Three takes on how the political donation system should change

Political donations are back in the news in a big way, and many feel that the system needs a complete overhaul. So how might that work? Here’s a collection of perspectives. When news broke this morning on Radio NZ that the racing industry had donated heavily (and anonymously) to NZ First, the response fell into … Read more

Cheat sheet: What’s conspiracy theory crackpot Louise Mensch doing on RNZ?

Louise Mensch is set to hit New Zealand airwaves this evening. Who is this conspiracy theorist and what could she possibly be saying to Lisa Owen? Who is Louise Mensch? She’s a former Tory MP, founder of the Rupert Murdoch-funded “no safe spaces” website Heat Street, a romance novelist, and a conspiracy theorist. She’s considered … Read more

The Bulletin: What could change for voting in 2020 election

Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Changes proposed for the process of voting in 2020, govt approves coal exploration despite climate change rhetoric, and Hager responds to new Hit and Run news. The way people vote in 2020 could be very different to previous elections, after the proposals of a range … Read more

Nick Smith is the latest cheerleader for a four-year term. Here’s why he’s wrong

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

‘So much unfinished business’: Helen Clark on feminism, factions and equality

Helen Clark is back, with a new book collecting her speeches from four decades in public life. She sat down with Alex Braae to discuss her extraordinary career, and where she’s headed next. In the many years Helen Clark has been involved in politics, firstly in New Zealand, and later at the United Nations, she … Read more

The Bulletin: Low growth in the Māori roll

Good morning, and welcome the The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Low growth in the Māori roll, property managers slammed for their memes, and a big cash injection for the billion trees programme.  The Māori electoral roll has grown, but not by all that many voters. The option to change between the Māori and the general roll opens … Read more

Do All Blacks results really change elections? A history lesson

Jamie Wall looks back at the years in which the rugby may or may not have changed the course of our political history. It’s no secret that rugby means a lot to New Zealanders. There’s been studies on how our obsession for the national game affects society off the field, for example how a single … Read more