Dr Muriel Newman is the Director of the New Zealand Centre for Political Research, and a former Member of Parliament. She holds a PhD in mathematics education from Rutgers University.
The Government’s state of emergency has created a dangerous political vacuum. Decisions that profoundly affect everyone’s lives are being undertaken in an autocratic fashion without any attempt at democratic involvement. Even the typically reserved Law Society has raised concerns about the lack of transparency and consultation associated with the lockdown: “As far as possible,…