Imagine a political party deeply committed to social justice. A party that places fairness and caring for the most disadvantaged above everything else. Read more
Well, now we know what is likely to happen with taxes under a Labour government. National’s promised inflation-indexing of the lower income bracket tax thresholds will be gone, we will likely have some kind of water tax, but big changes like capital gains taxes are off the table until after a report from a Tax Working Group and the 2020 election. Read more
For discerning voters who were getting worried about the splashing of taxpayers' cash this election, fear not. While National and Labour have been pulling out all the stops to get swing voters over the line, not all election policies are designed to buy votes. Read more
With some exceptions, there is a distinct lack of co-operation among the various interests in New Zealand’s inshore fisheries. The lack of co-operation worsens as competition increases for limited fisheries resources. Read more
Elections are not quite the advance auctions of stolen goods that H.L. Mencken warned about. Read more
Approval ratings of more than three quarters are almost unheard of in politics. Most politicians would be satisfied with far less. Read more
New Zealand, you’ve done it again. You’ve one-upped Australia, and not even on purpose this time. Read more
For the politically-inclined, last night's finance debate has been one of many. Over the last couple of weeks, Steven Joyce and Grant Robertson have had time to rehearse their talking points, refine their responses to perfection, and anticipate each other's every move. Read more
The popularity of John Maynard Keynes is as cyclical as the business cycles he wanted to abolish. But beyond his macroeconomics, Keynes left us a fine observation on the power of ideas. Read more
“There’s a hole in your budget, dear Labour, dear Labour, there’s a hole in your budget, dear Labour, a hole.” It is a pity that Finance Minister Steven Joyce did not sing his Monday press conference. It would have been an appropriate start to a week of political theatre. Read more
In 1936 the much-quoted US journalist HL Mencken wrote“government is a broker in pillage, and every election is a sort of advance auction sale of stolen goods”. So here we are in 2017, preparing to vote in yet another government spending auction of someone else’s money. Read more
We just don’t know how lucky we are to live in New Zealand. In Douglas Adams’s Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, John Watson decided that the world had gone mad when he found instructions on the side of a packet of toothpicks. Read more
A country is going to the polls. The economy is doing well. Read more
Ending child poverty is the entire reason Jacinda Ardern got into politics. When Ardern announced in Monday's debate that she would march in the streets to end homelessness, it wasn't a political platitude. Read more
Everything in moderation. In the constantly-changing world of pop-health stories it is hard to know whether that axiom remains good health advice. Read more