Indigenous “ways of knowing” invade Canadian science classes

I’ve spent a lot of time pushed many electrons going after the fallacy in New Zealand that indigenous “ways of knowing”—in this case from the Māori—are just as valid as so-called “Western ways of knowing,” which is what Kiwi progressives call “science”. You can see my pieces here, but there are many. This sacralization of…

Indigenous “ways of knowing” invade Canadian science classes

The taboo idea you can’t discuss in academia

My friend the Belgian philosopher Maarten Boudry is writing about what he calls, correctly, “the most dangerous idea in academia”—an idea that can get you banned or even fired if you even suggest it. It is, of course, the notion that different “races” differ on average in IQ or intelligence. It’s such a hot potato…

The taboo idea you can’t discuss in academia

The Vietnam War and racial integration

The Vietnam draft conscripted hundreds of thousands of young Americans into an integrated military. I combine near-random draft lottery variation with administrative voter data to study the long-run racial integration effects of coerced national service. Black and Native American veterans became more likely to marry white spouses, identify as Republicans, and live in more-integrated neighborhoods.…

The Vietnam War and racial integration

The Treaty – Drowning in a sea of misinformation in 2026

I write this as a descendant of Henry Williams, who arrived here in 1823 as an ex Royal Navy officer and Head of the Church Missionary Society of New Zealand. He translated the Treaty of Waitangi into te reo Maori in 1840. The document he prepared with his eldest son Edward, on the evening of […]

The Treaty – Drowning in a sea of misinformation in 2026

LINDSAY MITCHELL: HOW THE SALLIES HAVE EVOLVED TO BECOME PART OF THE PROBLEM

The 2026 Salvation Army State of the Nation Report revealed their official conversion to wokeism by repeatedly finding excuses for Maori over-representation in poor social stats because of victimisation through colonisation. This caused a number of readers to ponder future contributions to the organisation. But it isn’t just this development that should concern donors. The…

LINDSAY MITCHELL: HOW THE SALLIES HAVE EVOLVED TO BECOME PART OF THE PROBLEM

Sam Harris and John McWhorter: Is wokeness dead?

In this shortish (23-minute) video, Sam Harris and John McWhorter discuss whether wokeness is finally dead.  The short answer is “nope.”  It may have lain down, but it refuses to die. The YouTube notes (there’s a transcript you can see as well): Sam Harris speaks with John McWhorter about language, ideology, and moral certainty. They […]

Sam Harris and John McWhorter: Is wokeness dead?

Anti-Zionism and Anti-Semitism

The relationship between Anti-Zionism and Anti-Semitism is real, contested, and often confused. They are not identical, but they overlap in important and historically dangerous ways. The clearest way to understand the connection is to distinguish conceptual differences from practical realities. 1. What the terms mean (in principle) Anti-Semitism Anti-Semitism is hostility toward Jews as Jews—whether […]

Anti-Zionism and Anti-Semitism

Quinn Que: To save liberalism, “progressives” must apologize and abandon their air of moral certainty

This longish diatribe against “progressives” (i.e., left-wing extremists who aren’t Communists) appeared in my weekly Substack recommendations. Intrigued by the title, I printed it out and read it (I can’t read on screens.) Que’s thesis is one you’ve often seen me advance: “progressives” have gone so far that they’ve alienated much of the Left, and…

Quinn Que: To save liberalism, “progressives” must apologize and abandon their air of moral certainty

DON BRASH – RMA Reform: A step forward. But concerns for equal citizenship

The following is written in Don’s capacity as trustee for Hobson’s Pledge: It is almost the end of 2025 and, as you may know, the Government has recently introduced to Parliament the two Bills it seeks to replace the Resource Management Act  (RMA) with. The Bills were pushed through first reading under urgency and have…

DON BRASH – RMA Reform: A step forward. But concerns for equal citizenship

Why does Labour select so few Maori for winnable general seats?

It is interesting to look at the list of Maori MPs who have won general electorates in NZ. The list is: So the breakdown by party is: Of Labour’s nine Maori MPs who won an electorate seat, five of them were in the 2020 landslide. Prior to that there had been only four. Just four…

Why does Labour select so few Maori for winnable general seats?

The Impact of Jury Race in Criminal Trials

In a great paper, The Impact of Jury Race in Criminal Trials, Shamena Anwar, Patrick Bayer and Randi Hjalmarsson exploit random variation in the jury pool to estimate the effect of race on criminal trials. The authors have data from nearly 800 trials in two Florida counties. On any given day, a jury pool is randomly […]

The Impact of Jury Race in Criminal Trials

More judicial activism

Roger Partridge writes: When Parliament says gang insignia “is forfeited to the Crown,” citizens are entitled to assume those words mean what they say. Yet on 11 August the District Court ruled otherwise. Judge Lance Rowe directed that a Mongrel Mob vest, seized under the Government’s new Gangs Act 2024 and forfeited following a guilty plea, should nevertheless […]

More judicial activism

Te Pāti Māori deep in the kaka after messy divorce from Toitū Te Tiriti

Political divorces are never pretty, and the split between Te Pāti Māori and Toitū Te Tiriti is proving no exception.

Te Pāti Māori deep in the kaka after messy divorce from Toitū Te Tiriti

Local body ticket drops Jewish candidate due to threats

Karin Horen is standing for the Takapuna Local Board. As you can see she was on the “A fresh approach” ticket. But they have dropped her suddenly. Why? Because Karin is Jewish. She was born in Israel and like all Israeli citizens served in her youth in the IDF, over 30 years ago. She has […]

Local body ticket drops Jewish candidate due to threats

Ferris doubled down on his racism

The Herald reports: Te Pāti Māori MP Tākuta Ferris has doubled down on social media comments he made last week which led to “racist” allegations and an apology from his party. In a new Instagram video, Ferris said it is “unacceptable” for people of other ethnicities to campaign to “take a Māori seat from the […]

Ferris doubled down on his racism

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