menu_open Columnists
Nicholas Ross Smith

Nicholas Ross Smith

Pearls and Irritations

We use cookies to provide some features and experiences in QOSHE

More information  .  Close

National insecurity: what happens when countries start to lose their sense of identity?

National insecurity: what happens when countries start to lose their sense of identity?

Borrowed from psychiatry, the term “ontological security” describes how nations understand themselves and their place in the world – and how it...

latest 10

The Conversation

Nicholas Ross Smith

In Trump’s precarious world, NZ will need all the middle‑sized friends it can get

Canada’s Mark Carney is proposing a new alliance of ‘middle powers’ to offset over-reliance on the US and China. New Zealand would have good...

06.03.2026 10

The Conversation

Nicholas Ross Smith

How NZ can survive – and even thrive – in Trump’s new world of great-power  rivalry

NZ is already successfully managing strong relationships with China and the US. By building on its Pacific influence, it can chart a carefully...

20.01.2026 10

The Conversation

Nicholas Ross Smith

‘Utu’ as foreign policy: how a Māori worldview can make sense of a shifting world order

Utu is commonly misunderstood to mean violent revenge, but it really describes reciprocity, harmony and balance – ideas central to New Zealand’s...

08.05.2025 10

The Conversation

Nicholas Ross Smith