It’s our job to be fair, went the old ad campaign from the IRD. It’s my job to be kind, goes the on brand message from the Prime Minister. So we’re heading for a kinder and fairer tax system then? Guyon Espiner, writing for RNZ, is skeptical. But when it comes to making changes to … Read more
After tax, the next cab off the working-group rank is welfare. The Universal Basic Income has been the hottest new idea of recent years, but Max Rashbrooke reckons that just doesn’t add up, and there’s another, stronger option The New Zealand Initiative and Sue Bradford make strange bedfellows: normally there is not much that unites … Read more
The strength of ties have been tested in recent months. NZ now needs to boost capacity to understand and engage with China, writes Stephen Jacobi of the NZ China Council The last year has been something of a roller-coaster ride for the relationship between New Zealand and China. Against a background of great power rivalry … Read more
The Shane Jones led scheme offers an incredible opportunity to invest in a sustainable future for people living in New Zealand’s regions, but at this rate it will be remembered as a byword for flawed ecnomic development policy, write Alex Penk and Julian Wood of the Maxim Institute What do the words “Think Big” bring … Read more
The period of benign relations between New Zealand and China appears to be drawing to a close, writes Massey University’s David Belgrave. Until recently, New Zealand’s relationship with China has been easy and at little cost to Wellington. But those days are probably over. New Zealand’s decision to block Huawei from its 5G cellular networks … Read more
In the face of opposition to its involvement in mobile tech roll-outs around the world, the Chinese telecoms behemoth has unleashed a devastating global weapon: the simile. In a series of ads for print, digital and billboards across New Zealand this month, the Chinese telecoms giant Huawei pushed back at the government’s rejection of a … Read more
Simon Bridges said the Government Tax Working Group’s call for a capital gains tax was an ‘assault on the Kiwi way of life’. That betrays a very depressing and limited view of the Kiwi way of life, says Hayden Donnell. The ink had barely dried on the Tax Working Group report and Simon Bridges was … Read more
As commentary and speculation swirls around the state of NZ relations with China, it’s a good time to take a breath and focus instead on the way forward, writes Bethan Greener. Commentary is swirling over Sino-Kiwi relations. Warnings to tourists, the turning back of an Air New Zealand plane from Shanghai, and New Zealand’s refusal … Read more
Joining dancing dildos, flags, Eminem and ponytails, getting-left-off-maps can now be added to our rolling collection of the Last Week Tonight show’s coverage of its most favoured/lampooned nation. Update, February 19, 2019: Topical comedy programme Last Week Tonight has returned to HBO for 2019, and its dedicated New Zealand Monitoring Unit has delivered already. It may have been … Read more
As long as New Zealand is a member of the US-dominated Five Eyes spying network we will keep getting into trouble with China, argues former Green Party defence spokesperson Keith Locke Last November my heart sank when I heard our government had blocked Huawei from helping Spark set up a 5G network. Didn’t our prime … Read more
The NZ government must take a much bolder stance on the tech giants who dominate our lives online, writes Leroy Beckett from Action Station, who today release The People’s Report on Online Hate, Harassment and Abuse. I spend most of the time I am awake online, in some form or another. It’s how I keep up with … Read more
Broken promises, paying more for less… National MP Chris Bishop draws parallels between the doomed Fyre Festival and the Labour government. I’ve just got back from my honeymoon (it was great, thanks for asking). Browsing idly one night on my iPad, I noticed that Netflix had a new documentary called Fyre. I’d vaguely heard the … Read more
The government recently announced that it would ban smoking in cars when children under 18 are present, making the act a fineable offence. But social scientist Dr Kyro Selket argues the decision isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. On Sunday, I stopped at my local Franklin takeaway for one of their exceptional butter chicken … Read more
Everyone is ripping into the National mansplaining-KiwiBuild-barbecue ad online. But what, wonders Danyl Mclauchlan, if that was exactly what they wanted to happen … Sometimes the New Zealand National Party makes great political ads. Think about the now famous ‘pretty legal’ rowing ad from the 2014 election. Yes, that led to the party being sued … Read more
The National MP’s self-righteous defence for halting yesterday’s meeting ignored the essential role the Opposition plays in upholding the select committee process, writes Andrew Geddis. On Wednesday something happened in Parliament that was on its face a clever but petty political move designed to capture headlines, yet at a deeper level ought to concern anybody … Read more
As China sends abstract signals about its unhappiness with New Zealand, there are some concrete steps that Jacinda Ardern’s government can take, writes Robert Ayson of the Victoria University of Wellington Centre for Strategic Studies. At the height of the Cold War, western intelligence agencies overanalysed who was standing next to whom at Red Square parades … Read more
The Gone By Lunchtime peloton roars into 2019. Just as you’re wondering whether it’s too late to say ‘happy new year’, Annabelle Lee, Toby Manhire and Ben Thomas wish you a happy new year with a return to the Gone-pod. On the agenda: A hell-poll for National sees Judith Collins casting a shadow over Simon … Read more
For a government promising “a year of delivery”, Ardern’s team has begun in something of a defensive crouch, writes Guyon Espiner for RNZ Labour will count itself lucky the Newshub-Reid Research poll was held for nine days and released the night before MPs returned to parliament on Tuesday. The poll, completed on 2 February but … Read more
School projects weren’t complete without a meticulously selected WordArt title. Madeleine Chapman looks back at the fonts that shaped many children’s lives. Once upon a time the most important decision in life was choosing a font. Every school project needed the perfect font. Not for the body of text; Arial shmarial, who cares. No, every … Read more
In the last week China has acted and sent a message it believes we have aligned too far to the west, argues Mike Rehu With the concerns deepening of a cold war type conflict between the US and China, will New Zealand have to choose between the two powers? That question underpins much of this … Read more
The first day back in parliament comes with double gloom for Simon Bridges: not only did Labour overtake National in Newshub’s poll, but the ‘strong and decisive’ one is preferred as PM. Who’d bet against Collins having another tilt at the leadership before the next election, writes Toby Manhire Just less than four months ago, … Read more
Research points towards an unconscious, cognitive basis for racism and other forms of discrimination, suggesting that even the super-woke can be secret and subconscious racists, writes Danyl Mclauchlan I thought about this story a lot over the summer break. It wasn’t one of the huge scandals or rolling controversies from last year, or even one … Read more
Sure, KiwiBuild has gotten off to a rocky start, but it’s far from a disaster, argues interest.co.nz’s David Hargreaves. In fact, with a few simple tweaks, it could even become a success. Some people can be pretty quick to call something a failure. In the eyes of some this government’s flagship KiwiBuild policy already appears … Read more
Stuart Nash may be the minister on paper, but, argues Greenpeace’s Russel Norman, NZ First’s Shane Jones increasingly appears to be the tail wagging the fish. What’s that thing people say? You don’t know what you’ve got until they’re gone. Strangely I’m starting to feel that way about National’s former minister for primary industries. Bring back … Read more
As it gears up for as many as three referendums next year, NZ should take care not to ignore the mistakes of Brexit, writes Christian Smith. Brexit is the problem that every other country in the world is glad not to have. For New Zealanders, it may seem a distant curiosity, relevant only to our … Read more
A headline grabbing protest against the UN Migration Pact was held in Auckland’s Aotea Square on Saturday, attracting about 100 people. But it was far from the only political expression being put to the public. Alex Braae was there. The most committed came in early. Advertising for the protest against the UN Migration Pact, online … Read more
Are we missing the rise of the far right? Marc Daalder speaks to the angry middle-aged men who want to see nationalism rise in New Zealand. Hundreds of Kiwis have pledged to march today against an obscure UN migration pact today under the guise of a brand-new organisation calling itself NZ Sovereignty. The central issue emphasised … Read more
The parties founded by Tariana Turia and Gareth Morgan both failed to make parliament at the last election, and now there’s talk of a collaboration to turn that around. Māui Street editor Morgan Godfery asks whether it might bear fruit. Big news via TVNZ: TOP and the Māori Party could be allies in the next … Read more
Environmentalism occupies a place outside the conventional left-right political axis. But for the kind of party envisaged by Vernon Tava to work, it would have to win its place by courting voters from the left, writes Danyl Mclauclan This was the week aspiring centre-green politician Vernon Tava learned a vital but probably terminal lesson in … Read more