There’s a debate raging about how serious the Government’s Covid-19 border testing botch-ups are. Many Labour partisans are calling complaints and media investigations into border management a beat-up and overly-aggressive. They claim problems at the border are being exaggerated, with testing failures of minor importance in the government’s overall success in dealing with the pandemic. …
Forget about the textbooks, the current border control debacle involving the Ministry of Health gives a better lesson in how government departments really work. Former Deputy Chief Economic Advisor at the Treasury, Tony Burton, examines how the bureaucracy fails to serve the politicians. In the days after the Nazis surrendered in 1945 the allies …
Has the election been saved from becoming another victim of Covid-19? Quite possibly. The issue of when to hold the election had come under serious scrutiny due to the increased restrictions and changed focus necessitated by the outbreak of community transmission of Covid-19. There were major problems with how democratic and adequate the electoral process …
When Parliament sits next Tuesday, the Prime Minister will finally meet her match. Judith Collins and Jacinda Ardern are opposites in just about every respect. Yet they have the same basic appeal. Ardern and Collins are as much cultural icons as they are political leaders. Each represents a different side of the New Zealand character, …
My house is currently supplied electricity by Meridian. As soon as I can change I will because Meridian spilled water to hike electricity prices. They got consumers to spend an extra $80 million on power unnecessarily. Clever them. The Electricity Authority has called their behaviour an “undesirable trading situation”, or “UTS”. Where shall I start …
No one could have predicted when David Seymour’s End of Life Choice Bill was passed by Parliament last November that the referendum required to bring the legislation into force would be held against the backdrop of a deadly global pandemic. Since then, the mounting tally of casualties around the world has thrust death and dying …
Could the quarantine and testing botch-ups have an impact on the election? The Government might have been hoping that the scandal was a one-week wonder, but the stories of quarantine and testing fiascos keep coming and will be felt strongly by the public. Many voters will now have much less confidence in the Government’s handling …
During the State Opening of Parliament after the 2017 election, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern pledged that her administration would be a government of transformation. 31 months later, it is clear that Labour in 2020 will never be transformational. Here are ten dead giveaways that explain why. 1. When the Budget was delivered in May, Finance …
In mid-April, as New Zealand entered its fourth week of alert level 4, the Prime Minister warned us not to make comparisons with other countries over our Covid-19 pandemic response. This extraordinary advice came after Simon Bridges had urged the government to adopt a less-stringent lockdown similar to those in some Australian states. He told …
It was just a month ago that the chief executive of Rotorua Lakes Council, Geoff Williams, described suggestions his executive team should consider taking pay cuts as “immoral”. Williams told the NZ Herald: “I am very fortunate to have around me an extremely committed, dedicated and hardworking executive team who are now working even harder …
How radical or transformative is Grant Robertson’s 2020 Budget? Opinions are divided over this week’s landmark economic package. Some are viewing the big spend as a return to traditional Labour – or even socialist – politics, while others see it as “business as usual”, albeit on a grander scale. Seeing red Leftwing political commentator Chris …
In ancient Rome, a victorious general would parade through the city to the temple of Jupiter in a gilded chariot amidst a frenzy of adoration. But to keep the triumphant commander tethered to reality, the trusted slave holding a laurel wreath above his head would whisper repeatedly in his ear: “Memento mori” — “Remember you are …
Never let a crisis go to waste, the cliché goes. Which is why, given predictions of a serous economic slump, some of prime minister Jacinda Ardern’s stalwart supporters are urging her to remake the economy for the better. But those hoping that the PM will embark upon a Hugo Chavez-style rejection of the neoliberal paradigm …
As is often the case with crises, the coronavirus pandemic has been a boon for New Zealand’s political leadership. Jacinda Ardern’s decisive and effective health response to the virus has garnered both New Zealand and herself adoring headlines around the world, particularly in countries starving for basic governmental competence. New Zealand’s exceptional handling of the …
Jacinda Ardern’s prime ministership is a tale of two leaders. In times of crisis, Courageous Jacinda takes centre stage, acting boldly and drawing both domestic and international acclaim. But, in normal times, it is Cautious Jacinda who is to the fore, stepping warily and advancing slowly. The problem with this is that, often, the progress …
Covid19 has caused a dislocation in communities across the world with inequalities being exposed, and for many, trust has been broken. We’re seeing compassionate behaviour from criminal organisations and criminal behaviour from legitimate organisations, but maintaining trust in institutions, governments, the business sector and the rule of law is essential for recovery. Fraud, corruption and …
The line between “political point-scoring” and “speaking truth to power” can be a fine one. No one likes to see people opportunistically using a time of great tragedy and danger for their own political advantage. That doesn’t mean we should become intolerant to questions about the actions of those in power, regardless of whether this …
The government set up the Epidemic Response Committee (ERC), with the support of all political parties, on March 25, the day before the Covid-19 lockdown came into effect. Parliament was adjourned to 28 April, consequent on the suspension of the government’s regular legislative programme for the duration of the lockdown. With Parliament adjourned, it could …
How healthy is democracy at the moment in New Zealand? Criticisms are mounting about the state of the political system under the Coronavirus crisis, with complaints that things aren’t as democratic as they should be. I wrote for the Guardian last week about some of these political problems – see: New Zealand’s Covid-19 strategy looks …
Civil society, the media and the parliamentary system – which normally keep a check on government – are now seriously weakened The New Zealand government and prime minister deserve the plaudits they are receiving for their handling of the Covid-19 crisis. At this stage, their elimination strategy appears to be working. But any political …
It was only a matter of time before politicians took a pay cut. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has done the right thing in announcing she will cut the pay of her own ministers and departmental chief executives – see Eleanor Ainge Roy’s Jacinda Ardern and ministers take pay cut in solidarity with those hit by …