Why are there not more apprentices?

Apparently in the 1980s 15% of secondary school leavers went to University; today, including polytechnic degrees, it is around 40% (Cox, 2021; Scott, 2025; Johnson). However, in the 1980s we had a series of major set-back as a nation: a currency collapse; high national debt; the introduction of student loans; the gutting of the public sector; and the dismantling of the Ministry of Works, the privatising of the Railways and the energy sector where so many apprentices were trained, and where there was a turnover of 100,000 tradespeople a year (Murray, 2001). Staggering.

Logically, apprenticeships should be an attractive option for school leavers, as they offer a range of advantages. Many industries offering apprenticeships are relatively stable, providing security during a sometimes-unpredictable labour market. The specialised skills set developed through these apprenticeship programmes is versatile, providing valuable benefits to both the local and national economies. Modern apprenticeships nurture "non-cognitive skills" (Cinque et al, 2021, p. 7) — such as communication, teamwork, and problem-solving — highly valued by employers, and increasingly sought in the workplace (Vaughn, 2017). The hands-on learning experiences that apprenticeships provide equips journeymen with nationally and internationally recognised qualifications and sound skills to found a career upon (Murray, 2001).

Funding is available so that employers to hire apprentices including: Apprenticeship Boost (Tertiary Education Commission, 2020); and the Māori and Pasifika Trades Training (MPTT) designed to enhance employment prospects for Māori and Pasifika learners, offering fee-free pre-trade training to apprentices between the ages of 16 and 40 (MPTT, 2026). The plus for apprentices is that they earn while they learn and work (McIlraith, 2022); and generally either enter their career with a minimal student loan or none (McIlraith, 2022); They end up with a tertiary qualification - granted, usually only to Level 4 (NZQA, 2015); by age 25 apprentices earn more than university graduates; and by age 40, tradespeople are more financially secure (Dann, 2017; Hurren et al., 2017). 

While apprentices may be more financially secure as they approach middle age (Hurren et al., 2017) it is only at around age 46 where degree holders match tradespeople economically. And then degree holders pull ahead financially (Bealing, 2021), as they move into more senior, highly-paid roles, and into the board room (Ali & Scott, 2024). But still, those apprentices - now tradespeople - will have well earned enough to put themselves through Uni later in life, and be very competitive with a trade AND a freshly minted degree (Cox, 2021).

This raises the question: with many positive aspects, why in 2024 did only 3712 of our annual 67,000 school leavers take up apprenticeships (Education Counts, 2026; Johnston, 2024), a mere 5.5%? This appears even more disheartening as, despite an overall population increase of 15%, in 2024 we had almost the same number of apprentices as 2014 (i.e. 3742; Figure NZ Trust, 2026). We should have had 4317. 

Are we, as career practitioners, providing accurate information to our clients? Apprenticeships could form an ideal first career, enabling our tradespeople, when ready for a new challenge, to dive into higher level tertiary education when ready. 

And can cost benefit information compete against the cultural kudos of a university degree (Johnston, 2025)?  

Sam

References:

Ali, A., & Scott, D. (2024). Comparison of education earning premiums using tax and survey data [briefing paper]. Ministry of Education. https://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/244534/Comparison-of-education-earning-premiums-using-tax-and-survey-data.pdf

Bealing, M. (2021). Under-served learners: The economic and wellbeing benefits of improving education outcomes [report]. NZIER. https://up.education/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/NZIER-report-to-UP-Education-Under-served-learners-The-economic-and-wellbeing-benefits-of-improving-education-outcomes.pdf

Cinque, M., Carretero, S., & Napierala, J. (2021). Non-cognitive skills and other related concepts: towards a better understanding of similarities and differences (No. 2021/09). JRC Working Papers Series on Labour, Education and Technology. https://www.econstor.eu/bitstream/10419/236541/1/176491032X.pdf

Cox, M. (2021, October 13). Does New Zealand need so many young people studying for a degree?. Business and Economic Research Ltd (BERL). https://berl.co.nz/economic-insights/does-new-zealand-need-so-many-young-people-studying-degree

Dann, L. (2017, December 2). Apprenticeship vs degree - who earns more in a lifetime. New Zealand Herald. https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/companies/aged-care/apprenticeship-vs-degree-who-earns-more-in-a-lifetime/NAB3SWXGIUS375TYU26R5MQNOY/

Education Counts. (2025). School leavers' attainment [Excel; Pivot-table-School-Leavers-2014-2024, Pivot-table-Vocational-Pathways-2014-2024]. Ministry of Education. https://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/statistics/school-leavers

Figure NZ Trust. (2026). School leavers enrolled in industry training and apprenticeships in their first year after school in New Zealand 2014–2024 [number of people]. https://figure.nz/chart/5DZLYDcToEHd3U5W

Hurren, K., Cox, M., & Nana, G. (2017). Modelling costs v benefits of apprenticeship v degree: A lifetime net financial position approach [report]. Business and Economic Research Limited [BERL]/Industry Training Federation. https://ndhadeliver.natlib.govt.nz/delivery/DeliveryManagerServlet?dps_pid=IE32207681

Johnston, M. (2024, November 8). New Zealand needs clearer pathways to apprenticeships. The New Zealand Initiative. https://www.nzinitiative.org.nz/reports-and-media/opinion/new-zealand-needs-clearer-pathways-to-apprenticeships/

Johnston, M. (2025). Trade Routes: Charting new pathways from secondary school to industry training [report]. The New Zealand Initiative. https://www.nzinitiative.org.nz/reports-and-media/reports/trade-routes-charting-new-pathways-from-secondary-school-to-industry-training/document/872

MPTT. (2026). Home. Māori and Pasifika Trades Training. https://www.mptt.nz/

Murray, N. (2001). A history of apprenticeship in New Zealand [Master's thesis, Lincoln University]. https://researcharchive.lincoln.ac.nz/bitstream/handle/10182/1599/murray_msocsci.pdf?sequence=1

McIlraith, B. (2022, September 16). Trades v bachelor's degrees: Who earns more?. The Manawatu Standard (p. 8).

NZQA. (2015). The New Zealand Qualifications Framework. New Zealand Qualifications Authority. https://www.nzqa.govt.nz/assets/Studying-in-NZ/New-Zealand-Qualification-Framework/requirements-nzqf.pdf

Scott, D. (2025). A review of the New Zealand evidence on the benefits of tertiary education [report]. Ministry of Education | Te Tāhutu o te Mātauranga. https://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/250538/A-review-of-NZ-evidence-on-benefits-of-tertiary-education.pdf

Tertiary Education Commission. (2020, August). Apprenticeship Boost. https://www.tec.govt.nz/funding/funding-and-performance/funding/fund-finder/apprenticeship-boost

Vaughan, K. (2017). The role of apprenticeship in the cultivation of soft skills and dispositions. Journal of Vocational Education & Training, 69(4), 540–557. https://doi.org/10.1080/13636820.2017.1326516

World in Data. (2026). Population development in New Zealand since 1960. https://www.worlddata.info/oceania/new-zealand/populationgrowth.php

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Even more catchphrases!

Already it is time for another lot of catchphrases.

Firstly, in the words of the old woman to the dodgy Knight from the The Wife of Bath's Tale (Lyrics Translate, 2026, citing Chaucer, 1400, l. 1000) "you can't get there from here". I love that colloquial translation!

Once upon a time nearly everyone smoked. And, because there was a culture of, if you were having a cigarette, you would offer one to those around you, an acceptable response was "I've just put one out thanks". In our family, we used that for everything: "Would you like a glass of wine?" "I've just put one out, thanks". Or "Would you like a shower?" "I've just put one out, thanks". Most people today, in an age of such low smoking numbers, would not get the context!

Then we have the 1990s "Thousands of tiny luminous spheres" from Natural Glow makeup sold by telemarketer extraordinaire, Suzanne Paul, in a smashing Wolverhampton accent (Knight, 2024). This became a national catchphrase: even The Bats used it as a 2000 album title. In our family, we would use the "thousands of tiny luminous spheres" to describe the merits of anything that disguised reality and turned a negative into a positive. 

Ah: who remembers Mrs Marsh, of the "Like liquid gets into this chalk" fame? The reply was "Ooo, it does get in!". This was an Australian toothpaste commercial, with fluoride delivered with a real Aussie twang and purple chalk (AustralianAds, 2010, 0:17). "Ooo, it does get in!" was used by us for everything.

Another Aussie pearl was Madge of the 1989 Palmolive dishwash liquid: "You know you're soaking in it" in the nailbar (Kiwi Retro, 2015). "You know you're soaking in it" was often paired with "Ooo, it does get in" (surprisingly!). However what was REALLY surprising was that this ad was completely lifted from a US Palmolive ad, from 1976 (Bionic Disco, 2024), right down to exactly the same script. 

Then of course there is the four Yorkshiremen skit, originally by Tim Brooke-Taylor, John Cleese, Graham Chapman and Marty Feldman in episode 6 of "At Last the 1948 Show", but taken over by the Monty Python team, with the protagonists telling more and more outrageous stories of childhood poverty, ending with "And you try and tell the young people of today that, and they won't believe you" (TheFullMontyPython, 2007, 3:07). In our family it morphed slightly into said "tell that to the young people of today, and they'll not believe you".

Funny how talking about these sparks more memories, deciphering our idiosyncratic family language.

Sam

References:

AustralianAds. (2010, February 14). Mrs Marsh's Colgate Fluoriguard ad (Australian ad, 1970's) [video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/h21jl2pLc1o

Bionic Disco. (2024, December 30). Palmolive Liquid 'You're Soaking In It' Commercial (1976) [video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/5I8u4XZo1IQ

Kiwi Retro. (2015, May 5). Palmolive Ad 1989 - Madge - Celebration [video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/CXvUXM3xURU

Knight, T. (2024, March 19). Suzanne Paul: An Infomercial Queen On Life After Luminous Spheres. New Zealand Herald. https://www.nzherald.co.nz/viva/culture/suzanne-paul-an-infomercial-queen-on-life-after-luminous-spheres/JZMOHHHJ5JB2ZOCGIOMQJ6JH3I/

Lyrics Translate. (2026). The Wife of Bath's Tale [from G. Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales]. https://lyricstranslate.com/en/geoffrey-chaucer-wife-baths-tale-lyrics.html

TheFullMontyPython. (2007, December 5). Four Yorkshiremen- Monty Python [video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/ue7wM0QC5LE

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The parasocial experience

In watching a conference presentation from cardiology surgeon and stand up comedian, Dr Rohin Francis, he mentioned a term new to me: that of the parasocial relationship (CEBM Oxford, 2025). So I went to look up what that meant.

Originally, we had two components: the parasocial relationship or PSR, which is "the illusion of intimacy with media" figures; and parasocial interactions or PSI, the "sense of a give and take [we may think we have] with the media figure" (Forster, 2023, p. 1, Horton & Wohl, 1956). Today we tend to refer to the parasocial experience or PSE as one thing, or an "imaginary, one-sided engagement of audiences with media personalities" (Forster, 2023, p. 1). It is fascinating that the research on parasocial relationships (Horton & Wohl, 1956) seems to have begun in the television age, but perhaps it was more that the US post war 'golden age' of industrial psychology was gaining a head of steam.

The antithesis of PSE is the social experience... where we interact in person with real people in real time. Where we rock up, warts and all, and have an uncurated, un-Googleable, un-undoable experience. PSE has grown from its formalisation as a concept by Horton and Wohl (1956) of perhaps watching a news reader on TV; however it also includes being an audience observer of "actors (in person) in theater; [and] reading about fictional characters in novels; [and] watching live streamers on social media; and even relating brands and websites as a whole" (Forster, 2023, p. 4). So much of life is a PSE. A book. A sound file. A TV show. A film. A painting. So might a lecture be a PSE, as often we may not have an in-person interaction with a lecturer (Forster, 2023).

Anywhere we can't be in person, but can bank the experience to catch up on later: Zoom recordings or DVDs are PSEs. But then we get into the tricky position of trying to decide if a phone call or a Zoom call is a PSE or an SE. Or is this a blend? We are not in person, but we are interacting in real time. The blending of the virtual and the real makes the boundaries of the terms fuzzy.

I think we can also lose sight that we have had fan-boy/girl reactions to celebrities since forever. PSE is not a purely modern social media thing. We have had PSEs prior to TV as well, with kings, preachers, peacemakers and warriors: Odysseus; Hannibal; Boudica; Joan of Arc; Peter the Great; Queen Victoria; Ghandi. TV made them more accessible; and digital media more accessible still. 

But at least we all now know what a PSE is :-)

Sam

References:

CEBM Oxford. (2025, September 22). The wacky world of wellness-influencer-to-consumer communication - Dr Rohin Francis [video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/lXZh9B_ADko

Forster, R. T. (Ed). (2023). The Oxford Handbook of Parasocial Experience. Oxford University Press.

Horton, D., & Wohl, R. (1956). Mass communication and para-social interaction: Observations on intimacy at a distance. Psychiatry, 19(3), 215-229. https://doi.org/10.1080/00332747.1956.11023049

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AI does rot the brain

While I have written about AI before (here), there is research showing that regular use of LLM apps - such as Claude.ai and ChatGPT - appears to reduce our brainpower. In a small experiment designed to see if we 'lose it' if we don't 'use it', participants were divided into three groups of 18, tasked with writing a piece "with[out] digital assistance, or with the help of an internet search engine, or [with] ChatGPT" (Kosmyna et al., 2025; McBain, 2025). There have been previous studies (Kosmyna et al., 2025, citing Stadler et al., 2024), and this paper had a limited number of student participants - a group of 54; we probably need to do a few more studies to firm things up.

Regardless of participant numbers, the findings seem relatively unambiguous. Using EEG to track cognitive engagement and load (Kosmyna et al., 2025), results indicate "that the more external help participants had [for their writing task], the lower their level of brain connectivity, so those who used ChatGPT to write showed significantly less activity in the brain networks associated with cognitive processing, attention and creativity" (McBain, 2025). Through a a process known as "cognitive offloading", results indicate that increased use of "AI systems [...] lead[s] to diminished prospects for independent problem-solving and critical thinking", which in turn "raises concerns about the long-term implications for human intellectual development and autonomy" (Kosmyna et al., 2025, p. 10).

The findings are worrying, especially as secondary school students seem to use AI/LLMs a LOT. Tertiary institutes are still trying to hold back the tide on AI use... for now. With these research results, this strategy seems imminently sensible, as "excessive reliance on AI-driven solutions" seems to "inadvertently contribute to cognitive atrophy" (Kosmyna et al., 2025, p. 10). Ouch. That is pretty damning.

I know of people who regularly use LLMs for work tasks. They outsource their emails to an LLM; the text to frame their quotes; their first draft contracts; policy; procedure; and other writing. But, as I have mentioned before (here), writing, composition, clarity of thought and expression of argument are learned expertises, or "time skills" (Canning, 1975), “where the ticking away of the unforgiving seconds plays a dominant part in both learning and application of the skill” (p. 277). Like driving, we cannot contract it out to others and expect our skills to improve without that continuous practice. Our old skills will grow rusty from disuse, and we will have to retrain to some level to reclaim what has evaporated through atrophy.

Of course, these results may be a knee-jerk reaction to the 'new'; over-blown drama that will evaporate like dew as the field progresses. We may simply be replacing one skill for another. 

Only time will tell.

Sam

References:

Canning, B. W. (1975). Keyboard skill-a useful business accompaniment. Education + Training, 17(10), 277-278. https://doi.org/10.1108/eb016409

Kosmyna, N., Hauptmann, E., Yuan, Y. T., Situ, J., Liao, X. H., Beresnitzky, A. V., ... & Maes, P. (2025). Your brain on ChatGPT: Accumulation of cognitive debt when using an AI assistant for essay writing task. arXiv. Advance online publication. https://arxiv.org/abs/2506.08872

McBain, S. (2025, October 18). Are we living in a golden age of stupidity?. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/oct/18/are-we-living-in-a-golden-age-of-stupidity-technology

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A bit more ANZAC biscuit history

A number of food historians have explored the humble ANZAC biscuit: that little oaty disc of Antipodean crunchiness or chewiness (Kelley, 2022a, 2022b; Supski, 2006; Terzaghi, 2024). While I don't mind them either crunchy or chewy, apparently it is the addition of "self-rising flour and soft brown sugar [that] makes them chewier; [while] pressing them down during baking makes them thin and crispy" (Kelley, 2022b, p. 239). Useful to know.

Kelley notes that ANZAC biscuits can be found in the homes of Antipodeans year-round (2022a), but in Australia they seem to be more of an ANZAC Day treat, specifically sold for, and served on, 25 April (Kelley, 2022b; Supski, 2006); as culturally entwined with Australian war commemorations as Christmas pudding is with 25 December, hot cross buns with Easter, or cake with birthdays. They are a "food [which] connects us deeply to our society; [that] provides a sense of place" (Supski, 2006, p. 52). The ANZAC biscuits themselves are regulated in Australia, requiring them to "generally conform to the traditional recipe and shape" (Kelley, 2022b, p. 239). There is strong cultural protectionism at work here.

There are three ANZAC biscuit origin legends (Supski, 2006): firstly, "that soldiers baked the biscuits at Gallipoli"; secondly, "that the recipe [was...] devised at the 1st Australian Field Bakery" in the war zone; thirdly, "women in Australia created the recipe" either late in the war, or to commemorate it afterwards (p. 53). The third legend seems the most realistic. Made from "bicarbonate of soda [stirred] into melted butter and golden syrup, then add[ed] to a mixture of oats, flour, desiccated coconut, and sugar" (Kelley, 2022a, p. 765), illustrates neither the ingredients nor the cooked biscuit could have travelled far without going rancid. Butter in the heat of the eastern Mediterranean or Turkey is unlikely. The third option seems to have created a "cultural narrative that has gained permanence in the public memory [as an] invented tradition" which "links powerfully with women's role on the home front" (Supski, 2006, p. 53).

 I particularly like the idea that "where the pavlova divides us, the Anzac unites" Australians and New Zealanders (Kelley, 2022a, p. 764) where an Andipodean "societal memory is made through repeated, performed, and embodied rituals" (Terzaghi, 2024, p. 4, citing Connerton, 1989). Like Australia, in New Zealand we have ANZAC biscuits all year round, but I do feel that ANZAC Day and the biscuit are more interlinked in Australia than in New Zealand. In Australia, the biscuit tradition has been "repeated, year after year for over a century, and because [Australians have engaged] in these rituals, this greater narrative [of honouring the fallen] is made real" (Terzaghi, 2024, p. 4). 

Regardless of which country we stand in, we eat to remember those who did not come home. 

Sam

References:

Kelley, L. (2022a). Biscuit production and consumption as war re-enactment. Continuum, 36(5), 763-775. https://doi.org/10.1080/10304312.2022.2106357

Kelley, L. (2022b). Chapter 18: Everyday Militarisms in the Kitchen: Baking Strange with Anzac Biscuits. In B. M. Forrest, G. de St. Maurice (Eds.), Food in Memory and Imagination: Space, Place and, Taste (pp. 239-252). Bloomsbury Academic. https://doi.org/10.5040/9781350096189.ch-018

Supski, S. (2006). Anzac biscuits — a culinary memorial. Journal of Australian Studies, 30(87), 51–59. https://doi.org/10.1080/14443050609388050

Terzaghi, A. (2024). Myth, Memorial, and the Making of a Nation: The ANZAC Legend in Australian Culture. [Honours thesis, Syracuse University]. https://surface.syr.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2693&context=honors_capstone

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The social licence, part 2

In a previous post (here), we looked at what the social licence to operate, or SLO, is, but to briefly recap, "the ongoing acceptance or approval of an operation by those local community stakeholders who are affected by it" (Moffat et al., 2016, p. 480).

When the SLO becomes inequitable, or is inequitable from the outset, locals may feel compelled "into direct action against resource projects" happening where they live, through a local perceived risk to the commons (Moffat et al., 2016, p. 477). Our "communities [a]re becoming more active in challenging the nature and fairness of the costs and benefits associated" of these businesses coming to a town near us (p. 477). Locals activate, making their feelings known, usually through some form of protest. Think risky land or water use, such as nuclear power plants, strip mining, forestry slash, fossil fuel extraction; or predatory business behaviour from monopolies, incidences of corporate deceit, off-shoring of profits or bankruptcy, or risking the lives of locals through unsafe practices (Brettkelley, 2025).

But are there internal organisation measures allowing the valuing of "the ethical, economic and social contribution [...organisations make in] service to society"? (Luna-Arocas & Danvila-del-Valle, 2024, p. 1395). I am not sure that we created organisations in such a way that allows this: most organisations have one duty in New Zealand: to aim to make profit (legally). Businesses do not have to make a profit: they just need to set out in a manner that means they are trying. In the USA, 'corporations' when granted a charter simply need to make a profit for their shareholders (Achbar et al., 2004). Our organisations, existing in a complex world, have a simple focus: profit.

Yet the world is not simple, and a simple, singular focus is often what gets organisations into trouble. The Pike River Coal's mine on New Zealand's wild West Coast is where 29 mine workers died in 2010. The company went bankrupt, and the mine remains closed. Bereaved whānau had to fight to have investigations made, to try to hold anyone accountable. A management theory analysis of what went wrong found a complex melange of management issues: in-groups; outgroups; groupthink which knitted the management team "together (and kept them blind); [...]conformity bias, organisational silence and obedience kept the much larger out-group quiet"; "hedgehog attitudes" which "dislike dissonance and prefer to organise the world into neat evaluative gestalts" (Logan et al., 2024, pp. 3, 11, 13). Management didn't manage the mine as a Knightian risk operation. Staff were 'hoping' shifts would be error-free, despite repeated and increasing workplace problems: perhaps inured, aka 'boiling a frog'. Further, the "culture of silence and lack of power was exacerbated by having a high number of inexperienced workers, a high number of foreign workers and a high number of contractors. There was a high turnover of staff and middle management throughout the entire period" (p. 11). So in-house expertise was regularly walking out the door, with new hires thinking what exiting staff had thought was unacceptable risk was now just business as usual.

The Pike River Coal top team, despite a strong narrative of being a 'leading edge' modern mine, had "hedgehog attitudes" leading to "unquestioned inductive biases and the unquestioned reference narrative [which] meant that there were unrecognised uncertainties, since both simplifications focus on the known and certain, without understanding that by doing so, they overlooked or underappreciated uncertainty and risk" (p. 12). They needed staff - who would be LISTENED to - possessing leavening "fox attitudes"; problem-seekers with an understanding of Knightian uncertainties suitable for a high risk environment (Logan et al., 2024). Knightian uncertainties are wicked problems arising in a changeable environment where there are many, many unknowns; so goals are more cautious, allowing for a broad array of risks coming from unexpected quarters.

Instead our single-minded societal creation followed the simple path, and the social licence to operate has been withdrawn. As communities, we need to be able to create organisations which operate in risky environments in a complex way so they can be fully accountable to the societies in which they operate, and the SLO will be more enduring.

Nothing like 20:20 hindsight.

Sam

References:

Achbar, M. (Director), Abbott, J. (Director), & Bakar, J. (Writer). (2004). The Corporation. Zeitgeist Films/Big Picture Media Corporation.

Brettkelley, S. (2025, October 14). When social licence is revoked. Newsroom. https://newsroom.co.nz/2025/10/14/when-social-licence-is-revoked/

Luna-Arocas, R., & Danvila-del-Valle, I. (2024). The impact of talent management on ethical behavior and intention to stay in the organization. Journal of Management & Organization, 30(5), 1392-1407. https://doi.org/10.1017/jmo.2022.64

Logan, R. J., Cavana, R. Y., Howell, B. E., & Yeoman, I. (2024). Why do key decision-makers fail to foresee extreme ‘Black Swan’ events? A case study of the pike river mine disaster, New Zealand. Systems, 12(1), 34, 1-15. https://doi.org/10.3390/systems12010034

Moffat, K., Lacey, J., Zhang, A., & Leipold, S. (2016). The social licence to operate: a critical review. Forestry: An International Journal of Forest Research, 89(5), 477-488. https://doi.org/10.1093/forestry/cpv044

read more "The social licence, part 2"

Four years to the 2030 SDGs

In 2015, the United Nation established the Sustainable Development Goals or SDGs; a set of seventeen ambitious, interwoven goals which were adopted by all member states (2026a). Individual goals encompass the reduction of poverty and hunger; and the improvement of health, education, equality, water, access to energy... and decent work. The latter is goal number eight, the "Promot[ion of] sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all" (United Nations, 2026b). This goal has twelve individual measures, including sustaining economic growth at 7% GDP/year, promoting job creation policies and enterprise growth, youth and employment strategies, education and training (United Nations, 2026a).

While there have been a range of challenges, including COVID-19 and unrest, if we are to make our desired progress towards the SDGs by 2030 - a mere four years away - in nations where persistent inequalities of gender and age exist, the shortfall remains substantial:

• 58% of the global workforce is 'informally' employed; up to 90% nations such as sub-Saharan Africa
• Global GDP only 1.5%, a shortfall of 5.5%
• 20% of youth are "NEET", i.e. not in employment, education or training; and where women are twice as likely as men to be NEET
• Youth unemployment is triple that of adults (University of Auckland, 2026; United Nations, 2026b).

Realistically, none of us can make a shift to a sustainable economic future alone. Aotearoa New Zealand is not doing brilliantly: as one of the 38 OCED nations tracking SDGs, we barely scrape a pass mark of 53 for decent work; 52 for real GNDI/person (gross national disposable income; Te Ara, 2026); an unemployment rate at 59, and a domestic material consumption of 47 (Victoria University of Wellington, 2026). Or put another way, out of eight traffic light measures, we have five green lights, and three orange (Sustainable Development Report, 2026): meaning that overall our report card is 'moderate' (University of Auckland, 2026).

So if we 'could do better', it is easy to see how far many nations less fortunate than ourselves have to travel. 

Sam

References:

Sustainable Development Report. (2025). New Zealand. https://dashboards.sdgindex.org/profiles/new-zealand/indicators/

Te Ara. (2026). Definition of GNDI. https://teara.govt.nz/en/diagram/23574/gdp-gne-and-gndi

United Nations. (2026a). Sustainable Development Goals. https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/development-agenda-retired/#:~:text=On%201%20January%202016%2C%20the,Summit%20%E2%80%94%20officially%20came%20into%20force.

United Nations. (2026b). Goal 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth. https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Goal-8_Fast-Facts.pdf

University of Auckland. (2026). SDG 8 explained. https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/about-us/about-the-university/the-university/sustainability-and-environment/sustainable-development-goals/sdg8-hub/sdg-8-explained.html

Victoria University of Wellington. (2026). New Zealand Sustainable Development Goals: Indicators for Decent Work and Economic Growth. https://www.sdg.org.nz/datavis/?name=Decent%20Work%20and%20Economic%20Growth

read more "Four years to the 2030 SDGs"

Word Find and replace using special codes

If you are like me, there will be times when you want to make a load of changes to the formatting of Word documents that have become quite large.

I tend to use Word's Find & Replace function for that, and that is where knowing what the specific Word codes are so we can replace formatting. You can find a broader list of codes at Office Watch (2021) here.

From experience and digging, I have gathered together a number of find and replace codes for those things I use most often, which are:

^s non-breaking space (which, if we toggle on Word's 'show formatting' icon, the Pilcrow, shows as a superscript o, or degree symbol. Read more here). 

^t for tabs

^m for soft returns

^p for hard returns

^g is for graphic

^12 for page breaks

^b for section break

Read more on the Pilcrow here. 

Sam

References:

Office Watch. (2021, August 15). Word Advanced Find – all the special codes. https://office-watch.com/2021/word-advanced-find-all-the-special-codes/

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Employee versus contractor

While in 2024 220,000 New Zealanders were working multiple jobs, today - driven by the rising gig economy and cost-of-living pressures - nearly half of all Kiwis are considering taking on a second job (Tilo, 2025). When we end up taking on more work, we may encounter non-standard work types - such as Uber driving, Deliveroo, and so on (Macfie, 2022). These roles bring a difference between employee benefits and support, and we need to know what our rights are as a contractor.

Contracting is a tricky, murky area of employment legislation in Aotearoa, which can shift power away from individuals to organisations. When compared to standard employment, non-standard work may leave employees without clearly defined legal rights and obligations. For example, contractors are not covered by the Employment Relations Act; cannot bring personal grievances; are often paid based on work results; and may also not be covered by minimum wage agreements (MBIE, 2026). What type of worker we are makes a difference to the protections are available to us. See the table illustrating this post (Berntsen, 2019, p. 3).

Non-standard work has both pros and cons. If we have highly sought-after skills and are at the top end of the market, we can indeed negotiate our own salary, conditions, insurance and leave. However, at the bottom end of the market where we are 'just' labour, the negative aspects put the power in the hands of the employer with short notice work requirements without the ability to turn work down; working alongside well-paid permanent employees at minimum wage without permanent employee protections; no breaks and having to pay for our own replacement as a NZ Post driver if we can't work (Macfie, 2022) in addition to few employment law protections and opaque hiring processes (Berntsen, 2019; NZCTU, 2013).

When organisations decide that all employees will become independent contractors with the 'freedom' to decide their own working hours, such as happened at NZ Post (Macfie, 2022), who holds the power in that relationship? Governments may argue that non-standard employment allows contractors to negotiate their own remuneration packages, it may also allow employers to bypass employment law and set punitive rates of pay (Berntsen, 2019; Macfie, 2022; NZCTU, 2013).

There needs to be a balance here, and I don't think we have it right yet.

Sam

References:

Berntsen, L. (2019). The changing nature of work: Strengths and shortcomings of New Zealand's benefits and protections for Workers in non-Standard Employment. Fulbright New Zealand. https://www.fulbright.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/L-Berntsen-AxfordFellow2019-Report-JULY2019.pdf

Macfie, R. (2022, January). Bad jobs. North & South Magazine. https://northandsouth.co.nz/2022/01/15/employment-new-zealand/

NZCTU. (2013). Under Pressure: A Detailed Report into Insecure Work in New Zealand. New Zealand Council of Trade Unions. https://www.union.org.nz/underpressure

MBIE. (2026). Employee or Contractor?. Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment. https://www.employment.govt.nz/starting-employment/types-of-worker/employee-or-contractor

Tilo, D. (2025). Poly-employment': Transparency in workplaces encouraged amid rise of secondary jobs. HRD New Zealand. https://www.hcamag.com/nz/news/general/poly-employment-transparency-in-workplaces-encouraged-amid-rise-of-secondary-jobs/535335?utm_source=chatgpt.com

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Career Development and Vision Boarding

I was wondering if some cultures affiliate more to structure within qualitative assessments; and some less so. By qualitative assessments, I mean card sorts, vision boards, genograms and so forth (Osborn & Zunker, 2016), because they “enliven the career counselling process” (Okocha, 1998, p. 5). The type of more high context cultures which may seek more structure might be Germany, and the USA and UK (Hall & Hall, 1990). Which then left me to consider those lower context groups less likely to enjoy structured assessments; perhaps Chinese, Māori and Pasifika cultures (Hall & Hall, 1990; Kennedy, 2004). And while I didn't have career development research to hand, sit seemed likely to me that, as per the cultural context image accompanying this post, many non-Western or indigenous groups may be at the high context end of the continuum (Hall & Hall, 1990; Kennedy, 2004), where I have added Māori and Pasifika groups in blue. I also suspect that Aotearoa as a nation is middling for context, influenced by Māori and Pasifika peoples; drifting from the UK, as the main Pākehā source, over time. 

Cultural fit and qualitative assessment is interesting. I use posters as a form of vision board to end one of my courses: I ask students to make me a poster detailing all the tips and tricks they now have in their kete as they graduate and go into their working lives. I try not to limit creativity; students are encouraged to draw on a number of course-introduced theories as well as seeking new theories and frameworks. However, I do need students to cite theory; provide a brief summary (to show understanding); and provide future application. I get some amazingly inventive posters. 

I went to have a look, to see what research there is in the wild. In the USA, I found a lecturer doing something similar to myself, but in a more structured way. This instructor was setting students a "career [...] exploratory, individually-created poster" to summarise learning on a paper, using "career [information] that interested the student", asking them "to explore industries and careers that would interest [them, and applying their] conceptual knowledge gained from the course to describe the overall role of the specific job within an organization", including "earnings potential, examples of companies to work for, actual job descriptions" and moving on to "explain how the position would interact with the functional areas of business [such as] human resources, accounting" (Bergom, 2015, pp. 132). The "career poster assignment was "a kind of 'vision board' for students to keep after the course to remind them of their career goals" (pp. 132-133); a structured vision board intersected with career mapping, providing students with a tight framework for delivery. This US vision board/career map intersectional tool was repeated in research by Rutledge and Mayes (2024), Sylvester and Donald (2024); and paper exploring vision boarding for clients seeing a mental health counsellor intersects this with solution-focused brief therapy aka SFBT, where "focus is on specific, [and positive] concrete images" (Burton & Lent, 2016, p. 3) where "the client controls some of the process" (p. 4).

In Canada, 24 of 28 secondary school students participating in vision boarding rated it good or great, as well as being highly helpful (Welde et al., 2015), but the paper did not outline how the vision boarding process was undertaken. 

Finally, I have only been able to find one piece of research looking at a higher context group: and that is in New Zealand, the Samoan career development system of Niu (Apulu, 2022), drawing on three layers: who we are, actioned by Pasifika-appropriate card sorts; how we can, actioned by storytelling; and our will, actioned by vision boarding. The process detailed seems more organic, more conversational.

This could be a rich seam for a researcher to mine!

Sam

References:

Apulu, M. (2022). How to grow a culturally responsive career practice [Master's thesis: University of Otago]. https://www.researchbank.ac.nz/bitstream/handle/10652/5711/MPP_2022_Peter_Apulu.pdf?sequence=4&isAllowed=y

Bergom, I. M. (2015). The Professor Behind the Screen: Four Case Studies of Online Teaching in Business [Doctoral thesis, University of Michigan]. https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/handle/2027.42/111535/inbe_1.pdf?sequence=1

Burton, L., & Lent, J. (2016). The use of vision boards as a therapeutic intervention. Journal of Creativity in Mental Health, 11(1), 52-65. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15401383.2015.1092901

Hall, E. T., & Hall, M. R. (1990). Understanding Cultural Differences: Keys to success in West Germany, France, and the United States. Intercultural Press.

Kennedy, J. C. (2008). Leadership and Culture in New Zealand. In J. S. Chhokar, F. C. Brodbeck, R. J. House, (Eds.) Culture and Leadership Across the World: The GLOBE Book of In-depth Studies of 25 Societies (pp. 397-429). Psychology Press.

Munter, M. (1989). Guide to Managerial Communication: Effective Business writing and Speaking (5th ed.). Prentice-Hall.

Okocha, A. A. (1998). Using qualitative appraisal strategies in career counseling. Journal of Employment Counseling, 35(3), 151-159. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2161-1920.1998.tb00996.x

Osborn, D. S., & Zunker, V. G. (2016). Using Assessment Results for Career Development (9th ed.). Cengage Learning.

Robbins, S. P. (1991). Management (3rd ed.). Prentice Hall.

Rutledge, M. L., & Mayes, R. D. (2024). A culturally responsive career development group for minoritized girls of color. Professional School Counseling, 28(1a), 2156759X241234923. https://doi.org/10.1177/2156759X241234923

Sylvester, R., & Donald, W. E. (2024). Conceptualisation and Operationalisation of the Personal Brand V.A.L.U.E. Career Development Tool. GILE Journal of Skills Development, 4(1), 30-46. https://doi.org/10.52398/gjsd.2024.v4.i1.pp30-46

Waalkes, P. L., Gonzalez, L. M., & Brunson, C. N. (2019). Vision boards and adolescent career counseling: A culturally responsive approach. Journal of Creativity in Mental Health, 14(2), 205-216. https://doi.org/10.1080/15401383.2019.1602092

Welde, A. M., Bernes, K. B., Gunn, T. M., & Ross, S. A. (2015). Integrating career education in junior high school: Strengths, challenges, and Recommendations. Canadian Journal of Career Development, 14(2), 26-40. https://cjcd-rcdc.ceric.ca/index.php/cjcd/article/download/166/173

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Round and MRound

I discovered recently that, not only is there an MRound (read more here), there is also a ROUND function in Excel so that the cells display whole numbers! Foolishly, I had been using MRound and entering "0.99999999999999" to force my rounding to display whole numbers, before realising that OF COURSE there would be a whole number function.

In doing a search for something else, I stumbled across a simple Round formula (Suprov, 2024). And it is simple. Instead of using MRound, we just use "Round".

So where I had previously used MRound:

• where I had wanted to fudge a whole number, using MRound, I would have previously entered the formula
  =MROUND(A2,0.99999999999999)

But more simply, if we want whole numbers in future, we just use Round:

• so, for example, where we might want a figure rounded to a whole mark, using Round, we would enter the formula
  =ROUND(A2,0)

So easy when we know how. Thank you, Suprov (2024)!

Sam

Reference:

Suprov, R. R. (2024, June 23). How to Round to Nearest Whole Number in Excel (9 Methods). ExcelDemy. https://www.exceldemy.com/learn-excel/number-format/rounding/nearest-whole-number/

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Knowdell's Occupational Interest Card Sort

The Knowdell Occupational Interests Card Sort, (OICS) is a US card sort once used fairly extensively by career practitioners around the globe, though I suspect that the Knowdell Career Values Card Sort (CVCS) is more common (Campos, 2019). Dick Knowdell created the OICS in 1979 (Knowdell, 2003), updated it several times (1993, Dik & Rottinghaus, 2013; and 2005, Carlson et al., 2020), for clients to explore roles which interested them. It now consists of 110 occupational titles  in two card decks (Carlson et al., 2020), with category sort cards of "Definitely Interested", Probably Interested", "Indifferent", "Probably Not Interested" and "Definitely Not Interested" (Knowdell, 2003, p. 155).

I found it difficult to determine the theory or theories underlying the OICS. The published information was vague: "In developing this tool, Knowdell referenced the concept of 'career clusters' to help develop insight into occupational interests. The OICS workbook also references the work of Richard Bolles and John Holland, who grouped jobs into clusters to help organize thoughts around careers" (Fields, 2013, p. 483). So... meaning what, exactly?

In an APCDA webinar in 2023, Professor Rich Feller talked about the legacy of Dick Knowdell. He spoke about how Dick had made a life's work from helping others, quoting Dick as saying, "We want to take career coaching into organizations". Through writing "his book, Building a Career Development Program, [Dick] tried to do that by working in organizations. He [Dick Knowdell] was attentive to the whole notion of the economy and what it meant. And [it was from] his work in Lawrence Livermore Lab [which...] really allowed him to stay in touch to the workers and the transitions they were going through" (2023, 3:59). I felt that Professor Feller really saw Dick Knowdell as a realistic, grounded person who created tools that would smooth the path of clients into work. At the conclusion of the presentation, Professor Feller invited anyone who wanted to know more to email him.

So I emailed Professor Feller, who kindly explained "Dick picked job titles and coded them according to the RIASEC codes. The theory suggests that if you have these interests they would match others in that job title" (personal communication, 8 October 2025). If we watch the video below, at around a minute in, we can see that each of Dick Knowdell's OICS cards have a three letter RIASEC code on the top left-hand corner (Rich Feller, 2020).

Professor Feller went onto clarify that although "John Holland popularize[d] that [RIASEC] model and commercialized it through his writing and products", we tend to "identify [our] interests based upon their exposure. You can like or dislike thinks according to your exposure to it. In many cases one’s only exposure is through a stereotype. That is why interest can change once a person has more in-depth exposure to it. Interests do not confirm aptitude to have the potential to do the job" (Rich Feller, personal communication, 8 October 2025). A very good point, that.

Dick Knowdell created this card sort as he found the Strongs inventory didn't seem to work so well for women (2003). He wanted something less confining, and  "described the card sort process as an activity similar to the card game called Solitaire" where clients deal the "deck of cards [...] by grouping and sorting [into...] categories depending on [their...] assessment [then...] rank[ing] these categories by the [...] level of [...] interest [...] complet[ing] this solitaire process rather quickly by deferring to [...] gut instinct rather doing a deep reflection process" (Campos, 2019, p. 271). Fast and dirty, so the client gets to their 'under mind' (Blyton, 1952, p. 81). 

So now we know.

Sam

References:

Blyton, E. (1952). The story of my life. Grafton.

Campos, T. M. (2019). Chapter 37: Knowdell Card Sorts. In K. B. Stoltz, S. R. Barclay (Eds.). A Comprehensive Guide to Career Assessment (7th ed., pp. 269-277). National Career Development Association (NCDA).

Carlson, S., Morningstar, M., Ghosh, A., & Munandar, V. (2020). Exploring the Use of an Occupational Interests Card Sort with Youth with Intellectual Disability: A Preliminary Study. Journal of Inclusive Postsecondary Education, 2(2), 1-20. https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1040&context=sped_fac

Dik, B. J., & Rottinghaus, P. J. (2013). Chapter 19: Assessments of interests. In K. F. Geisinger, B. A. Bracken, J. F. Carlson, J.-I. C. Hansen, N. R. Kuncel, S. P. Reise, & M. C. Rodriguez (Eds.), APA Handbook of Testing and Assessment in Psychology (Vol. 2. Testing and assessment in clinical and counseling psychology, pp. 325–348). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/14048-019

Feller, R. (2023). Dick Knowdell and the Career Development Network's (CDN) Future [Sunday May 22] [video]. Asia Pacific Career Development Conference. https://asiapacificcda.vids.io/videos/449fdbb7191ae2cccd/503_dick-knowdell-and-the-career-development-networks-cdn-future-by-rich-feller

Rich Feller. (2020, November 18). Knowdell Occupational Interest Cards [video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/rYdLw0o57vA

Fields, J. R. (2013). Knowdell card sorts: Career Values Card Sort, Motivated Skills Card Sort, and Occupational Interests Card Sort. In C. Wood & D. G. Hays (Eds.), A Counselor's Guide to Career Assessment Instruments (6th ed., pp. 481-486). National Career Development Association (NCDA).

Knowdell, R. L. (2003). Card sort career assessment tools. Career Planning and Adult Development Journal, 19(2), 150-159. https://www.stemcareer.com/richfeller/pages/journals/Career%20Planning%20and%20Adult%20Development%20Summer%202003/pdf/Chapter%2014.pdf

Training Systems Inc. (2026). Occupational Interests Card Sort (Knowdell) [image]. https://www.clsr.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/600vd_1.jpg

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VET in Aotearoa

Since the RoVE process started in February 2019 (Chan & Huntingdon, 2022; read more here), Aotearoa has seen a LOT of disruption in the Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector, including starting to form a single mega-polytechnic, and then deciding not to following a change of government (TEC, 2025).

Part of what has been disrupted is in the area of work-based learning, or WBL: "learning that takes place at work, through work, for the purpose of work. It comprises varying proportions of on and off-job learning developed via a tripartite employer-learner-provider partnership” (Kingsford, 2020, p. 5). WBL in New Zealand is designed for "industries [to] have more influence over how they train apprentices and trainees" (Simmonds, 2025). During this turbulent time of VET change, world-wide right-wing shifts, and a global pandemic, Aotearoa is seeing a decrease in WBL participants at present (Education Counts, 2025). And if the numbers are falling, that is not good news for the VET sector, because there is a significant skills shortage (Kingsford, 2020) which is unlikely to be improved by the continuing sector upheaval.

The current government is proposing a new model, aiming to give industry more control of the VET process, by creating six moving parts (TEC, 2025): 

1. industry-led Industry Skills Boards, or ISBs, responsible for setting training standards (this is the industry bit)
2. delivered by a "network of work-based learning provision" made up of polytechnics, private training providers and wānanga. This is the educator bit
3. Funded by central government. The dollar bit
4. Administered by the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC). Not really sure why this bit exists. Perhaps because TEC are supposed to co-ordinate all the moving parts
5. With programme standards, programme delivery and quality audited by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA). The measurement bit
6. All participants - ISBs, ITPs, PTEs, Wānanga, TEC, NZQA - will need to meet as yet unspecified WBL requirements.

No, that is not complicated AT ALL. Sure, I bet it will work JUST FINE. I mean, what could possibly go wrong?

This ISB model has not even begun, yet some industry players are already saying this won't provide enough control (Gerritsen, 2025), while others are flagging that - while this may possibly create a more "competitive market-based environment" (Maurice-Takerei, 2016, p. 33) - it is also likely to mean low quality WBL programme delivery (Chan & Huntington, 2022). That is not only going to provide NZQA and educators with a problem; it is also going to provide industry with a problem of poorly trained tradespeople and technicians... and even more of a shortage of good quality workers in an increasingly tight market. 

This is back to the future: twenty five years ago, Murray noted, "When training was opened to market forces, and organised on a voluntaristic, user-pays basis, training often stopped altogether, or became fragmentary and exclusive, and of variable quality" (2001, p. 243). Ow.

I wonder how much more taxpayer funding will be wasted in taking yet another half-arsed bite at reforming VET. I guess we just wait and watch <sigh>.

Sam

References:

Chan, S., & Huntington, N. (2022). Reshaping Vocational Education and Training in Aotearoa New Zealand. Springer International Publishing AG.

Education Counts. (2025). New Zealand's workplace-based learners. Ministry of Education. https://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/statistics/new-zealands-workplace-based-learners

Gerritsen, J. (2025, July 10). Apprenticeships and training changes ‘fundamentally flawed”, industry groups warn. Radio New Zealand/RNZ. https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/566528/apprenticeship-and-training-changes-fundamentally-flawed-industry-groups-warn from RNZ

Simmonds, P. (2025, April 25). A better path for apprentices and trainees [press release]. The Beehive. https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/better-path-apprentices-and-trainees

Kingsford, F. with Grace, J., & Fenton, P. (2020). Mobilising the new world: Report of the work-based learning (WBL) workstream [report]. NZIST Workplace-based Learning Working Group/Te Pūkenga. https://www.xn--tepkenga-szb.ac.nz/assets/Reports/5.-Work-Based-Learning-Interim-Report-February-2020-2.pdf

Maurice-Takerei, L. (2016). A Whakapapa of Technical, Trade and Vocational Education in Aotearoa, New Zealand: Origins of a Hybrid VET System [Monograph Series 1]. Unitec. https://www.unitec.ac.nz/epress/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Final_A-Whakapapa-of-Technical-Trade-and-Vocational-Education-in-Aotearoa-New-Zealand-Origins-of-a-Hybrid-VET-System_by-Lisa-Maurice-Takerei.pdf

Murray, N. (2001). A history of apprenticeship in New Zealand [Doctoral dissertation, Lincoln University]. https://hdl.handle.net/10182/1599

TEC. (2025, July 3). Work-based learning provision. Tertiary Education Commission. https://www.tec.govt.nz/strategic-initiatives/strategic-initiatives/vocational-education-system/changes-to-the-vocational-education-and-training-vet-system/new-work-based-learning-model/work-based-learning-provision

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Sky blue pink with a finny hanny border reader comments

A long time ago, I posted a piece on the potential origins of a Geordie riposte to unanswerable questions from children: "sky blue pink with a finny haddy border" (here). My grandparents moved from Gateshead to London in the 1930s, so for my mother to have known it so completely and transplanted this saying to Aotearoa New Zealand, I think it must date from the 1930s or earlier.

Since then I have had a number of people leave comments on that original post, detailing their local variances. I thought I would collect together some reader comments and views on the origins and local variants of this saying. They are many and varied, and I have decided to list them without editing here. In a follow up post, I will do some analysis on the comments. But first, the list :-)

• Iain C. replied to my original post, recalling their "mother coming out with it in the 50s and we where in Merseyside with no geordie connections. Strange how things got around" (27 December 2019; Young, 2017).
  
  
• Another user, Lesley W. (25 June 2023; Young, 2017) related "My father was from Newcastle, but my mum's family were from Southport, Lancs (now Merseyside) and she and my maternal grandparents are the ones who used the phrase 'sky blue pink with spots on and a finny addy border'. My grandparent's use of the phrase suggest it was definitely pre the 40s. Finny addy was there term for smoked haddock, or yellow fish". An interesting comment about the smoked haddock.
  
  
• I got a colour variant, a mondegreen, and a verbal shift from one anonymous user (6 February 2020; Young, 2017) who explained "My grandfather was from Scotland (1909-1989) and he used to say this to me as well except it was 'purple' and I never really knew what he was saying at the end with 'finny haddy'. I thought he was saying 'fin and haddie' or even 'thin and fattie'. But it was always the answer to an unimportant or unknown question; 'sky blue purple with a finny haddy border'. Another common quip was 'Haud yer wheesht!'. Also whenever it was pouring rain he was say 'Send 'er down, David; What comes down today won't come down tomorrow'. And of course he also used to riddle me 'Why is a cow? Because a vest has no sleeves'. Crackers, all of these!
  
  
• Another anonymous user explained two variants in their family (15 June 2020; Young, 2017) with "interesting that for my grandfather it was 'Sky blue pink with yellow dots', but for my husband [it was] 'sky blue pink with a finny Haddy border' and he comes from Liverpool. Dialectual changes and movement of people must have displaced this phrase and changed it somewhat, but in essen[c]e it remains the same".
  
  
• Commenter myfairhands (2 June 2021; Young, 2017) said "My Dad used to say this. He was born and bred in Liverpool. I thought he said finny anny. But it probably handy - as in haddock. He also used to say when surprised by something 'well I'll go to the foot of our stairs'; 'Off goes your head and on goes a cabbage' when we were naughty; And called us in from play with 'come in your mother wants her boots'. So another variant of haddock (an important income stream in the North) with a dropped 'h' and an 'handy' variant; and some lovely sayings (neither of which I have heard before).
  
  
• Another anonymous commenter (29 April 2022; Young, 2017) concurred: "Same saying for me too family from Liverpool +Hoylake i lived North wales on the border".
  
  
• Commenter Isadora (10 September 2021; Young, 2017) explained "My grandmother was from Liverp[o]ol and used this expression - she said 'finny addy border' but I assume that was laziness. Another of her sayings, uttered if we were slouching about doing nothing, was 'don't be standing about like a pilgarlick' This was often heard from her and we all thought she'd made it up. Then, Frank Muir presented it on 'Call my Bluff' - remember that? We, my sisters and I died laughing until he (Mr Muir) revealed it as the truth!! Archaic, it was apparently as it sounds a tablet or pill made from garlic - an original supplement, maybe a cut above snake oil. We were impressed even though the revelation further diminished the sense of her retort!" Now that is a fascinating view of our language history!
  
  
• Another anonymous commenter (26 November 2021; Young, 2017) said "My grandfather, from Birkenhead, used to say that sandy-grey russet was 'the colour of a sunburnt fart'". What a pearl!
  
  
• Another anonymous commenter (29 April 2022; Young, 2017) related "My Mum used to say this to us in the 50's. She'd say 'sky blue pink with a finny annie border' (at least that's what I think she said) and as children we never queried it or indeed understood what she meant. Just one of her many 'strange' sayings that I assume came from her parents. She had no connection with Gateshead area - lived in leafy Surrey". This is a widely travelled phrase when we consider I am in New Zealand. 
  
  
• Another anonymous commenter on the same day (29 April 2022; Young, 2017) noted "We used to say it in Liverpool 1956 to 1966. It was a rhyme in the playground". It must have had an appeal to children to be used in the playground.
  
  
• Another anonymous commenter (11 June 2022; Young, 2017) said "My Nan used to say this 'Sky blue pink with a finny addie border.' It was a deflective saying, but I have no idea what it meant! We lived in Birkenhead, Wirral, and I am now 57". So another northern version, this time with a dropped 'h', and from a user born in the 1960s (providing their age was a bonus!).
  
  
• Another anonymous commenter (20 July 2023; Young, 2017) took the time to explain this is was "A very common saying in Lancashire[:] if you think it through the sky at sunset is sky blue with pinkish glow and a finny handy (yellow) border if it his been a nice day, so perhaps original was just a real answer to a question that later got used as a non[-]answer as it is such a funny sounding phrase". Yes, all true. Interesting that this user also noted the "handy" variant.
  
  
• Another anonymous commenter (11 January 2024; Young, 2017) explained that their variant "from Liverpool is Dan dugady grey with a finny addy border" which is a pearl I have definitely not heard before. I wondered if this might have been a corruption of  "Ducati grey"? This user also noted that their age, being 67 at the time (likely now 68), which was helpful, as being born in the 1950s may help to date the phrase.
  
  
• Another anonymous commenter (10 April 2024; Young, 2017) said "I’m a Scouser and my Nan used to say sky blue pink with a Finny addy border when I asked a question she didn’t know the answer to or was uncomfortable to answer! She also used the term pilgarnock (mentioned earlier on this thread) when she considered someone was stupid!" I wondered if pillock might be a contraction of pilgarnock? Another time, perhaps.
  
  
• Another anonymous commenter (10 April 2024; Young, 2017) related that "In Aberdeen we used to say sky blue pink with a tartan border". Another variant!
  
  
• And yet another on the same day (10 April 2024; Young, 2017) explained "The saying [i]n Northern England was Sky Blue Pink with a Yellow Border and not Finni Addy". Another variant, this time with a dropped smoked haddock!
  
  
• Another anonymous commenter (17 April 2024; Young, 2017) explained "'Sky blue pink with a finny addy border' [came] from my nan - she was born in Liverpool in around 1915. Finny addy was smoked haddock and as others have said it was a 'mind your own business' reply to an annoying question. Another phrase from her 'Mind you own business and cook your own fish, and don't put your nose in my clean dish'. This was still being used in Liverpool in the 60s and was often abbreviated to 'Mind your own business and cook your own fish'". Another dropped 'h', yet the haddock remains!
  
  
• Another anonymous commenter (31 August 2024; Young, 2017) explained "This was a very common used phase in Liverpool throughout the war years and on into the 1960s. 'It can be sky blue pink with a Finny addy border for all I care' was a very common response to any question". An interesting add on with the "for all I care". A bit more dismissive, and less light-hearted.
  
  
• Another anonymous commenter (2 February 2025; Young, 2017) said they had "Just Googled Sky Blue Pink with a Finny Haddy Border and found this page. My parents who are mid 80's said this to us as kids and we lived in Wigan with no Liverpool origins. I am 60". So while the saying was common in the 1950s and 1960s, it was also in common usage with their parents generation. 
  
  
• Another anonymous commenter from further south (29 March 2025; Young, 2017) explained "In Manchester in the 1950's the saying was 'Sky Blue Pink with a Yellow border'"; again, a dropped smoked haddock.
  
  
• Commenter scousejones (24 September 2007; Ice-Maiden, 2007) said "when I was a child in the 1920s, a usual answer to the question, 'What colour is it?' would be, 'Sky-blue Pink with a Finny-Haddy border', Finny-Haddy being a smoked haddockfrom Findon in Scotland". 
  
  
• On the same day, commenter valerieb1254 (24 September 2007; Ice-Maiden, 2007) explained "What we used to say was.....Sky blue pink with yellow dots on. As for the colour of Sky-blue pink, I don't really know".
  
  
• Then commenter Aroundy (17 April 2024; Ice-Maiden, 2007) threw in a final pearl: "Sky blue pink shot with a carrot". 

I was wondering if the Finny Haddock from Findon in Scotland being yellow came first or second? Perhaps the sky blue pink with a yellow border came first; then the yellow finny 'addy came across the border, so it was a substitution for the yellow...?

Anyway. Some analysis to come later :-)

Sam

References:

Ice-Maiden. (2007, September 24). What colour?. The Answer Bank. https://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/Phrases-and-Sayings/Question459921.html

Young, S. (2017, January 2). Sky-blue pink with a Finny Haddy Border. https://www.samyoung.co.nz/2017/01/sky-blue-pink-with-finny-haddy-border.html

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