Labour’s decision to support the free trade agreement with India should have surprised nobody. It was always going to be the outcome, with the outstanding question being just when Labour would announce its support for the deal. As this column noted in early February, from the outset Labour has been effectively over a barrel on […]
Winston Peters and the art of keeping National on the defensive
Winston Peters and the art of keeping National on the defensive
25 Apr 2026 Leave a comment
Misuse of HDCA
24 Apr 2026 1 Comment
in economics of crime, law and economics, politics - New Zealand Tags: crime and punishment, free speech
Shayne Currie reports: One of New Zealand’s biggest news organisations is appealing a precedent-setting court decision, in which a man convicted of assaulting his partner convinced a judge that an online news article about him and the attack should be removed. The district court judge agreed the man, who did not receive name suppression at…
Misuse of HDCA
US Constitution provides for replacing an impaired President – but what happens in NZ?
17 Apr 2026 Leave a comment
in politics - New Zealand Tags: constitutional law
Donald Trump’s erratic behaviour has led to increasing speculation that United States legislators may invoke the 25th Amendment to the United States’ Constitution to remove him from office. Respected media outlets like the New York Times have been openly raising questions about the President’s sanity and therefore his capability to remain in office.
US Constitution provides for replacing an impaired President – but what happens in NZ?
Guest Post: IOC Restores Common Sense to Women’s Sport – Now It’s Time for New Zealand to Follow Suit
16 Apr 2026 Leave a comment
in discrimination, gender, politics - New Zealand, sports economics Tags: sex discrimination
A guest post by Ro Edge, New Zealand Spokesperson, Save Women’s Sport Australasia (SWSA): The decision by the International Olympic Committee to restore the core purpose of women’s sport: providing biological females with a fair and safe arena to compete, is long-overdue. For years, many sporting bodies adopted the IOC’s earlier open-door policy, leading to…
Guest Post: IOC Restores Common Sense to Women’s Sport – Now It’s Time for New Zealand to Follow Suit
The superpower that could unlock billions for KiwiRail – or another railway company
15 Apr 2026 Leave a comment
in economics of regulation, law and economics, politics - New Zealand, property rights, transport economics, urban economics Tags: land supply, zoning
Imagine waking up and discovering that, overnight, you had been granted superpowers. With a touch of your finger, you could cause new housing to emerge in places with housing shortages. It would cost you next to nothing. You could just do it.
The superpower that could unlock billions for KiwiRail – or another railway company
What Freedom of Speech Is For: The case against silencing
11 Apr 2026 Leave a comment
in economic history, economics of crime, economics of education, economics of religion, Karl Popper, law and economics, liberalism, Marxist economics, politics - Australia, politics - New Zealand, politics - USA Tags: Age of Enlightenment, conjecture and refutation, free speech, Freedom of religion, philosophy of science, political correctness, regressive left
In 1633, the Roman Inquisition condemned Galileo for heresy. His offence was to argue that the Earth moves around the Sun. The Church was not acting out of malice. It was protecting a politically approved consensus against what was considered to be dangerous nonsense. The theologians and philosophers who condemned Galileo were not fools. They […]
What Freedom of Speech Is For: The case against silencing
A good corporate welfare expose
11 Apr 2026 Leave a comment
in income redistribution, Music, politics - New Zealand, Public Choice
The Spinoff becomes an unlikely fiscal conservative: Tourism minister Louise Upston was excited when she announced that Robbie Williams will play two shows in Auckland and Christchurch later this year. “It’s fantastic to welcome a showstopper act like Robbie, giving fans the chance to see him entertaining us,” she said in a press release. The…
A good corporate welfare expose
Oil and monetary policy
10 Apr 2026 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, defence economics, economic history, economics of bureaucracy, energy economics, financial economics, history of economic thought, labour economics, macroeconomics, monetary economics, politics - New Zealand, Public Choice, unemployment, war and peace Tags: 1973 oil crisis, monetary policy, oil shocks
I didn’t have too much problem with either the Reserve Bank Governor’s speech a couple of weeks ago on a framework for how monetary policy might deal with the oil shock, or with this week’s OCR review release from the Monetary Policy Committee. It was really all very orthodox stuff, much as any of the […]
Oil and monetary policy
Abolish the BSA
04 Apr 2026 Leave a comment
in economics of media and culture, economics of regulation, industrial organisation, politics - New Zealand
The Broadcasting Standards Authority announced: The Broadcasting Standards Authority has confirmed it has jurisdiction to consider a complaint about content transmitted by an online broadcaster. In a decision published today, the Authority determined it can accept, and is required to consider under the Broadcasting Act, complaints about The Platform’s Live Talkback programme, because the programme meets…
Abolish the BSA
Diversity has its limits: Georgina Beyer made it as a Mayor and MP but the Greens bar Bianca Beebe
03 Apr 2026 Leave a comment
in labour economics, labour supply, occupational choice, occupational regulation, politics - New Zealand Tags: nanny state
Bob Edlin writes – The Green Party has brought its promotion of diversity into question by deciding not to select a former sex worker as a candidate. It denies the decision has nothing to do with her background but has not explained why she did not pass muster with the party big-wigs who make these […]
Diversity has its limits: Georgina Beyer made it as a Mayor and MP but the Greens bar Bianca Beebe
Keep history on bank notes
03 Apr 2026 Leave a comment
in macroeconomics, monetary economics, politics - New Zealand
The Bank of England has announced that they plan to replace famous historical figures from their banknotes, and replace them with cute animals. No I’m not joking. They cite a poll and the fact animals are harder to counterfeit. Their current notes are: All great choices – their most famous PM, author, painter and mathematician.…
Keep history on bank notes
Not sweeping, but good
02 Apr 2026 Leave a comment
in economics of regulation, health economics, politics - New Zealand Tags: nanny state
Stuf reported: Government proposes sweeping changes to alcohol laws The changes are far from sweeping. They are good, and tidy up some stupid stuff, but it is not a major change. As I said, all pretty minor but useful changes. It is good that someone living in Auckland can’t object anymore to an application in…
Not sweeping, but good
THE CORE LEGAL TRUTH: IWI HAVE NO REGULATORY AUTHORITY OVER PRIVATE LAND
01 Apr 2026 Leave a comment
in law and economics, politics - New Zealand, property rights
Guest Post By Ivan Barnett To all readers, I have put this document together in the hope that it may be useful to others who are facing similar issues in their own districts. I have researched the material carefully and done my best to present it clearly and accurately. I am a retired dry‑land farmer, […]
THE CORE LEGAL TRUTH: IWI HAVE NO REGULATORY AUTHORITY OVER PRIVATE LAND
Govt can be quick to pass new laws but putting English ahead of te reo on names of public agencies is a challenge
31 Mar 2026 Leave a comment
Bob Edlin writes – My email in-tray today included a newsletter from the source pictured above which – when opened – was found to be Land Information New Zealand (LINZ), That’s the government agency which manages land titles, surveying, crown property, and topographic/hydrographic information.
Govt can be quick to pass new laws but putting English ahead of te reo on names of public agencies is a challenge
The biggest enemies of renewable energy are … environmentalists
30 Mar 2026 Leave a comment
in energy economics, environmental economics, environmentalism, politics - New Zealand Tags: renewable energy
Radio NZ reports: A plan to fast-track a controversial West Coast hydro scheme has been given an initial go-ahead. The West Coast lines company, Westpower, has applied to fast-track its controversial plans to build a run-of-river hydro scheme on the Waitaha River, and in its draft decision the fast-track expert panel has given it approval.…
The biggest enemies of renewable energy are … environmentalists
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