Above: When I refer to Hillary in the below blog post, I mean the self-professed ‘ordinary chap’ on our $5 note. As the results of the US presidential election came in, I didn’t sense a panic. I actually sensed a great opportunity for New Zealand. I’ve been critical of the obsession many of […]
Read More… from What a great opportunity for New Zealand that lies before us
I was surprised to see that Autocade managed its 7,000,000th viewer some time this month, five months after the 6,000,000th. Considering it took three years to get to the first million, this means people are willing to use Autocade more regularly as a resource on the web. As something that started on the side, this […]
Read More… from Autocade reaches 7,000,000 page views, growing at its quickest rate
If you want a humorous take on what happened at Volkswagen this week, the above video sums it all up. During my 2010 mayoral campaign, I noted that if New Zealand did not diversify its economy to have more of a focus on technology, there could be a problem. Relying on primary products (I didn’t […]
Read More… from Volkswagen’s scandal won’t spread to other German car groups
The Geely King Kong Hatchback, one of the new entries on the Autocade website. Not that I blogged it at the time, but Geely’s multi-brand strategy in 2009 felt doomed. Earlier this year, the company retreated, and brought everything from Englon, Gleagle and Emgrand back under its parent brand again. It wasn’t unlike Mazda’s […]
Equal access: an audio recording of this blog post can be found here. I know I’m not alone among expats watching the Occupy Central movements in Hong Kong. More than the handover in 1997, it’s been making very compelling live television, because this isn’t about politicians and royalty, but about everyday Hong Kong people. […]
Read More… from An expatriate’s view of Occupy Central and what Hong Kong wants
The latest Victoria University study, expressing that there is a shortage of creative people, sounds very familiar. Dr Richard Norman highlights in a Fairfax Press editorial that knowledge economy companies are ‘struggling to capitalise on opportunities for growth because of limited local talent … ‘Many of these companies are well-seasoned and high-earning—a third […]
Read More… from A familiar call after two mayoral campaigns on Wellington’s knowledge economy
My friend and colleague William Shepherd directed me to a piece at Quartz by Michele Acuto and Parag Khanna, on how cities are driving globalization more than nations—a theme I touched upon on this blog in March 2010. As he said, I had called it three years ago, though admittedly Acuto and Khanna have […]
Read More… from Cities are, or at least should be, driving globalization
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. […]
Read More… from Wellington isn’t ‘dying’, but we’re going to have to prove our mettle
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 […]
Read More… from Dialogue on my campaign’s Facebook group: Wellington buses and student discounts
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 […]
Read More… from Bridging the Rimutaka divide: Wellington needs Wairarapa