Articles by Mykeljon Winckel

There are moments in history when professions are tested. · Doctors. Judges. Journalists. · The pandemic was one of those moments. · In a recent interview, Patrick Gower admitted something extraordinary: he crossed a journalistic line. He acknowledged being “too entrenched” in a pro-vaccine stance. He conceded his ethics slipped “for the greater good.” He admitted he became an advocate rather than an observer. · Then came the line that stopped…

If Part 1 described a New Zealand that was structurally sovereign — controlled capital flows, manageable external debt, production-led prosperity — Part 2 describes something subtler. Not conquest. Repositioning. The hollowing out did not begin in 1984. It began when the global monetary ground shifted — and New Zealand was manoeuvred, step by step, into a new financial architecture. Part I here... · Bretton Woods Ends — And the Anchor…

For years, Jacinda Ardern was sold to the world as the face of “kindness.” A crisis leader. A moral compass in turbulent times. · But back home, the gloss has long since worn off. · Strip away the international applause and carefully curated documentaries, and what remains is a country carrying record debt, a fractured social fabric, and a lingering distrust of institutions that may take a generation to repair. · That is the legacy New Zealand…

New Zealand has not been invaded. Parliament still sits. Elections are held. The flag flies. And yet, as debt mounts, fuel is fully imported, banking profits flow offshore, and productivity falters, a harder question presses: Are we sovereign in name — but constrained in practice? To answer that, we must begin before decline. We must begin when sovereignty was structural. Part II Here... · The Post-War High-Sovereignty Era · In the decade…

There is a difference between eyesight and vision. · Eyesight sees what is directly in front of it. Vision sees what lies beyond the horizon. · Chris Hipkins’ latest State of the Nation speech demonstrated clear eyesight. It catalogued rising grocery prices, soaring power bills, stagnating productivity, brain drain, housing speculation, and fragile business confidence. · But it did not demonstrate vision. · And in 2026, eyesight is not enough.…

When the Health Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal found Dr Caroline Wheeler guilty of professional misconduct for prescribing ivermectin during COVID, it did more than discipline one GP. It reignited a deeper question: · Who does medicine ultimately serve — the patient, or the protocol? · The Pandemic Power Shift · During COVID, emergency powers reshaped clinical decision-making worldwide. · Remdesivir — an antiviral developed by Gilead…

By any realistic measure, New Zealand’s economy is no longer in the eye of the storm that buffeted households and businesses through 2021–2023. Inflation, interest rate spikes, and lockdown aftershudder have receded from the headlines. But according to the latest analysis released by Kiwibank — drawing directly on the Reserve Bank of New Zealand’s latest statements — the idea that “we’re through the worst” is only half-true. The pain of the…

The New Zealand Government has quietly initiated a surprise review into the Reserve Bank’s controversial decision to underwrite approximately $55 billion in pandemic-era money-creation programmes during COVID-19. Caption: Finance Minister Nicola Willis has announced an inquiry into RBNZ actions. Photo / Mark Mitchell · The inquiry is aimed at assessing the impact of the central bank’s Large-Scale Asset Purchasing (LSAP) and other measures on…

Every society claims its emergencies are exceptional. History shows the opposite: emergencies are the preferred pathway for expanding power, because fear collapses resistance faster than force ever could. New Zealand’s COVID response must be understood not only as a public-health event, but as a political precedent — one that future governments will study carefully. · The Old Rule: Emergency First, Accountability Later · Emergency powers…

History teaches us that wars are not always fought with bombs, troops, or formal declarations. Some are waged quietly — through systems, policies, and narratives that reshape societies from within. So let us pose a hypothetical, not an accusation · If an adversary wanted to weaken Western democracies without firing a shot, what outcomes would signal success? · They might aim to: · normalise emergency rule, centralise decision-making beyond…