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In this episode, Oliver Hartwich interviews Dr Michael Johnston about the free speech event at Victoria University that was postponed due to backlash within the university. They discuss the importance of free speech in liberal democracies, the changing perception of free speech as a partisan issue, and the concerning trend of young people trying to shut down events featuring disagreeable viewpoints. Read more

Oliver and Michael talk about Germany's dual education system with Rachel Simpson, Manager for Education, Skills and Immigration at Business NZ. Recently, Michael and Rachel were on a business delegation to Germany to find out about their dual education system first-hand. Read more

In this episode, Michael talks to Holly Gooch and Izzy Bremner, from The Hyphen Project, about what it might be like for people who are perhaps not considered the "norm" in our large school system. They talk about The Hyphen Project, which is a talent incubator for 16-19 year olds who are talented, neurodivergent and have not gotten on well with the mainstream education system. Read more

Non-academic staff outnumber academic staff in NZ universities. Recently, we found the point in time when this happened. Read more

New research reveals the start of excessive non-academic staffing in New Zealand Universities Wellington (Wednesday, 28 February 2024) - This new research note, When the Bloat Began: Non-Academic Staffing at New Zealand Universities over the Long Run, 1961-1997, reveals the year in which non-academic employees started to outnumber academics at our universities. Building on the findings of our earlier research report, Blessing or Bloat? Read more