New Zealand Listener

Risky business

As Sir Peter Gluckman prepared to go into self-isolation, it was with a sense of frustration and growing alarm.

“I was out preparing for lockdown. The bars are full, the restaurants are full, people are not taking this seriously,” the 71-year-old who served for nearly a decade as the country’s first chief science adviser to the prime minister, fumed to the Listener last Sunday.

The following morning he went public with his concerns. “The evidence is mounting that the best thing NZ

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from New Zealand Listener

New Zealand Listener3 min readCrime & Violence
Branching Out
Alexander Hamilton described the courts as the least dangerous branch of government. They had neither soldiers nor money to enforce their decrees. Like all public institutions, the courts rely for their continued acceptance and legitimacy on the trus
New Zealand Listener2 min read
Putting It Out There
If you go online, you can find a 15-minute documentary series called Artists Prepare. The six episodes explore the creative process of New Zealand art practitioners, and it features dancers, singer-songwriters, poets and even mime artists. There’s a
New Zealand Listener3 min read
Uncovering Our Past
There’s a Māori whakataukī (proverb) that says, “Kia whakatōmuri te haere whakamua. / I walk backwards into the future with my eyes fixed on the past.” The loop of past, present and future speaks to New Zealand Wars: Stories of Tauranga Moana, the la

Related Books & Audiobooks