Reports & Media

The back of the bottle of Johnnie Walker Black Label that I keep at the office has two labels. The first company-branded label appears to be designed for international markets that use the metric system. Read more

New Zealand’s Treasury has two big jobs that nobody else can do. They’re both highlighted in the first line of Treasury’s “Who we are” website. Read more

Bürgen is leaving New Zealand. After decades on our supermarket shelves, the grainy loaves with the German name will soon be gone. Read more

If nobody is planning to invade New Zealand, why would we need a defence force? So runs the logic of those questioning the decision to increase defence spending. Read more

Outside Chris Bishop’s office in the Beehive hangs a framed copy of a court judgment. Last week, in a speech to the Law Association, the Attorney-General explained why he keeps it there. Read more

Drones near airports, at least in New Zealand, are usually a nuisance rather than a threat. They are often flown by careless amateurs who have not read the rules. Read more

Last month, the Ministry of Social Development released the latest of its excellent statistical reports documenting the extent of child poverty, hardship/deprivation in New Zealand. The proportions are much below their peak rates around 15 years ago but are still too high. Read more

Last week, this newsletter’s third slot was dedicated to all those poor bots that have President Trump’s AI-slop forced down their digitised throats. While their position is unenviable, it pales in comparison to the miserable experience of African diplomats. Read more

The cover of MBIE’s new Workforce Diversity Action Plan shows nine staff holding signs reading “I belong” in several languages. Inside, it declares itself “People-centred | Performance-driven | Evidence-informed”. Read more