In ancient Rome, a victorious general would parade through the city to the temple of Jupiter in a gilded chariot amidst a frenzy of adoration. But to keep the triumphant commander tethered to reality, the trusted slave holding a laurel wreath above his head would whisper repeatedly in his ear: “Memento mori” — “Remember you are mortal!” It is advice Jacinda Ardern …

The Covid-19 pandemic has severely impacted the tourism sectors in New Zealand and Australia and worldwide. Travel underpins the highly valuable two-way trade and investment relationship. Before the outbreak of COVID-19, New Zealand was the most popular outbound travel destination for Australians with 1.5 million visiting in 2019, and trans-Tasman travel accounting for 40% of all foreign visitors here. Likewise, …

Government should take short-term equity stakes in Covid-19 afflicted companies – rather than free money, says Alex Duncan. Before the Covid-19 crisis, government debt was around $64 billion, or about 20% of Gross Domestic Production (GDP).  Achieving this took years of hard political graft and fiscal discipline by governing parties on both sides of Parliament. It is just as well, …