A New Zealand High Court has just told Parliament that its law limits rights in a way that cannot be demonstrably justified in a free and democratic society. In other words, it failed in its basic task as a lawmaker.
Read MorePolitics
The Government's problem with problem gambling
The High Court just gave the Government (in the form of officials in the Ministry of Health) a complete shellacking over the way it decided to remove funding from the Problem Gambling Foundation. It's worth going into the memory hole to recall what was said about that decision at the time it was made.
Read MoreGreen and peaceful land
On June 25, Greenpeace New Zealand did an action at Parliament. That afternoon I knew that, were I raising children, it would be as activists
Read MoreSmith: I can tackle Auckland's housing shortage by 2017
Lots of new houses are being consented in Auckland, but supply is still not keeping up with demand. So why is National so keen to talk about supply?
Read MoreWhat's in a name... and a number?
Cries of "racism" have surrounded Labour's release of data on the impact of foreign buyers on the Auckland property market. But what's really upsetting people?
Read MoreKeep it in perspective, eh?
National's attempt to downplay economic concerns is like telling the All Blacks not to worry about playing without their front row
Read MoreAn open letter to Murray McCully
Bad things are happening in Nauru. Some of us think Murray McCully needs to do more in response.
Read MoreNew twists in the state house sell-off
A start of my post on state housing sales... More to come later, but feel free to start discussing now
Read MoreJe ne suis pas Charlie say NZ MPs: eroding free speech
New Zealand MPs are so keen to be seen to be "doing something" about cyber-bullying that they are about to pass a poor piece of law that will do something terrible
Read MoreTime to have that talk on euthanasia Parliament keeps saying we need to have
Parliament - or, at least, a committtee of Parliament - is finally getting the chance to allow the public discussion of end of life choice that (most) everyone says is needed in the wake of Lecretia Seales' court case. Will it now do its job?
Update: Yes. Yes it will.
Read MoreA most "awkward characterization" of "biological wiring"
Canada's top General has attributed a climate of sexual abuse within his forces to a bit of the old boys will be boys. He called it biological wiring. It all boils down to a telling insight.
Read MoreIwi and Auckland housing - the tune is changing
It looks like Nick Smith and the National Government may be doing what they should have done from the outset - talking to Auckland Iwi about how they can be the developers of housing on the Crown's land in Auckland.
Read MoreTrans-Pacific deal just leaking... or is it sunk?
President Obama has made a Trans-Pacific Trade deal is top eocnomic priority, but his own party has stared him down and now the entire deal hangs by a thread
Read MoreLive sheep exports: I'm grumpy
Make no mistake - the live export of 53,000 animals from Timaru to Mexico is worth getting grumpy about
Read MoreWhere to next for aid in dying?
The Seales v Attorney General decision was a pretty comprehensive legal loss for proponents of aid in dying. But it is by no means the last word on the matter.
Read MoreThe Taxpayers Union and passports - for the win!
You should always be careful for what you wish for, in case you happen to get it.
Read MoreDirty Politics 2.0
In which a former confidant of Cameron Slater's claims he was paid to commit a hack of The Standard blogsite; police are investigating
Read MoreAnd then another elephant came along
In 2012, the Government promised Auckland Maori that they would have first dibs on any new housing developments on its land. So why aren't they involved at all in Nick Smith's 500 hectare vision?
Read MoreA tangata whenua shaped elephant on the path
The Government's plans to use the Crown's land for houses for Aucklanders face a bit of a problem - it may not be able to sell them the land on which those houses sit.
Read MoreJames Shaw as 'The Bachelor'. Can he win hearts?
The new Greens co-leader has the job of winning roses from thousands of sceptical New Zealand voters. Can he come across as credible enough? And is his 'no Nats' gamble the right move?
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