As the Key administration prepares for the opening of parliament for 2010, where is the plan and wisdom required for good governance? And where's the opposition? Here's a report card – in plain language
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Two flags flying – what does it all mean?
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?
Read MoreHow many years is an animal's life worth?
I have a pet. Being cruel to animals is wrong. But why put more people in jail for it?
Read MoreCubicle dairy farming: were the secret consents unlawful?
Don’t fire up the bulldozers in the McKenzie Basin just yet. Land use consents for cubicle dairy farms granted by the Waitaki District Council may need to be reheard
Read MoreKey lifts the SAS veil – a little bit
Who pays the price of tax cuts for the rich?
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
Read MoreWillie Apiata, the “Jesus gun” and other secrets
War hero Willie Apiata is back on the frontline. New Zealand troops are armed with so-called “Jesus guns”. Our troops are training Afghan soldiers and police in counter-insurgency operations. Now, why shouldn’t we know that?
Read MoreThree strikes against the three strikes bill
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
Read MoreWillie Apiata: the photo the army published
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?
Read MorePrince Charming and the Temple of Doom
The saga of Prince William’s encounters with the natives of New Zealand during his first Royal overseas mission – to open one of the world’s ugliest buildings
Read MoreCubicle dairy farming: Labour’s legacy
Two of the three sites for which cubicle dairy farms are proposed were formerly Crown pastoral land, made freehold by the Clark government
Read MoreKa-boom: new taxes and transparency on their way
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
Read MoreQuis custodiet ipsos custodes?
The Judicial Conduct Commissioner's preliminary inquiry into Justice Bill Wilson's conduct has begun. Did you notice how much our constitution has changed?
Read MoreJeanette Fitzsimons: our Next glamour girl
Jeanette Fitzsimons, as you’ve never seen her, glams it up on Next magazine’s February cover
Read MoreStaying relevant – how NZ can matter to the world
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
Read MoreClinton visit postponed
Hillary Clinton's saying taiho, delaying her trip to the Pacific
Read MoreHi Hillary, waddaya really, really want?
Last time Hillary Clinton cornered a New Zealand politician she got what she wanted: 71 Kiwi SAS troops for special operations in Afghanistan. So what does she really, really want this time?
Read MoreCubicle dairy farming: Environment Canterbury’s stink performance
An industrial-grade whiff of incompetence disqualifies Environment Canterbury from making a nationally significant resource management decision on cubicle dairy farming
Read MoreProtesting sports: morally questionable, legally contestable
Both the moral and the legal issues in protesting against Isreali tennis player Shahar Peer are somewhat cloudy
Read MoreThe 'bloated' state sector is borderline anorexic
The government repeatedly damns the bloated public sector and its growth under the previous government. So what are the facts?
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