Proponents of such laws mean well. But, in my view, many policy makers in rich nations have little understanding of working conditions in poor countries or how humans respond to incentives. The road to hell is paved with good intentions.
The Nursing and Medical councils make political views compulsory.
Get rid of the sole parent benefit. Lift aspirations for those mothers and better outcomes for their children will follow.
The Forgotten Generation struggles to prepare as retirement approaches.
The sometimes dark – but often amusing – origins of nicknames for jobs.
Removing local supply for furniture, flooring, cladding, joinery, and structural applications does not eliminate demand – it displaces it offshore.
Employers not using E-Verify can be easily fooled, according to several experts, as fake documents have become increasingly sophisticated and artificial intelligence is helping criminals, too.
Trade should benefit NZ first. Immigration policy should serve the long-term stability of the nation, not the short-term political vanity of ministers. If we keep pretending those two things are unrelated, we should not be surprised when the NZ we wake up to feels less and less like home.
Giving as an output of human labor is better than receiving, because receiving discourages work and work is how one is blessed with the ability to give – so we need to beware of thoughtless, unstructured giving that discourages work.
The very worst thing we can do is to continue down the current path of welfarism and creeping UBI. As a society we need to provide help for those whose jobs disappear to retrain and look for the new opportunities that will arise.
So here’s to the furtive half-pint in the car park, the emergency hip-flask at the Christmas do and the quiet rebellion of those who still believe work should occasionally feel like play. Bottoms up – while we’re still allowed.
Headline wages in Finland and Australia exempt millions of workers, and the loopholes tell us a lot about labor market realities.
At 411,012 in October 2025, New Zealand has the highest absolute number of beneficiaries ever.
