The Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority appears to confuse its role in overseeing the rebuild of central Christchurch with owning it entirely. Here's a reminder - it doesn't.
Read MorePolitics
The minister, CEO and top cop: We expect accountability
Three recent stories serve as reminders that we have every right to expect much from those given power over us
Read MorePeter Dunne picks up John Key's ticking timebomb
Peter Dunne has written a blog post offering commentary on the SkyCity and Hobbit deals. Thing is, surely he needs to answer the very questions he poses to the Prime Minister
Read MoreWhy the rush to sell Mighty River? Politics.
Selling state-owned assets isn't a growth plan, in fact it makes debt worse
Read MoreThe Mighty River Battle is on again
The Government can sell 49 percent of its shares in Might River Power – but it’s got another battle to fight before it can guarantee the river flows that spin the turbines and generate value for its power generator share buyers, consumers, and taxpayers.
Read MoreThe Hobbit: Time for answers John, Peter & Richard
The first Hobbit movie has been made and released. And now so have some critical emails. Isn't it time for some full and frank answers from the players in the dispute?
Read MoreThe Partial State Asset Sale poem
An ode inspired by National's mixed ownership programme, to the tune of 'Five Little Monkeys"... And a few thoughts about the sales and the Supreme Court
Read MoreStandin' on the corner, waitin' for a bus
Two big legal issues in the one day! Lucky I'm on top of my game ...
Read MoreJuries have had their day
Jury trials are slow, expensive and don't necessarily produce the 'right' verdict -- so why do we still use them?
Read MoreNo rules for NZ Police surveillance drones
New Zealand Police have no authorization from the Civil Aviation Authority to operate their recently acquired surveillance drone - no procedures manual governing its operation – and the police won’t say what it is or what it can do … Why?
Read MorePokies & smokies: When the means and ends don't meet
John Key loves closing a deal. But when it comes to SkyCity and plain packaging he seems to have lost sight of the fact that how you do things is the mark of a man... and a government
Read MoreA press release we will never see
First they came for the partners of beneficiary fraudsters, and I was silent. Then they came for the professional advisors of corporate entities, and I thought "hang on - this is completely ridiculous!"
Read MoreRichard Prosser finally makes a name for himself
Admit it -- you'd never heard of NZ First MP Richard Prosser till the Wogistan debacle. Now he is a household name. Plus Ralph Stewart's payout and Novopay.
Read MorePeople smugglers, asylum seekers, and Ozzie Rules
John Key opened Pandora’s Box when he revealed that Australia had considered using its navy to shepherd a boatload of asylum seekers to New Zealand, but nobody seems to want to look inside. It isn’t a pretty sight.
Read MoreA living wage: There are no reasons not to
The initial response to a call for councils and other big employers to commit to a living wage of at least $18.40 an hour has been dominated by excuses. But what could be more important?
Read MoreGee, I wish we had one of them doomsday machines
Is it OK to threaten to do a really bad thing if it means that you don't actually have to do it, even if you have to really be prepared to do it so as to make the threat work?
Read More"Wogistan" - Richard Prosser crosses the line
Robust free speech must be strenuously protected, but a written rant by a New Zealand First MP goes beyond defensible lazy thinking to racist insult, and must be condemned
Read MoreHow to keep Waitangi Day on the straight & narrow
Waitangi Day events played out more peacefully than expected, but the risk of division remains if we don't pay attention to public opinion
Read MoreFloating the idea of a four year term
Revisiting a discussion about the length of parliamentary terms
Read MoreWhy a little flag waving wouldn't hurt us, Mr Key
John Key's Waitangi Day speech defended February 6 as our national day, acknowledged our willingness to look back and pointed out that we're not a nation of flag wavers. But why not and why shouldn't we be?
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