Never lead the Titans to revolt against the Olympian gods. It can cause a bit of back pain. Read more
New Zealand faces a significant challenge: building essential smaller scale infrastructure assets like schools, medical facilities and social housing. These initiatives may not be as grand as the likes of City Rail Link and other mega-projects, but they are equally (if not more) vital for our communities. Read more
Television audiences were granted a rare privilege last week: an extended interview with warmongering President Vladimir Putin to “set the record straight” on Russia's invasion of Ukraine. And who better to provide the pulpit of truth for this enlightening exchange? Read more
‘Hard cases make bad law’ is a common legal adage. It means the more worthy a cause, the more tempting it will be for a court to stretch the law to make it fit. Read more
The World Justice Project ranks New Zealand 7th out of 142 countries on its ‘Rule of Law Index’, narrowly ahead of Australia’s 13th place. However, Australia still has hope – if only because of a recent decision by the Supreme Court of New Zealand. Read more
The classic Simpsons “Monorail” episode wasn’t just a cautionary tale about local council megaprojects gone wrong. Monorail salesman Lyle Lanley told the good people of Springfield that he’d “sold monorails to Brockway, Ogdenville, and North Haverbrook. Read more
It might still be a longshot. But an interesting thread ran through this year’s Waitangi speeches and interviews. Read more
Despite initial hopes that New Zealand would align itself with the trilateral strategic partnership between the US, the UK and Australia (AUKUS), New Zealand recently shut down any suggestion that this was a possibility. Whilst this may come as a surprise to New Zealand’s traditional allies, the reason for this is simple: New Zealand is too dependent on Chinese trade to risk jeopardising its relationship with the world’s 2nd largest economy. Read more
In a welcome development, Winston Peters and Judith Collins flew to Australia last week to discuss joint foreign policy concerns. The purpose of their trip was to meet with their Australian foreign and defence minister counterparts. Read more
Last Friday, Treasury “pro-actively” published its November 2023 Briefings for the Incoming Government. One was on the economic and fiscal context. Read more
The Revolution’s catch-cry of ‘Liberty, equality, fraternity’ is still France’s motto. It seems, however, that ‘equality’ doesn’t get you very far in Paris. Read more
The way New Zealand’s councils decide whether they have zoned sufficient land for development makes it hard to zone sufficient land for development. The problem is not any specific analysis. Read more
In a previous column I discussed the precarious state of European security in light of the rising threat of Russia and the potential decline of US involvement (Europe’s precarious security could invite Putin to expand war, 26 January 2024). Today, I will analyse a potential way for Europe to organise its own security: the development of a European nuclear shield. Read more
The Ardern Government was New Zealand’s most censorious in living memory. Following Brenton Tarrant’s murderous rampage through two Christchurch mosques in March 2019, Ardern set out on an anti-free speech path. Read more
If a council’s zoning plans are wrong, it is hard for anything else to be right. If building enough housing in places where people want to live is forbidden, housing will be scarce, rents and house prices will be too high, and every other ‘wellbeing’ that councils try to deliver will suffer. Read more