What Upton and Rumsfeld have in common - fear of the unknown unknowns

What Upton and Rumsfeld have in common - fear of the unknown unknowns
Parliamentary commissioner for the environment Simon Upton: both a Cassandra and eternal optimist
Ian Llewellyn
The plea by parliamentary commissioner for the environment Simon Upton about the need for clearer thinking and accountability around environmental reporting, spending and policy has the tone of a world-weary Cassandra.That is, Upton is foreseeing a dire future and, going on past experience, no one will pay any attention.Despite clearly laying out the problem, his report 'Environmental reporting, research and investment – Do we know if we're making a difference?' describes how all the problems are well known and how nothing has...

More Policy

Port of Auckland gets fast-track panel
Policy

Port of Auckland gets fast-track panel

The port says its $200m wharf upgrades will make it 'big ship capable'.

Scientists waiting to see the money in Budget 2025
Policy

Scientists waiting to see the money in Budget 2025

The $71m for an advanced tech platform announced last week was one bright spark.

Greg Hurrell 12 May 2025
NZ's space sector revenue grows over 50% in five years
Policy

NZ's space sector revenue grows over 50% in five years

Advanced aviation is also a growing sector, according to a new industry survey.

Greg Hurrell 09 May 2025
Two housing projects snare first fast-track panels
Policy

Two housing projects snare first fast-track panels

Applications opened on Feb 7. Now we have our first panels.

Oliver Lewis 08 May 2025