Could it be a case of not appreciating what you’ve got until it’s gone? The National Party lost Simon Bridges last week, which has reinforced the notion that the party still has some serious deficits of talent and diversity. The major factor in Bridges’ decision to leave was his failed bid to regain the party …
In the lead-up to the Budget, the Government has been on an offensive to promote the efficiency and quality of its $74 billion Covid Response and Recovery Fund -especially the Wage Subsidy Scheme component. This comes after criticisms and concerns from across the political spectrum over poor-quality spending, and suggestions that vested interests and business …
Crime is becoming a key debate between Labour and National. This week they are both keen to show that they are tough on law and order. It’s an issue that National has a traditional advantage on, and is one that they’re currently getting good traction from. In response, Labour is keen to counter this by …
On 24 April the Minister for Māori Development, the Hon. Willie Jackson, stated on TVNZ’s Q+A programme that government plans for Māori co-governance were part of MMP. It meant ‘shared decision-making’, ‘partnership’, ‘diversity, about minorities working together’. ‘Co-governance is based on the principles of MMP, this is a consensus type democracy now’, ‘not the tyranny …
There’s been debate recently about the role of government communications teams in a democracy. It started with an opinion piece written by the Dominion Post’s editor Anna Fifield with the title When did our public service get so arrogant? Having spent 20 years working overseas she expressed her shock at how “obstructive and deliberately untransparent …
Scores are being settled at the moment, with Labour MP Louisa Wall going out in a blaze of media interviews to air the dirty laundry of her party. These surprising red-on-red attacks are going to be damaging for all sides. Wall’s media blitz over the weekend paves the way for her valedictory speech on Thursday …
FAIR PAY AGREEMENTS AND EMPLOYMENT Amelia Wade (Newshub): Fair Pay Agreements Bill: Biggest shakeup to workplaces in generation coming from Government Glenn McConnell (Stuff): Fair Pay Agreements are a step closer to becoming law Thomas Coughlan (Herald): ‘Misinformation’ and kickback allegations, as Labour and National scrap on new employment rules David Burton (Stuff): Are the …
Was political favouritism involved in the dishing out of millions of dollars by government ministers to tourism businesses? We can’t know, because the Government didn’t keep sufficient records or have proper processes for the handouts. That’s the obvious question arising from a scathing report released by the Auditor General on Thursday, which has received far …
An unusual thing happened on Friday, when the National Party proactively released public information about financial donations it had just received. The party declared that its former deputy leader Paula Bennett had just raised $1.8 million dollars in donations from a handful of wealthy supporters. And she had raised the money in just three weeks. …
Since announcing her retirement on Tuesday, MP Louisa Wall has been heralded as a great maverick who progressed important social legislation by operating outside of the usual Labour Party structures. Her failure to be elevated to the rank of Cabinet Minister, is being blamed on her outspokenness and refusal to toe the party line, as …
An important opinion poll was released back in January by Curia Research, showing the country is increasingly divided. The survey asked: “Thinking now about the state of New Zealand and our society, do you think New Zealand and New Zealanders are less divided, or more divided than a year ago?” A large majority of 72 …
After nearly a decade, Australia has finally agreed to take up John Key’s 2013 offer that New Zealand takes 150 refugees each year from Australia’s controversial detention centres in the Pacific. But before New Zealand pats itself too hard on the back, here are nine reasons New Zealand’s refugee deal with Australia isn’t as good …
The Government has announced that it will legislate to force greater transparency around the ownership and control of private companies in New Zealand. This is a positive move that will help the fight against domestic corruption, money laundering, tax evasion, and the general use of New Zealand as a haven to hide the money of …
Dental care is out of the financial reach of a large proportion of our population. At the moment about half of the public put off trips to the dentist due to the burden of paying in a private system. With the Labour Government currently struggling to enact a programme of transformation, risking the loss of …
In the last few days the Labour Government has come in for criticism for its panicked pandering to opinion polls. Last week it announced petrol tax cuts and reduced public transport fares. This was in response to pressure from opponents and the public who alleged the Government was out of touch on the cost of …
The problem with conservative politicians is when dealing with a crisis, they’re always inclined towards doing the minimum possible in the hope that it will be enough. The current Government is faced with several crises – including that of inequality, climate, and the rapidly rising cost of living. One response has been to halve the …
The Government has delayed the introduction of its fraught hate speech law reforms, and there’s strong speculation they’ll remain on ice until after the next election. In fact, they may never see the light of day again. This is a win for those who have argued that the reforms are likely to be counterproductive, impinging …
Last week’s shock 1News opinion poll was the final indication, if Bridges needed it, that his chances of eventually taking back the leadership and becoming PM were slim to none. Any feeling that it was worth waiting around to see if Luxon might stumble over the next couple of years could be put to bed. …
Labour is the party of Wellington and its solution to everything is always more Wellington The core public service has grown by 220% since the turn of the century. Our overall population has increased by only 30% in the same period. That’s pretty astonishing. Here is another way of looking at it. In the …
The “Costpocalypse” is finally getting serious Government attention. Yesterday’s announcement of cuts to fuel taxes and cheaper public transport was a response to rising electoral pressure on Labour over the “cost of living crisis” – something the Government had until now refused to accept existed. Last week’s shock opinion poll obviously helped focus minds around …
There was a fair amount of enthusiasm and optimism several years ago when the Government announced a restructure designed to boost public broadcasting. Many hoped it might result in a BBC-like, non-commercial public media organisation that operated on multiple platforms. Labour’s goals made a lot of sense, and the National Party complaints that Labour was …