In Wellington, the players need to change

The below was written on April 22, 2013, in response to an article in The Dominion Post. It was offered to the newspaper as an op–ed, then to The Wellingtonian, but it was eventually declined. The Dominion Post’s headline on April 22 confirmed what many of us knew after numerous friends and colleagues left Wellington […]

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Wellington isn’t ‘dying’, but we’re going to have to prove our mettle

That didn’t take long, John.    I know, the economic statistics aren’t pleasant.    Wellington’s economy is stagnant and our population growth lags behind Auckland’s and Christchurch’s. I did predict this in 2010.    The difference is that I don’t give up on us quite so quickly.    I don’t think political leaders should.   […]

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Dialogue on my campaign’s Facebook group: Wellington buses and student discounts

My Facebook campaign group (Back Jack 2013) is getting some traction, though my Facebook page does have more members. Nevertheless, I’m very open to discuss my policies—as much as I have been around Wellington soliciting ideas and feedback, there’s nothing like getting your views on how I’ve interpreted them in my manifesto.    Today, Jonathan […]

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Regional reform explained, animated and in less than 90 seconds

I’ve already had my say on regional reform but I’d like to encourage everyone else to. I favour Wellington including Wairarapa, as I’ve outlined earlier, but regardless of what I say, it’s important to hear from as many people in our region as possible. And if you don’t like my long blog posts, above is […]

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The Saint goes on

I belatedly came across the YouTube preview of The Saint, a reimagining of the Leslie Charteris character, which was shopped at Cannes this month. It had been posted by Ian Dickerson, who at my last contact was the honorary secretary of the Saint Club. (A quick glance at the website reveals he still is.)   […]

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Bridging the Rimutaka divide: Wellington needs Wairarapa

In an interview today, the subject of regional reform and amalgamation came up. There’s quite a good site already seeking feedback on the process, and I’ve taken part in a 2012 forum on the subject as well.    In 2010, the mood in Wellington, based on those I met in the campaign, seemed to be […]

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What Is a Brand? Well, there is one we’ve relaunched …

My good friend and colleague Stanley Moss has written a new book, What Is a Brand?, which provokes some thought on the question in the title.    Those who know Stanley and have followed his work know that each year, he issues a Brand Letter, which closes with various definitions of branding.    If there’s […]

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Tinkering time

I’m hoping no one has noticed that we are shifting servers, because seamlessness is the sure sign that it’s all been done properly without any effect on our clients, their clients, and our audiences.    Thanks to Nigel Dunn at Xplosiv.ly—Nigel and I have worked together both at this firm and, now, between our firms—all […]

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A fresher Lucire (the web edition) for 2013

When Lilith-Fynn Herrmann, Tania Naidu, Julia Chu, Tanya Sooksombatisatian and I redesigned Lucire in 2012, we went for a very clean look, taking a leaf from Miguel Kirjon’s work at Twinpalms Lucire in Thailand. I’m really proud of the results, and it makes you happy to work on the magazine—and just pick up the finished […]

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Is super-city opposition super-softening?

Earlier this month, I attended a session on the potential of a Wellington super-city, and was interested to note that the mood, that was so dead set against one in 2010, had begun to shift. In fact, in the previous month, the outgoing chairman of Price Waterhouse Coopers (I can’t bring myself to write that […]

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