It is disturbing to think that design, which you’d instinctively think is an evergreen profession with constant demand, isn’t capturing young people the way it did for me. In New Zealand at least, educators are telling me there’s less demand for graphic design courses. If people are enrolling, they’re often in-house crews in big companies […]
Read More… from We need great design and brands—now more than ever
When The Producers—the film with Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane—was released, Mel Brooks said it was the film of the musical of the film. Autocade World is the website of the book of the website. My intro on the site gives the raison d’être, but in a nutshell, the new site initially exists to […]
Read More… from Autocade World: the site of the book of the site
Above: Amanda and me with Merrill in 2016. I was saddened to learn of the passing of my friend Merrill J. Fernando, founder of Dilmah Tea and the MJF Foundation. I’ve written an obit over at Lucire, since he was very much a friend of the magazine, too, and his values of social responsibility […]
Read More… from Personal thoughts about my friend, Merrill J. Fernando
At the end of the last century, the National Government announced its Bright Future programme. Their research had identified that one thing holding back our national competitiveness was our devotion to the team rather than the individual, when in fact there have been many times New Zealand individuals have made immeasurable contributions and had not […]
I was asked by my Alma Mater, Victoria University of Wellington, to give a 90-minute lecture on leadership last week to students visiting New Zealand from Peking University and the Guangdong University of Foreign Studies. (My half-serious suggestion that I spoke Cantonese and the three students from Guangdong who understood could translate to Mandarin to […]
Wifi on the waterfront is now a normal part of Wellington life—but in 2009 some felt it was a gimmick. When I proposed free wifi as a campaign policy in 2009, it was seen as gimmicky by some. I wasn’t a serious candidate, some thought. But those ideas that have demand, such as wifi, […]
Read More… from Staying a step ahead: the economic benefit of gimmicks
Earlier today, the following press release was issued by my campaign team. And so far, judging by comments on my personal Facebook and my mayoral campaign page, the mood seems to be in favour of a park at Cuba Street. I realize other policies won’t be as cut-and-dry, and discussion remains very welcome (as evidenced […]