Is the church really the one to say what its building should be?
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Too many martyrs? Greens torn apart by Turei confessions
The 2017 election campaign hasn't properly started, yet it has taken another twist as two Greens MPs chose their conscience over party strategy and broke ranks. But who's really been the most indulgent and how might voters react?
Read MoreI Have a Little List
With most parties having announced their lists for the next election, we need to think about how the system works.
Read MoreWho breaks a butterfly upon a wheel?
Metiria Turei's admission about past rule breaking looks to have cost her a ministerial position, even if the Greens are part of Government after September. That's a pretty heavy penalty for being overly silly some twenty-four years ago.
Read MoreHow the Jacinda Effect changes everything & nothing
What looked like a campaign set to be dominated by third parties now has suddenly been tilted back towards the big two. Jacinda Ardern's election to the Labour leadership makes many new things possible, but one key thing even more likely
Read MoreDon't listen to Mark Richardson ... he's just wrong
There are still reasons for caution about Jacinda Ardern's rise to the Labour leadership. The fact she may one day have children is not one of them - and Mark Richardson doesn't understand how anti-discrimination law works.
Read More"We have been here before"
You probably want to read about Andrew Little and Jacinda Ardern. But I want to talk about what our recently very busy Court of Appeal has been up to.
Read MoreTwo Economists: W. J Baumol (1922-2017) and M. H. Cooper (1938-2017)
The acheivements of two outstanding economists who died recently illustrate just how diverse the profession is.
Read MoreInside the Papua New Guinea election
Getting to know our Pacific neighbour is increasingly important if we want to take a meaningful role in our own regional backyard
Read MoreSaving the furniture: How much more can Labour stand?
It's late in the day, but the Colmar Brunton poll finally put the question of Labour's leadership front and centre. Under MMP the answers are complex, but it recalls the twists and turns of 1990
Read MoreA new New Zealand is Necessary
The 2017 election is weeks away. Parties are focusing on the immediate issues. It should be different. If we are to have a prosperous, secure, sustainable and democratic future we need to be talking the language of the future.
Read MoreOhariu & Epsom: Is it different this time?
It must be just about campaign time, because the dirty deals to game MMP are back in the news. But are they as dirty as they used to be? And do they still matter?
Read MoreAre Markets Free?
Effective markets are underpinned by the government. The interventions may be sophisticated and well-thought through or they may be clumsy and ineffective. The neoliberal rhetoric of ‘free markets’ leads to the latter.
Read MoreIs the basic income "barking" or an idea whose time has come?
Former Prime Minister John Key thought a Basic Income was "barking". It seems many countries disagree and are piloting the idea. As new technology threatens the jobs of many, might a Basic Income become an essential polcy?
Read MoreTurei's confession: What's good for the goose...
Some have rallied behind her. Some want to 'lock her up'. But Metiria Turei's confession of potential welfare fraud raises more complex questions for her and her party
Read MoreA little bit more on Winston's proposed referendums
Winston Peters says his price for government is two binding referendums. If we believe him, which we probably shouldn't, then let's note some more problems with his proposal.
Read MoreWhen the Water Runs Out.
The growth of farm output may be slowing. Specialty cheeses show an alternative strategy of further post-farmgate processing.
Read MoreThe Greens come out swinging... not just at Winston
Winston Peters won't mind the Greens showing a bit of fight. Rather, Metiria Turei's attack on his "racist" politics is more likely to rattle the cage of another party and send a 'pragmatic' message to voters..
Read MoreBeing a New Zealander.
By exploring the multiple worlds she grew up in in New Zealand, Helene Wong’s memoir ‘Being Chinese: A New Zealander’s Story’ tells us much about our worlds too.
Read MoreIt's really too nice of a Sunday morning to be outraged
Sir Geoffrey Palmer fears that the Government's response to a Supreme Court ruling may be "deeply offensive to the rule of law and a constitutional outrage." At the risk of challenging a legal Goliath, I must demur.
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