It is not what Eleanor Catton said about the government, but how we respond to what she said. Sean Plunkett’s intemperate attack on Eleanor Catton is a reminder of just how superficial is tolerance of dissent in New Zealand. I leave others to defend the exact interchange – Danyl McLauchlan was as I normally expect…
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How New Zealand businesses succeed internationally. Pundit: 30 November, 2014. Keywords: Growth & Innovation; Literature and Culture; One of life’s pleasure is sitting with a child on one’s lap reading a book to them: attractive – sometimes mysterious – illustrations, humorous – even mischievous – plots, rhythmic sentences and just enough eccentric…
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If minority interests are to be met, how are they to be funded? Listener: 15 May, 2014 Keywords: Literature and Culture; Macroeconomics & Money; Except for talkback, one thinks of radio as an audience-passive medium. Radio New Zealand (RNZ) was reminded that this is not necessarily the case at an April meeting…
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Can economics make the case for propping up loss-making arts ventures? Listener: 27 February, 2014. Keywords: Literature and Culture; I indulge in the Metropolitan Opera of New York’s Live in HD, cinema releases of live productions for large-screen high-definition viewing. I’m not really an opera fan, but given their quality, I am…
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Literary classics from another era can tell us a lot about today’s economy. Listener: 2 January, 2014. Keywords: Literature and Culture; Political Economy & History; This year I’ve been reading early 19th-century novels, partly for their literary quality and narrative, but also because they shed a fascinating light on English industrialisation and…
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Indonesian Muslims don’t necessarily support the opinions and actions of Middle Eastern Muslims. Listener: 8 June, 2013 Keywords: History of Ideas, Methodology & Philosophy; Literature and Culture; Political Economy & History; I once flew from Dublin to Vienna – both Catholic but with very different atmospheres. The distance from Mecca to Jakarta…
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Response to an Exhibition at the Wellington City Gallery Off the Eastern coast of Asia are uninhabited islands, such as the Spratley Islands in the South China Sea and the Diaoyus (if you are Chinese) or the Senkakus (Japanese), where territorial disputes could lead to war. Fortunately we have no such disputes, so we don’t…
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An interview by Emma Beer, published in ‘The Wellingtonian’, 24 November, 2011. Keywords: Literature and Culture; Political Economy & History; What begins with Michael Joseph Savage and Gordon Coates and ends with Rob Muldoon and Roger Douglas? A new exhibition that catalogues 60 of the most important makers of modern New Zealand, curated by Wellington…
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Lynn Freeman interviews Brian Easton: 27 November, 2011. Keywords: Literature and Culture; Political Economy & History; Lynn Freeman interview http://podcast.radionz.co.nz/art/art-20111127-1333-brian_easton_economist_and_art_curator-048.mp3
Keywords: Literature and Culture; Political Economy & History; 60 Makers of New Zealand: 1930-1990:Â is at the New Zealand Portrait Gallery from 24 November 2011 to 12 February 2012. It was curated by Brian Easton. The following is a list of items on the website. At the end is the list of individuals who are…
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60 Makers of New Zealand: 1930-1990: is at the New Zealand Portrait Gallery from 24 November 2011 to 12 February 2012. It was curated by Brian Easton. Keywords: Literature and Culture; Political Economy & History; The following are the panels to go with the portraits. (Each is constrained to 250 words.) They are also tell…
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60 Makers of New Zealand: 1930-1990: is at the New Zealand Portrait Gallery from 24 November 2011 to 12 February 2012. It was curated by Brian Easton. Keywords: Literature and Culture; Political Economy & History; Thank you for coming this evening. I hope you find the exhibition interesting and provocative. I am sure you will…
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60 Makers of New Zealand: 1930-1990: is at the New Zealand Portrait Gallery from 24 November 2011 to 12 February 2012. It was curated by Brian Easton. Keywords: Literature and Culture; Political Economy & History; Choosing 60 New Zealanders to reflect the development of New Zealand was not easy, says Dr Brian, Easton Curator of…
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60 Makers of New Zealand: 1930-1990: is at the New Zealand Portrait Gallery from 24 November 2011 to 12 February 2012. It was curated by Brian Easton. Keywords: Literature and Culture; Political Economy & History; This exhibition is an experiment to see whether a history of New Zealand can be represented by a series of…
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In March 2011 we were invited by the Editor of the Christchurch City Libraries’ Digital Library Web Team, Richard Liddicoat, to write something for the Canterbury Earthquake for the Christchurch Public Library. Keywords: Literature and Culture; Dear Richard, I could not write to anyone in the Christchurch Public Library about what is happening after the…
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I was asked to write for the March 2011 New Zealand Books Month something about my reading. Keywords: Literature and Culture; There are hosts of books which opened up new vistas in my adolescence and the decade after. My reading today could not be possibly offer similar experiences; instead it enriches these landscapes. The exceptions…
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The Great Gatsby recognises the essential role of the economy in human experience. Listener: 8 January 2011 Keywords: Business & Finance; Literature and Culture; Political Economy & History; On occasions, Auckland has outbreaks of Great Gatsby parties. This name alludes to the classic F Scott Fitzgerald novel, narrated by Nick Carraway who lives on New…
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We should be so Lucky. Listener: 25 December, 2010. Keywords: Literature and Culture; Political Economy & History; A country road. A tree. Evening. JOHN: Charming spot. Inspiring prospects. Let’s go. BILL: We can’t. JOHN: Why not? BILL: We’re waiting for economic growth. JOHN: (despairingly). Ah! (Pause.) You’re sure it was these policies? BILL: Which? JOHN:…
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Children’s classic The Wind in the Willows is also a fable for adults. Listener: 9 January, 2010. Keywords: Literature and Culture; Macroeconomics & Money; The “Poop-poop” rang with a brazen shout in their ears, they had a moment’s glimpse of an interior of glittering plate-glass and rich morocco and the magnificent motor-car, immense, breath-snatching, passionate,…
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Launch, Fairfield House, Nelson, 10 October, 2009 Keywords: Literature and Culture; Have you noticed that we launch a book, but open an gallery exhibition? I’m going to open this book, and I invite you to do the same. For, of course, the book is an exhibition of Janice Gill’s paintings – as many…
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