Paul Brislen

Paul Brislen runs Brislen Communications. He used to be the chief executive of the Telecommunications Users Association of NZ, editor of Computerworld and a reporter for the NZ Herald, but not all at the same time. http://www.brislen.nz/

Society
May 8, 2018

Motorbikes and bicycles be damned. I love to ride my scooter

Paul Brislen writes an ode to that most European method of transport, the humble scooter. 

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Science
May 6, 2018

Once and for all: can mobile phones give you cancer?

Year in, year out, the controversy over the possible health effects of electro magnetic frequencies from cellphones and cellular antennas rumbles on. Paul Brislen takes a deep dive into the evidence.

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Business
Apr 24, 2018

How we learned to love being charged for using our own money

New Zealanders get charged some of the highest fees for debit and credit card use in the world and most of us don't even realise it, writes Paul Brislen.

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Business
Feb 1, 2018

Can you trust your Fitbit?

Turns out troops on deployment all around the world are jogging with their fitness trackers turned on, drawing a helpful map of where they are. But former TUANZ boss Paul Brislen says there is a way to opt out from this stalker technology.

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Media
Aug 8, 2017
Politics
May 8, 2017

Stop saying Helen Clark was NZ’s first elected woman PM. It’s wrong and it’s sexist

The shorthand used in The 9th Floor insinuates that Jenny Shipley's prime ministership was somehow less legitimate than that of her successor, and that's just not true, argues Paul Brislen

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Media
Mar 24, 2017

TVNZ’s ‘more for less’ drive is a fantasy. We need more investment in more local content

The planned restructure at the public owned TV network is the wrong path. Paul Brislen issues a plea: turn back before it’s too late.

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Politics
Mar 10, 2017

Time for a shake up: Why the civil service needs to move out of Wellington

It's nothing personal, says Aucklander Paul Brislen – the earthquake-prone capital just isn't secure enough to house our vital government headquarters.

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Media
Feb 21, 2017

Why the Vodafone-Sky merger is mostly about a funny shaped ball

This week the Commerce Commission is set to rule on the wedding of two companies, brought together in the name of rugby, reckons Paul Brislen.

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Media
Jan 27, 2017

There’s always a bright side: How the Trump presidency could save journalism

If the first week is anything to go by, the relationship between the Donald J Trump administration and the press will be anything but cosy. That's excellent news for journalism, argues Paul Brislen.

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Society
Dec 14, 2016

Ignore the naysayers: ultra-fast broadband is the best thing to happen to business since the arrival of electricity

Critics are seizing on a new report that says the Ultra Fast Broadband rollout has had no direct impact on business productivity. But those who dismiss the scheme as corporate welfare are missing the big picture, says telecoms commentator Paul Brislen.

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Society
Nov 30, 2016

Pres-elect Trump is done with The Apprentice. Now he’s hosting The Hunger Games

Haunted by visions of dystopian jungles, angry walls and terrifying hair, Paul Brislen joins the dots between The Hunger Games and the Trumpocalyptic future.

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Society
Jul 7, 2016

‘A nation without language is a nation without heart’: the Welsh case for compulsory te reo in schools

This week is Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori, Māori Language Week. Paul Brislen remembers growing up in Wales and why retaining and teaching Māori language is imperative to New Zealand's cultural identity. If …

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Society
Jun 20, 2016

The NZ economy is on the cusp of a new era, and it’s been stuck there for at least 17 years

For all the bold talk of knowledge waves and a weightless tech future, we're still reliant on farms and tourists. Time to try a new approach, argues Paul Brislen

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Media
Jun 9, 2016

The Skodafone deal is driven by the battle with the dumb pipe

A Vodafone-Sky merger works for companies waking up to new realites about content, distinctiveness and immediacy. Whether it's good for consumers is another matter altogether, argues Paul Brislen. There are two …

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Politics
May 27, 2016

Blink and you’ll miss it, but the nation’s most important elections are under way right now

We’re in the middle of the single biggest democratic act in the land and there’s hardly been a ripple about it. Paul Brislen issues a clarion call to New Zealanders – or at least those with kids at school

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Media
May 12, 2016

The NZ print media mega-merger is coming, and it fills me with despair

Opinion: The marriage of Fairfax NZ and NZME may make sense in commercial terms, but it’s bad for depth, diversity and democracy, writes Paul Brislen

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