As we welcome in 2020, it's a good time to catch up on the very best of the Herald columnists we enjoyed reading in 2019. From politics to sport, from business to entertainment and lifestyle,
Big issue is visible to everyone but Jacinda Ardern
In July, Jacinda Ardern met with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison - and the elephant in the room was the Reserve Bank's battle with the big four Australian banks over proposed capital hikes. According to O'Sullivan, Ardern made a great pretence of not seeing it.
Why Jacinda Ardern may be flying into a storm
Just two days earlier than the column above, Fran O'Sullivan wrote that Jacinda Ardern's visit to Melbourne was like flying into a storm, as the Reserve Bank tussled with the Australian finance sector. A meeting between the PM and 15 investors was closed to journalists.
The one gaping hole in the Budget - why was this glossed over?
In May, Finance Minister Grant Robertson delivered the world's first "Wellbeing Budget" - and while it ticked the right boxes in some areas, such as mental health services, one "gaping hole" was obscured. According to O'Sullivan, the younger middle-class and less well-paid New Zealanders had good reason to feel overlooked.