The recent announcement that the New Zealand birth-rate is below the rate of population maintenance passed with surprising little comment. In our case it’s marginal compared with other nations but the fact remains that our population has been sustained in recent decades through large-scale migration.

I once generously offered well-known Wellington property developer Ian Cassels to have him lashed daily with barb-wire, this solely out of kindness. I did that, assuming he’d like it as it’s a constant source of amazement to me why developers pursue such a masochistic activity.

The above was a heading in last week’s Hutt Valley weekly newspaper, The Hutt News.

Race Relations Commissioner Meng Foon, who I dubbed Foolish Foon after his recent outburst against the Police, will have learnt a valuable lesson from the widespread criticism he copped.

On face value the government’s attack on new residential landlords by denying interest deductibility has merit. The initiative will achieve its goals of lowering prices and also make it much easier for owner-occupier home seekers.