Category Archives: New Zealand Politics

Posts that deal with issues current in New Zealand politics

The Key(wi) way to being ordinary – Part III

Posted on 19th Jan, 2011 by Puddleglum

In this final part of a series of posts on the value of ‘ordinariness’ in New Zealand I want to focus on the question I avoided right at the start: Why would someone from the left write such an apparently … Continue reading →

Posted in National Identity, New Zealand Politics | 3 Comments

The Key(wi) way to being ordinary – Part II

Posted on 6th Jan, 2011 by Puddleglum

In Part I of this series, I pointed out that there was something paradoxical about the way in which, in New Zealand, the idea of ordinariness is understood. It is encapsulated in the idea that ‘you can be anything you … Continue reading →

Posted in National Identity, New Zealand Politics | 8 Comments

The Key(wi) way to being ordinary – Part I

Posted on 5th Jan, 2011 by Puddleglum

In a recent column, left wing commentator Chris Trotter has written what appears to be a paen to Prime Minister John Key. (I’ll address this issue in a series of posts, this being the first.) Trotter argues that John Key … Continue reading →

Posted in National Identity, New Zealand Politics | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Digging Deeper – Why is mining hazardous?

Posted on 2nd Dec, 2010 by Puddleglum

As the personal and community tragedy of the loss of 29 men’s lives at the Pike River mine continues, further details about the nature of mining are worth considering. An initial point to emphasise is that Pike River is not … Continue reading →

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‘On the buses’ – and other evolving systems

Posted on 25th Nov, 2010 by Puddleglum

Waiting at a bus stop for 34 minutes gives you time to get over the irritation and start to think. It’s largely passed beneath the radar of national news but Christchurch has been experiencing supposed ‘aftershocks‘ from the September 4th … Continue reading →

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The SAS and CEOs – what’s all the fuss about?

Posted on 11th Nov, 2010 by Puddleglum

There’s certainly a fuss. The Defence Minister Wayne Mapp ordered an immediate inquiry. The Editor of the Nelson Mail wasn’t impressed. What is the fuss about? Perhaps it’s over the idea that the military need to run a ‘corporate cake … Continue reading →

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Are we all Hobbits now?

Posted on 2nd Nov, 2010 by Puddleglum

‘The Hobbit Enabling Act’ – the title alone should keep postmodern theorists in scholarly manuscripts for at least the next decade. Apparently, we’re all now enabled to be Hobbits – but is that what we want to be? Alternatively, if … Continue reading →

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Freedom of dissociation

Posted on 23rd Oct, 2010 by Puddleglum

Is the Education (Freedom of Association) Amendment Bill that seeks to alter the basis of Students Associations in New Zealand really about defending the right of freedom of association? It’s hard to see how it is. Continue reading →

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Who we didn’t vote for

Posted on 22nd Oct, 2010 by Puddleglum

The Christchurch City Council local body elections showed, beneath the bare figures of the election returns, some interesting patterns. (Figures for number of enrolled voters per ward can be accessed here.) There are seven wards in Christchurch City: Banks Peninsula; … Continue reading →

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