Ari Sharp

Good onya, Roscoe. Not sure there’s much value in continuing this one. Go well.

Seems unlikely this is going to be a productive discussion. I’ll leave you to it. Go well.

This notion of platforming is so tedious. If someone has something interesting to say I’ll share it, not because I’m a cheer squad for a person but because it is interesting. Rather unedifying for people to lecture each other on who has the right to have a point of view heard.

Gosh, that turned very Nuremberg very quickly. Are you arguing there is one true opinion to which we must all adhere?

It’s interesting that you frame it as a moral argument. I can see how that would lead you to view only one side as worth listening to. But if you look at it as a debate about how NZ allocates status and opportunities, there’s a lot more nuance to it.

I don’t know of her work, but I do think she makes a fair observation that there is a battle for cultural power going on in NZ and language is just the surface-level manifestation. I don’t take sides in this battle but I do think there’s value in acknowledging it is going on.

When you put it like that I’m more inclined to read her work. No interest in engaging in the argument?

ABC journalist Peter Ryan dies, leaving 'significant legacy' A look back at the life of Peter Ryan and his career as an award-winning journalist.

Vale Peter Ryan. Spoke to Peter a few times over the years as a journo and PR guy. He was always kind and thoughtful, even the time when I called him up with a story while he was sipping a glass of red on his verandah. The world is a duller place without him. www.abc.net.au/news/2025-07...

Kiwi version of Where’s Wally. Spot the sheep. Winner scores a roast dinner.

Chaim Potok… Benji Marshall… this community library has all the literary greats.

Spectacular Monday rainbow over Wellington this morning. No leprechauns nor pots of gold spotted. So far.

Trumpets of Patriots @tonymartin.bsky.social

Signs in Wellington are top notch. #nz

Kiwis sure are generous.

‘Empathy is a kind of strength’: Jacinda Ardern on kind leadership, public rage and life in Trump’s America Young, progressive and relatable, the former prime minister of New Zealand tried to do politics differently. But six years into power, she dramatically resigned. In an exclusive interview with the Gua...

Ardern is a truly transformational figure, but the gulf between perception of her within NZ and outside it is enormous. www.theguardian.com/world/ng-int...

‘Culture of disrespect’: Australian teachers say students’ behaviour is driving them from profession Government review is welcome but teachers say their needs must be considered to arrest dramatic decline in retention rates

Some jaw-dropping stuff in there. So much of it comes down to respect for teachers, not just among students but in the community. www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

What my country will never be I have just returned from a writers’ festival in Auckland and I am still processing the experience. I was humbled to be among several writers to deliver the opening night address. Each of us was taske...

Great piece by Stan Grant. The Maori presence in Aotearoa is ubiquitous and uplifting. There is a lot the rest of the world can learn when it comes to cultural pluralism. www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/2025/05/24/w... via @thesaturdaypaper.com.au

Australia hates them. So why are NZ and the US keen on charter schools? New Zealand is opening a series of charter schools and giving them "considerable flexibility" when it comes to the curriculum, but education scholars point to the US as they warn against the policy.

Good piece, this. www.abc.net.au/news/2025-05...

Funny Guys.

Brits are shocked I’ve chosen Norwich over New Zealand – but there are reasons so many Kiwis are leaving | Elle Hunt Despite the food and scenery, on a visit home this year I was struck by the many drawbacks, from housing to transport, says freelance journalist Elle Hunt

I admit I’m still in the honeymoon phase, but Wellington really is a lovely place to live. Lively, green and cultured, all on a very human scale. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Who knew?

Inside the murky evolution of Dirty Politics 2.0 A Sunday Star-Times investigation reveals how keyboard warriors have found a home in NZ First’s orbit, reviving attack-style politics.

We’ve traced how a network of online enforcers and political operatives orbiting NZ First is reviving a style of attack politics from the Dirty Politics era www.thepost.co.nz/politics/360...

Anyone missing a key? I think I’ve found it on the City to Sea Walkway in Welly.

‘The fight is on’: Unions say pay equity protests will ramp up Thousands gathered around the country to protest changes to the Equal Pay Act - and they say more will come.

It does feel like the NZ government has poked a hornet’s nest with a giant stick. www.stuff.co.nz/politics/360...

‘Hollowing out’: New Zealand grapples with an uncertain future as record numbers leave Surge of departures – mostly fleeing a weak economy – fuels concern over the longer-term impact on the country as some small towns scramble for survival

Tough seeing so many talented people leaving Aotearoa for the West Island. www.theguardian.com/world/2025/m...

The Listener really is a fantastic NZ publishing institution. Who else would run a Mother’s Day column that builds to the punchline “Our mother was dead.”?

Looking forward to an intriguing election count at the Australian High Commission party in Wellington.

Fun fact: Due to the time difference, we get the results two hours before Australia does.

Glorious sunshine across Wellington for the weekend after three days of torrential rain.

Even the weather in New Zealand is thoughtful and considerate.

As a new arrival in NZ, I've been gobsmacked at food prices, especially the locally produced stuff. I figured NZ would be awash with cheap dairy, but it turns out you need to take out a mortgage to buy a block of cheese. What gives?

The cancer advice I decided to ignore OPINION: What do you do when you’re told you have a terminal illness? There’s lots of advice on what attitude you should take but not all of it is helpful.

OPINION: I don’t like to make a big deal of living with terminal cancer.

But sometimes I hear someone giving advice which is so unhelpful, at least for me, that I feel I have to get on my pulpit and set the world straight.