How Politicians Misunderstand Highly Nuanced Legal Concepts David Harvey writes – The National Party announced a policy that proposes to remove the right to silence that can be invoked by adults who may (or may not) have information surrounding the cause of death of a child under 12. The term “right to silence” has a […]
Not A Right to Silence Issue
Not A Right to Silence Issue
20 Oct 2026 Leave a comment
in economics of crime, law and economics, politics - New Zealand Tags: 2026 general election, crime and punishment, law and order
Gangs are organised crime, not a community group
16 Oct 2026 1 Comment
in economics of crime, law and economics, Marxist economics, politics - New Zealand Tags: 2026 general election
The Herald reports: Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick won’t say if she would have advised her MP Hūhana Lyndon against meeting with members of the Mongrel Mob. After being asked the question twice, Swarbrick said she needed to “understand more of the context as to what has played out here”, although she earlier said having…
Gangs are organised crime, not a community group
More on the Herald so called poll of polls
14 Oct 2026 Leave a comment
in politics - New Zealand Tags: 2026 general election
On the 2nd of October I wrote: So the last six polls, all from different firms, have had ACT ahead of Opportunity by margins ranging from 1% to 6%, and the Herald-MOTU poll of polls says that the poll of polls means Opportunity is ahead of ACT. On the 8th of October the Herald did…
More on the Herald so called poll of polls
Why Mowbray donates
07 Oct 2026 1 Comment
in development economics, entrepreneurship, growth miracles, politics - New Zealand Tags: 2026 general election, China
Nick Mowbray writes: I’m aware of the criticism we receive for donating to National and ACT. I’m also aware of the false narrative that we lobby the government and expect something in return. So let me be clear: we have never lobbied the government. Less than 1% of ZURU’s revenue is in New Zealand. We…
Why Mowbray donates
Welfare missing from 2026 election
07 Oct 2026 Leave a comment
in labour economics, labour supply, liberalism, Marxist economics, politics - New Zealand, poverty and inequality, welfare reform Tags: 2026 general election
Lindsay Mitchell writes – Welfare is markedly missing from 2026 election campaign issues.There’s been far more debate about Super: its cost, means-testing and the age of eligibility. New Zealand is an outlier. Australia, the UK and the US have a qualifying age of 67. Whether NZ joins must be decided. Super isn’t sustainable. But what […]
Welfare missing from 2026 election
Labour is reneging on its pay equity promise
07 Oct 2026 Leave a comment
in discrimination, gender, labour economics, labour supply, politics - New Zealand, poverty and inequality, Public Choice, rentseeking, unions Tags: 2026 general election, gender wage gap
Bryce Edwards writes – Chris Hipkins has described the coalition’s decision to cancel pay equity claims under urgency as “probably the most reprehensible thing I have seen in my time as a member of Parliament”. He accused ministers of “robbing Paula to pay Paul” and of “sacrificing equal pay for women in order to balance […]
Labour is reneging on its pay equity promise
What I’d do
05 Oct 2026 Leave a comment
in politics - New Zealand Tags: 2026 general election
A couple of weeks ago the Sunday Star-Times published a piece by me (that they’d requested) trying to explain productivity and why it mattered. The mandate for that piece included avoiding controversy (around, notably, specific ideas for reversing New Zealand’s decades-long productivity underperformance). As a follow-up to that, the editor invited me to participate in […]
What I’d do
Urban elite obsession with supermarkets
03 Oct 2026 Leave a comment
in economics of bureaucracy, economics of regulation, entrepreneurship, income redistribution, industrial organisation, politics - New Zealand, Public Choice, rentseeking Tags: 2026 general election
Anyone who drives to Gisborne, as I have done from the north and south, will discover the roads are winding and often tedious. This means getting in produce such as groceries, incurs significant costs because of the distance and small population served. Particularly challenging for perishable meat, dairy, fruit and vegetables. The National Party’s policy […]
Urban elite obsession with supermarkets
The Taxpayers’ Union manifesto
03 Oct 2026 Leave a comment
in politics - New Zealand Tags: 2026 general election
The Taxpayers’ Union has published their 2026 manifesto. Some extracts: The post The Taxpayers’ Union manifesto first appeared on Kiwiblog.
The Taxpayers’ Union manifesto
Hipkins’ uphill battle
15 Sep 2026 Leave a comment
in politics - New Zealand Tags: 2026 general election
This week’s Taxpayers Union/Curia poll attracted far more attention than a single poll should. This was principally because it recorded support for Labour now being below what it was at the time of its defeat at the last election. However, at their best, polls are but a snapshot in time, with the long-term trends they […]
Hipkins’ uphill battle
Audrey on Te Pati Maori’s bottom line
04 Sep 2026 Leave a comment
in constitutional political economy, discrimination, law and economics, liberalism, politics - New Zealand, Public Choice, rentseeking Tags: 2026 general election, constitutional, law, racial discrimination
Audrey Young writes: Te Pāti Māori not only released a radical Treaty of Waitangi policy this week that would upend New Zealand’s democracy as we know it, co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer said the whole policy was a bottom line, meaning it was non-negotiable. That means Te Pāti Māori would not sign up to a centre-left Government unless it…
Audrey on Te Pati Maori’s bottom line
Excellent constitutional ideas from ACT
03 Sep 2026 Leave a comment
in constitutional political economy, law and economics, politics - New Zealand, property rights, Public Choice Tags: 2026 general election, constitutional law
ACT have proposed a number of good constitutional ideas. They are: Add to the Constitution Act 1986: The Constitution Act is not supreme law. So putting these principles in there doesn’t impact any particular court decisions, but it is an important assertion of democratic values. ACT will add property rights to the New Zealand Bill…
Excellent constitutional ideas from ACT
The TPM overhang strategy could result in permament left wing government
02 Sep 2026 Leave a comment
in politics - New Zealand Tags: 2026 general election, constitutional law
Te Pati Maori are trying to use the Māori seats to engineer overhang seats, to try and lock the centre right out of power – even if they win more votes. But recent law changes means the potential impact of this strategy could be huge. At present there are seven Māori seats. If TPM won…
The TPM overhang strategy could result in permament left wing government
Opportunity knocks
27 Aug 2026 Leave a comment
in discrimination, gender, politics - New Zealand Tags: 2026 general election
Good vibes all round – unless you’re a woman. It’s fair to say that the leader of the revamped Opportunity Party Quilae Wong is the best looking of all the political leaders contesting the 2026 New Zealand election.
Opportunity knocks
Great ad
26 Aug 2026 Leave a comment
in politics - New Zealand Tags: 2026 general election
This is a very good ad. With the likely government of the left needing a four way coalition, one can only imagine how many of the nine taxes they’ll need to implement to fund all their promises. The post Great ad first appeared on Kiwiblog.
Great ad
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