Clive Bibby: Immigration and assimilation - you can't have one without the other

Immigration on its own (based on an influx of people from different cultures) and provided it is limited to numbers that can be accommodated without putting pressure on existing services, is the life blood of all developing countries.

It has been the basis for all industrial growth in Ist World nations and can lead to a more tolerant society than one where there is only one cultural history.

David Lillis: A Just New Zealand - lessons for our Leaders?

Learning from Research

A most thought-provoking research paper has come to our attention (Leslie et al., 2020). Though the study described there originated in the US, it is a must-read for New Zealand political leaders and employers generally, but especially for our public service and University administrations – indeed, for anyone who wants a better society and an end to discrimination and bullying in this country. 

Barend Vlaardingerbroek: Naiveté Royale 2015 vs. Rivers of Blood 1968

The extent to which [radicalisation] is happening is … alarming … And particularly in a country like ours where you know the values we hold dear. You think that the people who have come here, born here, go to school here, would imbibe those values and outlooks.
- Prince Charles in a BBC interview last month

We have a sarcastic riposte in Dutch when someone indicates that s/he has finally twigged to something already widely known – “the child is waking up”. It seems a highly appropriate rejoinder to the prince’s naïve utterances so I’ll just call him ‘Charlie’ from here on.