Seeing the tino rangatiratanga flag flying over prominent New Zealand landmarks will swell the pride of many Maori. But should a flag representing only one people only fly from government buildings? Is it exclusive? And what does it stand for?
Today, anyone strolling around Wellington or driving across Auckland will notice a new flag flying from prominent landmarks. Despite it being our national day, it will not be our national flag. Should that vex us?
The Tax Working Group has concluded that it's just too hard to stop tax avoidance by the rich. Their solution is the tax equivalent of allowing doping in sport
There's a lot to recommend the Tax Working Group's 70-odd page report released last week, but for poor New Zealanders it represents another kick in the nethers at a time of rising unemployment.
The report kicked off what will be one of the biggest political debates of the year – what to do about our taxes.
Targetting repeat offenders makes sense, but the three strikes bill has fundamental flaws that undermine our judiciary and make us less safe. That's right, less safe
A couple of years ago my teenage niece asked,"why do we call it a life sentence when people aren't in prison for the rest of their lives?" She was struggling to get her head around our criminal justice system. Sadly, many New Zealanders are in the same boat, and so there's limited understanding of the substantial changes contained in the government's three strikes bill.
The New Zealand Defence Force is going to talk to the Herald about its use of Willie Apiata's photo. Perhaps it wants to take the photos of him off its own website first?
Freedom of speech is not absolute, and there are rare times when the media should refrain from publishing news and photos, and one of the most important times is when publication could put lives at risk. Having said that, I tend to sympathise with media which have chosen to publish Willie Apiata's photo over the past 24 hours.
The Tax Working Group has set a new standard for transparency, so its report today won't exactly be full of surprises. That doesn't mean the political dynamite it contains will be any less explosive, however
When the Tax Working Group – aka the Buckle Brigade – release their final report this morning the government will be handed the final piece of the toolkit with which they're to rebuild the New Zealand economy this year.
When Hillary Clinton does make it to New Zealand, we need to be talking nukes with her. The time is ripe for New Zealand to offer its support to Obama's crusade
As the government looks to increase New Zealand's relevance on the world stage, it has focused largely on business relationships, re-connecting with America and, as I wrote yesterday, its Global Research Alliance.
Hillary Clinton's visit almost put us on the world stage for a second or two. It raises the question about our place in the world and why another other country should bother to notice us
Relevance. It's at the heart of foreign affairs in a small country such as New Zealand. Much of our daily diplomacy revolves around making a small Pacific nation – what it sells and what it believes in – matter to the rest of the world.
Hillary Clinton's saying taiho, delaying her trip to the Pacific
It's a sign of the importance of the western hemisphere to America, and makes the point that Hillary Clinton's visit to Papua New Guinea, New Zealand and Australia, whilst important, was not urgent... Yes, the horror of the Haiti earthquake has compelled Clinton to postpone her trip to the Pacific.
This has just been released by Foreign Minister Murray McCully's office:
The government repeatedly damns the bloated public sector and its growth under the previous government. So what are the facts?
New Zealanders are drifting back to work this week, dozy and with feet-dragging. Many will return to work in the public sector, once regarded as the backbone of a decent, democratic state, now more often slagged off as a bungling bureaucracy.
This year it's now or never for the government. Will they become a comfy pair of everyday shoes, or will they start to pinch and wear?
Back before the 2008 election (I can't write 'last year's election' anymore!), I wrote that it was a 'change of shoes' election. The metaphor made the point that Labour wasn't hated by most and hadn't failed as such, it had simply gone out of fashion.
