Benjamin Macintyre: A remedy to division

We live in divided times. Where once there was disagreement over solutions, today there is disagreement over facts.

The proof is everywhere. An article that’s in defence of anything the private sector does? You’re a shill who works for Atlas, an organisation so secretive you can google them.

But what if you write something vaguely supportive of government intervention? Take your Leninist ideas somewhere else, tankie!

Benjamin Macintyre: Condemned

Today I found out that both the Prime Minister and I are self-described “test cricket tragics”. If he can tell me what Neil Wagner’s final bowling average is upon retirement, I’ll believe him.

This past Monday, the Prime Minister welcomed both the New Zealand and Australian cricket teams to Premier House. It was to celebrate the upcoming test series between the two sides.

Benjamin Macintyre: Reconsidering AUKUS

In a welcome development, Winston Peters and Judith Collins flew to Australia last week to discuss joint foreign policy concerns.

The purpose of their trip was to meet with their Australian foreign and defence minister counterparts. On the agenda: mutual foreign policy and defence interests. The most notable topic of discussion? AUKUS.

Benjamin Macintyre: Local elections

For those of you who aren’t residents of Wellington’s coffee-infused bubble, you may not be aware that we’re on the brink of yet another local election.

Political nerds around the world have rejoiced at the prospect of the Lambton General Ward by-election – a name as enticing as it is short.

The by-election is to fill the vacancy on the Lambton General Ward Council when Green MP Tamatha Paul achieved promotion from council to parliament.

Benjamin Macintyre: Dutch Courage

Are you suffering from post-election fatigue? Did you feel the whole campaign was overly long and protracted, and a little boring?

And then the coalition negotiations – they dragged and dragged. It took so long that the planned mini-budget before Christmas will probably only contain our new government’s holiday plans.

Benjamin Macintyre: Streaming - What we (don't) know

Those of you who remember your school days and those who currently have kids at school, may be aware of streaming – the practice of separating students into classes based on their stage of learning.  

Streaming is very common in our secondary schools. According to the OECD 2018, 83.5% of New Zealand secondary schools streamed some or all subjects. The rate of streaming for mathematics was 95%.

Benjamin Macintyre: Class divides streaming in our schools

Many readers will remember being in streamed classes at school. Perhaps you were in a top English class but a lower maths class.

Streaming is commonplace in New Zealand schools and has been for a long time. But recently, influential critics have called for a ban.

Responding to these calls, The Initiative’s new report, Class Divides: The impact of streaming on educational achievement and equality, explores both the local and international evidence on the educational effects of streaming.

Class divides? - The impact of streaming on educational achievement and equality

Classroom streaming – the separation of students into classes based on their prior attainment – is currently a topic of debate in New Zealand. Some commentators have called for the practice to be banned. The Ministry of Education would like schools to abandon it voluntarily.

Benjamin Macintyre: Census trouble

Hey, you. Yeah, you. Did you fill out your census form? I expect you did.

Everyone fills out their census form. It is our sacred duty as proud New Zealanders to inform the government of our address, occupation, and favourite colour.

I expect you did your duty? Of course you did.

What was that sorry? You… didn’t? WHAT?

Benjamin Macintyre: No justification for Hamas's actions

Hamas’s actions last weekend were abhorrent, vile, and unjustifiable.

It does not matter if your sympathies lie with Palestine or Israel. It does not matter if you consider violent retribution as inevitable or even defensible.

You either believe that there is no world in which the massacre of babies in their homes is acceptable, or you don’t.

Benjamin Macintyre: Politics actually

Everyone knows the best rom-coms are built on love triangles. Think of Mark, Juliet and Peter from Love, Actually. Audiences swooned. The premise was that it’s okay to try to get your best friend’s partner to cheat on them as long as you ask using cardboard signs.

Love triangles are a popular trope because they’re dramatic. Who will the protagonist pick? Will it be the sensible man her parents love, or will she go for the bad boy with improbably good hair?

Benjamin Macintyre: A rite of passage

In politics, there are certain things you need to be taken seriously.

Some are formal things. You need a platform, of course. And a leader.

Then there are less formal things. Rites of passage, if you will. Survive a scandal. Engage in some backstabbing. Manage a couple U-turns here and there.

And, every election cycle, you need at least one dumb policy. This election is no exception.

Benjamin Macintyre: Sweden steals Ukraine's show

Last week’s NATO summit in Vilnius was supposed to be about Ukraine’s needs and whether they would be met. Zelenskiy wanted guarantees for future NATO membership and the military alliance wanted to present a united front to Putin.

In a surprise twist, the real winner of the summit was Sweden.

Benjamin Macintyre: What really matters

Too many minutes are lost every day pondering trivial matters. We think too much about who the next Prime Minister might be, how crime is hurting our businesses or whether our children are being taught the skills they need at school.

Thankfully, on Sunday night, New Zealand’s most important public official – Ian Foster, protector of the realm, decider of fates – appeared on our TV screens with a timely reminder of what really matters.

Benjamin Macintyre: The unintended consequences of reckless imperialism

When Putin started his illegitimate war in Ukraine nearly 14 months ago, he claimed it was for its “demilitarisation and denazification”. Almost all security analysts, however, rejected this ridiculous suggestion. One of the real motivating factors, along with reclaiming territory Russia once controlled, was to reduce NATO influence in the region.

On Tuesday, he got the exact opposite.

Finland’s decision to join NATO reverses decades of military non-alignment. Since the end of the Second World War, Finland has sought to align itself with the West in trade and political terms - it has been a member of the EU since 1995. On security matters, though, it has maintained a neutral stance.

Benjamin Macintyre: Anecdotes don't make for sound evidence - a response to the Kokirihia Report

Tokona Te Raki, an advocacy and research group for Māori issues, has recently released a report titled Kōkirihia. The report takes aim at the practice of streaming in our schools and pushes forward the bold suggestion to ban streaming by 2030.

Tokona Te Raki’s efforts are based on good intentions. Māori students are over-represented in lower streams, and in most statistics relating to poor educational outcomes. Seeking to find a solution to end this inequity and ensure that Māori students have the same opportunities as everyone else is a noble endeavour. Unfortunately, there is one major issue with this report – it isn’t very good.