Donald Trump has grudgingly accepted that preparations for a White House transition should commence, after weeks of crying fraud, mounting spurious legal challenges and attempting, in effect, a coup d’état. However hapless and distant it might seem, is there the potential for a similar breakdown in New Zealand? Duncan Greive examines our defences and our … Read more
Jacinda Ardern is preparing to make a major announcement on election timing as a majority of MPs appear determined to see it delayed. Public law expert Graeme Edgeler explores how it might all play out. Auckland is currently in lockdown with people required to stay at home except for “essential personal movements”, and will remain … Read more
The public policy response to the Covid-19 crisis has been a great and instructive success, and Jacinda Ardern has proven herself a class above all predecessors as a communicator, writes former prime minister Sir Geoffrey Palmer QC. Plus: a note on the legal questions. The global phenomenon Covid-19 poses challenges for New Zealand public policy. … Read more
The National leader says census data is so ropey we should halt the redrawing of electorate boundaries. Down that path lies a dangerous world of ‘alternative facts’, writes Andrew Geddis Let’s be clear – the 2018 census turned out to be a good, old-fashioned omnishambles. The just released report of an independent review into the … Read more
Compared with other democracies, New Zealand has relatively few checks on its parliament, so it would be misjudged to extend the gap between visits to the ballot box, writes Liam Hehir. Nick Smith, National’s spokesman for electoral reform, has suggested a number of reforms to the rules about how and when we elect members of … Read more
Opinion: Early moves by members of the new cabinet risk doing real damage to New Zealand’s constitutional framework, argues National MP Chris Penk. In the opening months of the Labour-NZ First-Greens triumvirate, a very real narrative is emerging: ministers are bending the branches of government to breaking point. By constitutional convention, respective roles played by … Read more
At the start of the week the National Party took aim at gangs, prompting a debate around human rights. It all underlines how New Zealand would benefit from a written constitution, argues constitutional lawyer Andrew Butler It’s not about gangs. It’s about all of us. Human rights are about making sure that every individual is … Read more
Some say we have got it just right. Some are completely opposed. Others say we haven’t gone far enough. But the overall response to our project has been heartening, writes Geoffrey Palmer. While some may believe New Zealanders are never interested in constitutional matters, my recent meetings around the country prove that to be wrong. … Read more
The turmoil being witnessed in America at least illustrates the necessity of constitutional checks. It should spur New Zealand to adopt its own written, codified constitution, writes former prime minister Geoffrey Palmer The constitutional turmoil in the United States highlights the value of a written constitution in stopping governments from over-reaching their powers. There have … Read more
If we want councils to be open, accountable and democratic, we have to overhaul the laws the govern the sector, writes Jason Krupp. Local government in Zealand is broken and dying, only it is dying so slowly that you’d hardly notice it unless you are looking, and it is a problem. That most of you … Read more
Ben Thomas studies and salutes the newly minted coat of arms for the mighty former governor-general. Of New Zealand’s 21 governors-general, the recently departed Lieutenant General Sir Jeremiah “Jerry” Mateparae, GNZM, QSO, KStJ was the most assuredly One of Us. What highlights can we remember of the governor-general who retired in August this year? Alas, … Read more
Local government is crucial and too often ignored. Our proposed constitution starts by recognising they need greater autonomy, explain Geoffrey Palmer and Andrew Butler. The local government elections for New Zealand conclude this week. We hope the voter turnout is high, although we worry it will not be. Local government is very important. But because … Read more
With recent efforts at drafting a constitution for New Zealand stalled, a new and engaging approach is called for. Geoffrey Palmer introduces a fresh project and its core principles. “A constitution is a human habitation. Like a city, it may preserve its life and its beauty through centuries of change. It may, on the other … Read more