Newsletter Thought for the day, 5 February 2025 A reflection. Humans are both stupid and sublime. I thought about this a lot when I wrote my PhD. I studied social policy in Aotearoa, and the contrasts in our history captured me. We were a nation that, at our height, built ten thousand state houses a year to give
Newsletter I thought fascism would be less squalid than this I learned about World War Two through family and movies and in class. I wasn’t especially worried. Humans learn from experience. We seldom mess up that badly twice, I figured - or, at least, not on any kind of scale. The battles of that time didn’t interest me,
Newsletter In good faith This is a story with questionable characters. You've met some of them before.
Newsletter After the hīkoi People who take the train to and from the office in Pōneke are, more often than not, Pākehā and comfortable.
Newsletter The best you can give is what you have The COVID-19 inquiry is starting to drip feed its findings, and I'm having a lot of feelings. Some of those feelings come from being a person who worked in the response in 2020. I can't even begin to say how awful it was - and I
Newsletter Consent, intent This piece is about the use of the 'rough sex defence' by men who harm women. I focus on ideas, not acts of violence, but it remains a challenging read. As always, a reminder I'm not a lawyer.
Newsletter Thought for the day, 6 November 2024 I've thought carefully about the kind of words I want to toss into this cauldron. I'm feeling disillusioned of course, and angry, and bereft. But I can't let myself be without hope. Subscribe now Things have been shit before and things will be shit
Newsletter Thought for the day, 27 September 2024 Being laid off is horrific in a way that's hard to explain to those who haven't been there. If you're lucky, you'll find something else soon: mostly your self-worth and your sense of security will suffer. If you're unlucky, the
Newsletter Ake ake ake Lies aren't always fleeting - and monsters are no more self-made than better men. This post contains distressing violence and racism. Please take care.
Newsletter Choosy 'Abortion reversal' has made it from America to Aotearoa. We should be worried. Please be aware that challenging content follows.
Newsletter Nerd Sunday: A tale of two sicklies This is the story of a friendship, a furore, the limits of evidence and the necessity of hope.
Newsletter A father's love Tom, the guy from Marokopa, has become a kind of folk hero. I don't believe most of us think that way - his supporters are a minority. But minorities can be vocal, and more than that, they can be dangerous. For example, a lone person with a gun
Newsletter Busting This isn't a thing I was expecting to write - and truly, you've got New Zealand First to thank. Welcome to my unplanned memoir of toilets, mates, being a woman, and my love for my transgender kid.
Newsletter A poem for David Seymour What can I say? His profound vision for school lunches inspired me.
Newsletter Peter Stalking is having a cultural moment, prompting a desperately-needed conversation. Misogyny is a never-ending cultural moment. This post carries a strong content warning. Please be careful.
Newsletter A dirty three-letter word ending in X There are reasons I want to pay tax. They're old-fashioned - so go ahead and laugh at me if you like. I want school kids to be fed. I want whānau to be housed. I want workers to be safe, public servants to be valued. I want our
Newsletter Pet peeve I’m a cat person. It would take a special dog to win me over - and that dog was never going to be Chris Bishop's. His dog appeared at today's policy announcement. It was fluffy and vacuous, like it was barking indiscriminately at anything and
