Articles from ‘’ in ‘Opinion’

The Prime Minister’s politics — including her stance towards the Mongrel Mob and the Taliban — can be baffling. Graham Adams reckons answers lie in her past as a Mormon. Whether it is from politeness or a lack of curiosity, it is rare for journalists or commentators to dwell on Jacinda Ardern’s religious history and how it might have shaped her politics. · When the Prime Minister is occasionally asked, she bats the question away with a stock…

Today, 18 August, the New Zealand political class crossed the fine line between democracy and socialism. On the steps of TVNZ’s Auckland office twelve policemen and women in yellow hi-viz vests seized Free Speech advocate and democracy idealist Mr Billy te Kahika, while he addressed a peaceful gathering. Ten minutes later they grabbed maverick media man Vinnie Eastwood, handcuffed him in front of the assembled 120, and marched him away too. The…

I recall a very fine lawyer, New Zealand’s most highly regarded QC, once saying that no law should ever be passed unless it was absolutely necessary. Apparently nobody has pointed this out to Jacinda Ardern. In the minds now of many, the plethora of legislation already passed under her leadership and the proposed inflictions she feels impelled to add to these, point in a very obvious direction. So overwhelmingly damaging will be her legacy that…

A distinctly curious feature of the backlash against the letter published in the Listener titled “In Defence of Science” is that none of its most prominent critics have actually defended mātauranga Māori (traditional Māori knowledge) as being scientific. Yet the main point of the letter by the Auckland University professors — and the main point of contention for its critics — was summed up in its inflammatory conclusion: “Indigenous knowledge…

The RBNZ laid out the path for policy, including OCR rate hikes from mid-2022. Interest rates, including mortgage rates, have bottomed (all going well). · We have pulled forward our forecast OCR hikes to commence from May’22. New Zealand’s monetary policy stance sticks out compared to the RBA, and most other central banks. · There is significant upside risk to Kiwi interest rates and the Kiwi dollar. We are wary of mortgage related fixing in…

The number of people outside keeps growing. Where there had once been a harmless handful, there is now a good-sized crowd. And they keep coming. More and more of them. You can hear car doors slamming, footsteps, the soft murmur of exchanged greetings. These people can’t quite believe what they’ve been told, so they’ve come to see for themselves if the story is true. It was unavoidable: this growing chorus of disquiet. The moment Nanaia Mahuta…

A bombshell ruling from the High Court opens the door to tribal control of New Zealand’s foreshore and seabed. It represents a major setback for those who believe the country’s coastline and Territorial Sea should be owned by no-one and protected by the Crown for the benefit of all. The Edwards case is the first of some 200 Marine and Coastal Area Act applications for customary interest currently before the High Court. Collectively these…

The row that raged last week over the Reserve Bank’s role in the housing market is an argument we must resolve – and quickly. Since the Reserve Bank started reducing interest rates in May last year, house prices have jumped 25 per cent. Average house prices in Auckland hit $1 million in October and the median house price across New Zealand increased by 20 per cent, from $605,000 in October last year to $725,000. · Much of this has come about…

It was suggested that I do an additional short article 10 days out from the election with an appraisal of the economic policies being proposed by Labour and National. I’ve found this extraordinarily hard to do! That’s partly because of the difficulty of defining “economic policies”. Does the term include policy on reforming the Resource Management Act, or policy on oil and gas exploration – both highly relevant to our future economic…

In the middle of May, the Government announced its Budget for the next financial year. New Zealand has never seen anything remotely like it. It made clear the Government’s intention to spend vast sums of money in an attempt to protect New Zealanders from the economic shock caused by the coronavirus and the Government’s draconian measures to deal with it. Last month, I suggested that the Government had over-reacted to the virus, stampeded by a…