John MacDonald: How I feel about armed cops after this week's shootings

When I first heard about the police shooting and killing someone they had actually gone to help, like most people, I wondered how the hell that could happen.

This is the shooting in Bryndwr in Christchurch overnight on Wednesday, which left a woman dead and a man critically injured.

John MacDonald: Should NCEA cater more to students that aren't going to university?

It must be tricky being at school and feeling like you’re not doing anything to prepare you for what you actually want to do when you leave.

The Government is starting to think about that after this new report from the New Zealand Qualifications Authority which says NCEA is too focused on kids wanting to go to university.

John MacDonald: The Govt's moral obligation to get rid of open-plan classrooms

Education Minister Erica Stanford is my politician of the day for announcing that the Government isn't going to be building any more of those terrible open-plan classrooms.

But she’ll be my politician of the year if she goes further than that and finds money to put some walls and doors in the modern learning environment monstrosities that already exist.

John MacDonald: The "overqualified" jobseekers behind the dole numbers

 There’s no doubt the news that the number of people on a benefit in New Zealand is up to the 400,000 mark will have some people tut-tutting.

But before we start ripping into the so-called “benefit bludgers”, we need to be very careful.

John MacDonald: This is one piece of Rogernomics that makes sense

How about this for an idea?

Instead of the tax people pay on the first $60,000 of their income going to the government, what if it went into a savings account to pay for healthcare and put food on the table when they retire?

It’s an idea being pushed by former finance minister Sir Roger Douglas and University of Auckland economics professor Robert MacCulloch which, they say, is needed because of the ageing population.

John MacDonald: Import gas or cross our fingers and hope?

Not as straightforward as it sounds.

That’s pretty much the message coming through loud and clear in this new report which says importing liquified natural gas to make up for our dwindling local supplies is do-able. But.

John MacDonald: What to do about the illegal tobacco trade

Here’s a stat for you: 25 percent of cigarettes sold in New Zealand are from the black market.

They’re being smuggled into the country and criminals are making millions selling them on Facebook Marketplace and construction sites. All over the place. And you probably don’t have to go far to find a dairy selling them, either.

John MacDonald: You thought it was expensive now to travel. Just wait...

If you think it’s expensive to travel around the country now, it’s about to get more expensive with KiwiRail ditching one of its ferries.

But even though flying isn’t cheap, KiwiRail can forget about me making any interisland ferry bookings. Because why would ya?

Two dungers —either of which can be out of service on any given day— no thanks.

John MacDonald: New sex ed curriculum is a great start

I’m liking the sound of Education Minister Erica Stanford’s approach to sex education. But it won’t be plain sailing, and she knows that.

But there’s a glaring gap in this new framework she’s put out for consultation, with ideas of what kids might be taught and when from year 1 to year 13.

John MacDonald: Is prison the wrong place for some offenders?

I’m liking what Sir Ron Young is saying about prison sentences today.

He’s really challenging us, saying that we need to re-think what we do with people given sentences of two-to-three years.

He’s talking about not sending them to conventional prisons and giving them conjugal rights.

John MacDonald: Roadside drug testing? Great. Will the police cope? Mmmm

I’m sure you’ll tell me if you think I’m stuck in the past, but I reckon that with the police now being expected to do roadside drug tests —as well as everything else— I think we should bring back the old MOT. The old traffic cops.

Officially, it was known as the traffic safety service, but we all knew it as the MOT.

John MacDonald: An apprenticeship is anything but second-best

I always have and always will be a huge fan of on-the-job training. Which is why I think it’s brilliant that we’ve got an education expert saying today that the apprenticeship system needs an overhaul.

And not only that, he wants to see schools doing more, and is suggesting they could offer a trades preparation qualification to create a pipeline of new apprentices - but also to remove the stigma that an apprenticeship is second fiddle to a university degree.

John MacDonald: We shouldn't be in the dark to the reality of bullying

Isn't it crazy that schools don't have to report how much bullying is going on?

The Chief Children's Commissioner thinks so too, which is why she’s saying that it should be mandatory for schools to provide regular, publicly-available numbers.

No wonder some parents feel their school isn’t doing enough about bullying. Because, if you don’t have to report it, it's much easier to sweep under the carpet, isn’t it?

John MacDonald: Here's why we're so bad at road repairs

I’m starting to wonder whether it was just a fluke that we managed to build things like the big hydro dams back in the day without them falling over. Without them falling apart. Cracking under the pressure.

Because, when you consider achievements like that, it makes it laughable that we don’t seem to be capable anymore of really simple stuff like fixing roads.

John MacDonald: Seymour is the fly in Luxon's ointment

Whenever people used to bang on about Christopher Luxon being the next John Key —which, I think we all agree now, he isn’t— but whenever I used to hear that talk, I pooed-pooed it.

All because of what the two of them did before they got into politics.

John MacDonald: What should the Crown do with its Christchurch airport shares?

After all his talk about asset sales, David Seymour has obviously been scratching his head like the rest of us, wondering what we’ve actually got left to sell. And he’s got Christchurch Airport in his sights.

The Government —or the Crown— owns a 25% stake in the airport (which is the second largest in the country) and the ACT Party leader is saying today that he doesn’t think it should. And I agree.

John MacDonald: Free speech rules shouldn't stop at universities

Here’s how I would sum up the Government’s changes to the free speech rules for universities.

It wants more Posie Parkers and less posey political statements.

Which I’ve got no problem with - but I don’t think it should stop at universities. I think the Government also needs to look at other public entities, such as local councils, which actually seem to be making more posey political statements than universities.

John MacDonald: Kneejerk reactions won't fix the fiscals

If New Zealand was a company staring down the barrel of running at a loss for at least the next five years and finding itself needing to borrow $20 billion more than it thought it did just six months ago, it would be lights out, wouldn’t it?

And no amount of creative accounting could change that picture.

John MacDonald: Ending violence - a challenge for all of us

If you think the violence action plan announced by the Government yesterday has no relevance to your life - think again.

It’s one of many plans that are part of this overall 25-year strategy to eliminate family violence and sexual violence. The big strategy was launched in 2021, which means it’s got about 22 years to run.

John MacDonald: I'm scratching my head over the greyhounds being scratched

I have never had a problem with greyhound racing so you’re not going to hear me singing the Government’s praises for banning the sport.

But I am scratching my head. Because there are so many things about this move by the coalition that just don’t make sense to me.