New Zealand’s approach to Covid can be boiled down to: Buy time. And it’s worked. But now it’s time to change tactics and execute the plan much, much better
Read MoreThe good & bad of NZ's Omicron plan as the wave hits & tactics need to change
Politics
The consequences of Covid & why anti-vaxxers aren't free to cross a one-lane bridge whenever they like
Loud and angry protests against vaccine ‘mandates’, lockdowns and other Covid-restrictions continue here in New Zealand and around the world. It’s framed as a fight for freedom. It’s not. Rather, it’s a battle against consequences. So here’s my response to the ‘freedom fighters’, anti-vaxxers and all those nervous about the loss of freedoms during this pandemic
Read MoreA strong start - but can Luxon last?
Christopher Luxon spent his first, impressive appearance as National Party leader stressing his newness to politics and his leadership pedigree. But are both traits quite the strengths he thinks they are?
Read MoreThe Picnic Period: A sign of our Covid times
Picnics have come to symbolise many things about life in Auckland right now - they are a blessing and a curse, a political masterstroke and a retreat. Now they need to be the start of something more
Read MoreThere can be only one... reason Collins is still in her job
Looking back to this point in the last political cycle, you see Labour tearing itself apart and fighting for the future of the party. National is facing the same crisis, but no-one seems to want to lead
Read MoreThe 'team of five million' isn't all of us. Are we doing enough for the others?
The way we’ve implemented our Covid-19 strategy has come at a high price for a lot of New Zealanders… so are we doing enough now to say thanks and show kindness to Kiwis trapped offshore? And what more could we do?
Read MoreThe lucky lockdown? Is this the kick in the butt NZ needs?
Heading into another level four lockdown with delta finally loose in the community, it looks like our luck might have run out. But maybe not. Maybe this will be the lucky lockdown; the kick up the bum this country needs
Read MoreFrom 'go hard, go early' to 'whatever': Labour loses Covid urgency
Labour’s Covid-19 response is losing its sense of urgency, something that’s becoming increasingly clear in the vaccination rollout, testing, immigration and much more
Read MoreLabour gets to be Labour, delivering a step-change budget 30 years in the making
Join the dots from 1991 to election night 2020 to today… This is the day that Grant Robertson and Jacinda Ardern entered politics to deliver
Read MoreTaniwha New Zealand shows its foreign policy teeth to the world. But what does it mean?
Nanaia Mahuta’s speech on China used some pretty plain language, but the words that resonated were not just about our largest trading partner. Others about some of our oldest allies were just as controversial
Read MoreWe Should leave 'Be Kind' for the cushion covers
During lockdown last year we cycled pretty fast through bingeing Tiger King, sourdough starters, and Zoom drinks. One year one from the first recorded COVID case in NZ, it shouldn’t be surprise the original messaging is getting stale.
Read MoreThe law of diminishing Covid returns: The government's mood management task
If you were out and about in Auckland this weekend, you would have seen the level 2 is almost non-existent now. It’s further proof Labour faces a challenge this year in managing the public mood
Read MoreUp and Down with COVID-19: Could President Trump Be Right (Twice!) In The End?
A seminal paper on ecology, media and attention spans offers insight into just how Covid-19 might yet just ‘go away’… at least, in a political sense. By Sonia Mazey and Jeremy Richardson
Read MoreThe cannabis referendum: the case against legalisation
Dr James Farmer, a Queen’s Counsel, lays out the case against legalisation.
Read MoreSeymour & Shaw: Winning the anti-shenanigan vote
The Greens and ACT stand out as relative winners in recent polling and for much the same reasons. But there’s one big difference
Read MoreWhat National MPs need to weigh: Weeks v years... Collins' high base v low ceiling
National MPs meet tonight having to make some quick decisions with profound implications. One MP stands out as ready and road-tested, but would National act in haste only to repent at leisure?
Read MoreNational's problem with privacy and privilege
National’s pattern of mishandling the private data of New Zealand citizens has again landed it in hot water. Is the party’s new leader willing to act or will he try to sweep it under the carpet?
Read MoreEmbassy raids prompt questions: Are our spies making burglars and hypocrites out of us?
SIS raids on foreign embassies suggest New Zealand’s intelligence services are undermining the central plank of our foreign policy… and making hypocrites of us all. Surely it’s time our government stopped ignoring our history
Read MoreTodd Muller: National's new dad who forgot to build the cot
Todd Muller’s first week as National’s leader made you want to look away in discomfort and raised the question whether National is entering the Shearer/Cunliffe phase of Opposition.
Read MoreLabour betrays its traditions - and the most vulnerable - with two-tier welfare payments
With popular support, a willing partner and many New Zealanders facing unemployment, now is the time for Labour to overhaul welfare. Instead, it has divided beneficiaries into the ‘deserving’ and ‘undeserving’
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