The policy dimension of the election appears to be about the concerns with past restraints on government spending and the consequential social failures. But whatever the rhetoric, implementation of campaign promises is going to be much harder.
Read MoreTiming is everything for Ardern & Labour
Jacinda Ardern and Labour have time on their side for a change. It may allow New Zealanders to think it's their 'turn', but only if they can avoid distractions like, oh, trans-Tasman squabbles
Read MoreWhen is Lying Justified?
Equivocation and dissembling have been integral parts of political life. How should we judge them?
Read MoreIt's Leadership, Stupid
Policy is important, but the 2017 election is now about leadership. Change versus the status quo. Who has the X-factor? In six weeks we will know
Read MoreIn the end, you cannot understand the things people do
We all have our breaking points. Metiria Turei just reached hers.
Read MoreThe Cathedral saga and religious freedom
Is the church really the one to say what its building should be?
Read MoreToo 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
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