The New Zealand Herald has released the results of its annual “Mood of the Boardroom” survey today. Should we care what businesses think of politics, the economy and society? There’s a good argument that we should be more concerned with the “Mood of the Foodbank” or “Mood of the workers”. Nonetheless, it’s always interesting to …
What will it take for this Labour Government to start paying attention to the worsening state of economic inequality in New Zealand? The evidence is mounting that, under Labour’s watch, the problem of wealth and income inequality is spiralling. But the signs are that Labour ministers have put this crisis into the “too hard basket”. …
Pressure is increasing on the Auditor General to undertake an inquiry into numerous contracts, appointments and grants awarded to members of Cabinet Minister Nanaia Mahuta’s family by various government departments she has had official responsibility for. Allegations and revelations are mounting up, meaning this issue can no longer be ignored. As economist and political commentator …
It’s hard to have confidence in the National Party’s supposed exoneration of MP Sam Uffindell over allegations of ethical violations as an adult. The party’s processes have been far too opaque, which means there will always be a cloud over the integrity and character of their new MP for Tauranga. And, perhaps even worse for …
Wellingtonians are desperately unhappy with the politicians running their city, and a new poll out yesterday shows they’re not very impressed with their mayoral options either. The Wellington City Council’s own annual Residents Monitoring Survey shows plummeting levels of confidence in the politicians and the state of the city. When asked about satisfaction with council …
Labour’s poll results are trending down. Yesterday’s Curia poll put the party down two points to just 33 per cent, while National is up three points to 37 per cent. When it comes to next year’s election, a key constituency for Labour will be Māori voters, especially in the Māori seats which are facing a …
From this week the public can provide input into the Government’s review of electoral laws – a process which is supposed to make elections cleaner and fairer. Hopefully, public submissions and pressure applied to both the electoral review experts and the Government will force the consideration and implementation of progressive reforms. The Independent Electoral Review …
The death of Queen Elizabeth and the ascension to the throne of King Charles has reignited the debate on whether New Zealand should become a republic. But despite strong arguments in favour of shifting to a republic, such a move is unlikely to occur anytime soon. What will stop the republican movement from gaining ground …
Items of interest and importance today COVID Luke Malpass (Stuff): PM Ardern’s last Covid live update draws a curtain down on a miserable couple of years Claire Trevett (Herald): PM bids a relieved farewell to Covid-19 rules (paywalled) Mark Quinlivan (Newshub): Government seeking advice on ‘what form’ any Covid-19 inquiry should take, Jacinda Ardern says …
MONARCHY Kevin Norquay (Stuff): Parting ways with the monarchy ‘an eventuality that will happen’ now Queen has gone Richard Harman: This could be the last time (paywalled) Liz Gordon (Insight Aotearoa): A proud and independent nation, Aotearoa Calida Stuart-Menteath and Hamish McNicol (NBR): Does King Charles represent New Zealand? (paywalled) Christine Kearney (Guardian): Jacinda Ardern …
QUEEN ELIZABETH HAS DIED Isaac Davison (Herald): Queen Elizabeth is dead – what does it mean for New Zealand? Charlotte Graham-McLay (Guardian): New Zealand in period of mourning as Jacinda Ardern pays tribute to ‘extraordinary’ Queen Stuff: Queen Elizabeth II dies: Commonwealth leaders debated abolishing role of head Katie Pickles (The Conversation): From evolving colony …
One of the world’s leading progressive political thinkers and journalists died last week. Barbara Ehrenreich was 81 years old, had written more than 20 books and was feted as a leading US journalist and chronicler of the plight of the working class and disadvantaged. Ehrenreich’s most important contribution to political theory was her work on …
COVID David Fisher (Herald): Blunder in Wellington let women into Northland and shut the region for 11 days Sam Olley (RNZ): Details revealed of investigation of women who sparked Northland Covid-19 lockdown Richard Prebble (Herald): Why an independent Covid inquiry is needed (paywalled) Jamie Morton (Herald): Explained – where – and why – NZ must …
The Labour Government has now spent over $1.2bn on housing people in motels and emergency facilities. This is an indictment on a government that refuses to build enough state houses for vulnerable people who are the biggest victims of the housing crisis. But what’s more, the staggering $1m spent each day on emergency housing has …
After more than seven years, the end is finally in sight for New Zealand’s anti-Isis deployment in Iraq. The Government recently announced that the remaining two personnel deployed to Iraq and Kuwait as part of the Global Coalition to Defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria will be withdrawn by the end of June …
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was right to question Marama Davidson’s endorsement of Whittaker’s chocolate. The rule forbidding ministers from endorsing products or services is a basic protection against corruption. It helps maintain the impartiality of ministers who have enormous individual power when it comes to regulations that directly impact businesses. Davidson, who is Associate Minister …
Will Labour’s GST U-turn do the Government much damage? Probably not – it’s insignificant in the greater scheme of things. Most likely, the flip-flop will soon be forgotten. What’s more, the details of the ill-fated tax proposal are almost too technocratic to even comprehend or care about. The problem for Labour, however, is that this …
The new “Health NZ” centralised government entity, now rebranding as “Te Whatu Ora”, looks like it’s starting life as the epitome of the new public sector model of PR-led public service shielded from full accountability and transparency. The Labour Government needs to force Te Whatu Ora to be transparent and open to scrutiny. Te Whatu …
When politicians are failing to deliver, they tend to prioritise their communications efforts. It’s not surprising therefore that the spend on consultants and public relations has risen dramatically under Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. Ardern is an accomplished communicator and knows the value of good public relations in politics. After all, this is what she got …
Far too much attention is paid to the endless political pronouncements and activities of Brian Tamaki and his Destiny Church. Last week the Bishop dominated a lot of political coverage and debate with his protest at Parliament and the announcement of yet another political party – Freedom NZ. There is a tendency to take Tamaki …
Trevor Mallard is widely regarded as the worst Speaker of Parliament the country has ever had. He has always been a controversial and divisive figure, prone to temper tantrums and nasty attacks, but in his role as Speaker he has seriously botched a number of issues he has been responsible for. A recent 1News opinion …