opposition to the government’s proposed ETS measures. But why are they concerned and what impact will the government’s measures have on kiwis and the planet? In this video Bryce McKenzie, Co-founder of Groundswell looks at why farmers are so concerned and what impact the government’s measures will have on Kiwis and the planet

Soft bigotry of low expectation

Over at The Common Room Agnes Loheni discusses the soft bigotry of low expectations :

At a time when literacy levels are plummeting to historic lows and inequality is growing, Agnes Loheni believes the messaging being pushed onto kids in vulnerable communities isn’t helping. “Our children are inundated with messages that they will be preyed upon because of their race or other such perceived disadvantage. That any dreams or aspirations they might have for themselves must be tempered by a system that is rigged against them,” says Agnes. Find out more in this thought provoking video.

The Common Room – Is it time to get tough on crime?

Over at the Common Room Sunny Kaushal, asks, is it time to get tough on crime?

Well over 1 million Kiwis were the victims of crime last year. Sunny Kaushal, who represents the dairy and small business owners who are so often those victims, challenges the current soft-on-crime approach.

Freedom is never free

Over at The Common Room, Mina Amso says that freedom is never free :

‘You can’t fix a problem until you know what the problem is’

Over at The Common Room, Mike King says you can’t fix a problem until you know what the problem is:

Mental Health advocate Mike King uncovers some surprising suicide stats around the 2011 Christchurch earthquake, and shares his thoughts on dealing with bullies and drug dealers.

A guide to spending other people’s money

Over at The Common Room, Jordan Williams gives a long and lamentable list of the government’s disregard for value when spending of other people’s money :

Right now, the Government’s spending makes up 42% of the whole New Zealand economy. But are the funders of all that spending getting a good return?

Former UK Prime Minister Liz Truss made the mistake of attempting to cut taxes without cutting spending.

With so much wasteful spending here, it shouldn’t be hard for a National-led government to cut enough waste to enable some tax cuts, at least a change in thresholds so increased earnings aren’t immediately negated by a move into a higher tax bracket.

 

Do we need a hate speech law?

Over at The Common Room, Paul Moon asks: should we ban hate speech?:

 What speech is acceptable and what speech isn’t? Could you be prosecuted for expressing an unpopular opinion? Can you even define hate speech? Dr Paul Moon answers these questions and more.

A thief called inflation

At the Common Room Cameron Bagrie discusses the thief called inflation:

Inflation hit a 32 year high in June 2022. So what does this mean for Kiwis? How does it affect our spending and savings? What are the implications for the economy? And does anyone benefit? Former ANZ Chief Economist Cameron Bagrie shares his thoughts.

Disagreeing agreeably

Over at The Common RoomTim Wilson explains how to disagree agreeably:

Equity or equality

At the Common Room Melissa Derby asks whether attempting to bring about equal outcomes a good idea – or even possible:

 

Left-leaning media

Liam Hehir at The Common Room looks at the left-leaning media:

 

Left or Right

Paula Bennett explains at The Common Room why she chose the right answer rather than the left one:

Bureaucracy City

Camryn Brown speaks from The Common Room on Bureaucracy City: