Over the years I’ve had various Wellingtonians approach me about setting up, or getting Jordan and the Taxpayers’ Union to set up, a dedicated Wellington ratepayer pressure group to fight for more fiscal prudence and better governance in our city. Jordan and I have always turned away the efforts as nine times out of ten, they […]
Call for Support: Has the Time Come for a Wellington Ratepayer Activist Group?
Call for Support: Has the Time Come for a Wellington Ratepayer Activist Group?
23 Apr 2024 Leave a comment
in comparative institutional analysis, economics of bureaucracy, income redistribution, law and economics, politics - New Zealand, property rights, Public Choice, rentseeking, transport economics, urban economics
The Waitangi Tribunal Summons; or the more things stay the same
23 Apr 2024 Leave a comment
in law and economics, politics - New Zealand Tags: constitutional law
Graeme Edgeler writes – This morning [April 21], the Wellington High Court is hearing a judicial review brought by Hon. Karen Chhour, the Minister for Children, against a decision of the Waitangi Tribunal. This is unusual, judicial reviews are much more likely to brought against ministers, rather than by them. Chhour is challenging a decision […]
The Waitangi Tribunal Summons; or the more things stay the same
Dunne on Labour
22 Apr 2024 Leave a comment
Peter Dunne writes: But Labour’s current woes do not lie at Hipkins’ door alone. He is being constantly embarrassed and let down by the ineptitude of those around him. His main role these days seems limited to tidying up the mess made by his colleagues. In the last week alone, he has had to call […]
Dunne on Labour
MICHAEL BASSETT: MAORI PUSH FOR PARALLEL GOVERNMENT STRUCTURES
21 Apr 2024 Leave a comment
in comparative institutional analysis, constitutional political economy, economics of bureaucracy, income redistribution, law and economics, liberalism, Marxist economics, politics - New Zealand, property rights, Public Choice, public economics Tags: constitutional law
If you think there is a move afoot by the radical Maori fringe of New Zealand society to create a parallel system of government to the one that we elect at our triennial elections, you aren’t wrong. Over the last few days we have seen calls from one or two Iwi for prior consultation with…
MICHAEL BASSETT: MAORI PUSH FOR PARALLEL GOVERNMENT STRUCTURES
What Time Is The Protest March To The Iranian Embassy?
18 Apr 2024 Leave a comment
in defence economics, economics of religion, liberalism, Marxist economics, politics - New Zealand, war and peace Tags: free speech, Gaza Strip, Middle-East politics, regressive left, war against terror
Waddayu mean Nothing planned. Surly hundreds of drones rockets including some quite big ones will get the Mintos out protesting the assault on a little democratic nation in the Middle East. The barrage of hundreds of weapons including drones, rockets including some large ones were thwarted by IDF countermeasures with only under 1% reaching Israeli […]
What Time Is The Protest March To The Iranian Embassy?
NIMBYism explained
16 Apr 2024 Leave a comment
in economic history, economics of regulation, income redistribution, law and economics, politics - Australia, politics - New Zealand, politics - USA, property rights, public economics, rentseeking, transport economics, urban economics Tags: housing affordability, land supply, zoning
No Knife But A Bloodletting Nevertheless.
15 Apr 2024 Leave a comment
in economics of bureaucracy, economics of media and culture, industrial organisation, managerial economics, market efficiency, organisational economics, personnel economics, politics - New Zealand, privatisation, Public Choice, public economics, survivor principle Tags: media bias
Hosking went after Radio New Zealand this morning and it was bad.The Mike Hosking Breakfast, 0600 till 0900 has three producer/support staff, Radio NZ Morning report has 16 production staff to cover the same five day time slot, yet the state run highly subsidised show falls way behind in ratings.. That 16 figure for production […]
No Knife But A Bloodletting Nevertheless.
12 Apr 2024 Leave a comment
in budget deficits, business cycles, fiscal policy, macroeconomics, politics - New Zealand, public economics
Something important: the curious death of the School Strike 4 Climate Movement
12 Apr 2024 Leave a comment
in defence economics, economics of education, energy economics, environmental economics, global warming, liberalism, Marxist economics, politics - New Zealand, war and peace Tags: climate activists, free speech, Gaza Strip, Israel, Middle-East politics, political correctness, regressive left, war against terror
The Christchurch Mosque Massacres, Covid-19, deep political disillusionment, and the jealous cruelty of the intersectionists: all had a part to play in causing School Strike 4 Climate’s bright bubble of hope and passion to burst. But, while it floated above us, it was something that mattered. Something Important. Chris Trotter writes – […]
Something important: the curious death of the School Strike 4 Climate Movement
Net zero means net negative?
12 Apr 2024 Leave a comment
in energy economics, environmental economics, global warming, politics - New Zealand
Will look forward to reading the Climate Commission’s latest report. This bit, from Jim Rose over at Carbon News, is a bit concerning:The world is not on track to meet the Paris Agreement’s 1.5 degrees target, the commission says, and New Zealand is likely to continue contributing to global warming after 2050.That’s because the country’s…
Net zero means net negative?
A scathing report on Auckland Light Rail
12 Apr 2024 Leave a comment
in managerial economics, organisational economics, politics - New Zealand, transport economics, urban economics
This is so scathing. The Auckland Light Rail fiasco: What a gigantic waste of money it all was.
A scathing report on Auckland Light Rail
The SFO overcharged
08 Apr 2024 Leave a comment
in economics of crime, law and economics, politics - New Zealand, property rights
The Serious Fraud Office said: The SFO welcomes the Court of Appeal’s decision today which corrected the High Court findings in its New Zealand First Foundation (NZFF) case and reinforced the importance of transparency around political donations in a democratic system. Following the NZFF trial in 2022 the High Court found “if the money is […]
The SFO overcharged
CITIZEN SCIENCE: Govt continues to be captured by trans ideology
07 Apr 2024 Leave a comment
in discrimination, economics of crime, gender, law and economics, liberalism, Marxist economics, politics - New Zealand Tags: free speech, law and order, political correctness, regressive left, sex discrimination
As the rest of the world wakes up from the trans fever dream, our media and political class continue to trundle along with their fingers in their ears and their eyes firmly shut. Radio New Zealand has avoided the topic for a while, but a couple of weeks ago treated us to a pantomime story…
CITIZEN SCIENCE: Govt continues to be captured by trans ideology
Stopping people dying on the job – Brooke van Velden on workplace safety…
07 Apr 2024 Leave a comment
in economics of regulation, health and safety, labour economics, labour supply, law and economics, politics - New Zealand
How NZ and Taiwan differ in disaster preparedness
06 Apr 2024 Leave a comment
in economics of natural disasters, politics - New Zealand Tags: Taiwan
Peter Dunne writes – Taiwan and New Zealand are two small island states with much in common. Both are vibrant, independent democracies, living in the shadow of an overbearing neighbour. (Admittedly, Taiwan’s overbearing neighbour has far more aggressive tendencies than our at-times overbearing neighbour!) There is a strong free trade agreement between the two countries […]
How NZ and Taiwan differ in disaster preparedness
Utopia, you are standing in it! 
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