They just don’t care
Local Government in our new Aotearoa is only ‘local democracy’ in theory and not in reality, reflected in the small percentage of eligible voters who...
Category : National Politics
We offer practical knowledge to policymakers
Voting in the local body elections is in progress and we are already turning our attention to the national elections next year, with the three-year...
Local Government in crisis
As we stare down another election this month, Paula Southgate warns that constant criticism and bad behaviour are undermining local government. Councils are under siege...
The right steps for economic recovery
For the past 18 months or so, the civil construction sector (like other parts of the New Zealand construction industry) has experienced a sharp decline...
Parliamentary game-playing
A tense and intriguing political chess game is currently being played in Parliament’s Privileges Committee, explains Peter Dunne. On the face of it, the issue...
The case for a smaller government executive
Based on a speech David Seymour gave to the Tauranga Business Chamber last month where he floated an idea about how we could transform government...
The demise of meaningful political debate
MMP was expected to break the old Parliamentary duopoly of National and Labour and lead to far more inclusive and diverse political debate. By Peter...
A political perspective on 2024
As a turbulent political year drew to a close in 2024, some observations can be made about the state of the various parties and some...
Councils relieved of ‘well-being’ obligations
The Government is taking back central services from local councils, leaving them to “deliver essential services and core infrastructure”. “Earlier this year, the Prime Minister...
Tougher government scrutiny for infrastructure
The new Government needs to ensure it doesn’t repeat the costly infrastructure decisions of the previous one, warns Peter Dunne. It is a time-honoured ploy...