Blog Archives

Not quite Camelot, Simon Upton

For the Record: Lange and the Fourth Labour Government ed Margaret Clark Dunmore Publishing, $34.95, ISBN 1877399108 The hold-a-conference, publish-a-book industry continues in full swing with the appearance of For the Record: Lange and the Fourth Labour Government. This volume,

See more ›

Tagged with: , , , ,
Posted in Non-fiction, Politics & Law, Review

You had to be there, Simon Upton

Creating a National Spirit – Celebrating New Zealand’s Centennial ed William Renwick Victoria University Press, $39.95, ISBN 0864734751 How many people can recall New Zealand’s 150th birthday? And of those who can, what is it that is most vividly remembered?

See more ›

Tagged with: , , , ,
Posted in History, Non-fiction, Review

This might sting a bit, Simon Upton

Continuity Amid Chaos: Health Care Management and Delivery in New Zealand  ed Robin Gauld University of Otago Press, $49.95, ISBN 1877276510 Snakes and Ladders: The Pursuit of a Safety Culture in New Zealand Public Hospitals Peter R Roberts Institute of

See more ›

Tagged with: , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Health, Non-fiction, Politics & Law, Review

Making it all irreversibly ours,  Simon Upton

On a calm summer’s evening, the view south from my conservatory takes on the enfolding calm of a pastoral idyll. In the moments before sunset all the blemishes and ragged edges that mar the rural landscape are washed out, creating an

See more ›

Tagged with: , ,
Posted in Comment

When “liberal and progressive” was OK, Simon Upton

Coates of Kaipara Michael Bassett Auckland University Press, $39.95, ISBN 1 869401174 For over a decade now public policy in New Zealand has been heavily infused with theory. Politicians have embraced expert advisers and internalised the “science” of economics with

See more ›

Tagged with: , , , ,
Posted in Biography, Non-fiction, Review

The need for a conservative rudder, Simon Upton

In 1987 I was rash enough to publish a slender volume of essays with the title The Withering of the State. It was written in the months preceding the biggest stock market crash for a generation and fully two years

See more ›

Tagged with: , ,
Posted in Opinion
Search the archive
Search by category