You searched everything for "" and got 540 results
Reincarnation is a tricky concept, not least because it requires we accept the idea that those experiencing terrible ordeals must have committed even more horrid deeds to deserve their fate. But, if this logic is accepted, then the people working in local government must have done some truly awful, terrible, horrendous things in a previous life. Read more
Dr Oliver Hartwich talks to Mark Sainsbury about New Zealand's housing crisis and the increasing debt burden for first home buyers. This follows the announcement from the Reserve bank saying the average Kiwis are struggling with record mortgage debt - with the average amount being borrowed jumping up 43% in the last two years to $390,000. Read more
Local government is ready to sit down and talk with central government about improving the sector’s performance, provided policymakers in the Beehive come to the table as a partner, not as a parent. That was the theme that emerged from the launch of our latest report, The Local Manifesto: Restoring local government accountability, which took place in Wellington on Monday. 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 probably read this without batting an eye is testament to just how broken the sector is. Read more
Local government plays an important role in New Zealand and is often overlooked. When things like roading, water and recycling services are working well, we barely even notice them. Read more
Research Fellow and author of The Local Manifesto, Jason Krupp, discusses some of the key findings from the final report in our series on local government. The key findings from this report provide a practical means of making local government more accountable and transparent to communities. Read more
Wellington (21 November 2016): It is time to put the government back into local government and limit central government’s interference in what councils should be doing. Let councils get on with the job, says The New Zealand Initiative. Read more
The highly clichéd pop psychology definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different outcome. If we accept this meaning, then local government in New Zealand is just plain nuts, cuckoo, cray cray, whacko and doolally. Read more
If the mystification around the low local election turnout was not strong enough a signal that officials just do not get local government, the latest freedom camper rules review should amp it up. The government is anticipating a deluge of freedom campers over the summer and at next year’s British and Irish Lions tour. Read more
Wellington (18 October 2016): New Zealand’s inequality crisis is actually a housing crisis, a new report by The New Zealand Initiative says. Launched today, ‘The Inequality Paradox: Why inequality matters even though it has barely changed’ finds that too many New Zealanders are suffering real hardship, and this is largely due to very high housing costs. Read more