Articles from ‘elocal magazine’ in ‘In Depth’

New Zealand has virtually everything we associate with a functioning democracy: free elections, universal suffrage, MMP, parliamentary debate, select committees, public submissions and even the ability of citizens to force a referendum. Yet a landmark peer-reviewed study of American policymaking raises an uncomfortable question for New Zealand. Having all the machinery of democracy does not necessarily mean ordinary citizens determine what that…

For decades, NESARA has been surrounded by extraordinary stories about secret legislation, presidents, hidden financial resets and worldwide debt forgiveness. But beneath the mythology sits a real and surprisingly detailed economic proposal built around a much bigger question: who should control the creation of a nation's money and who should benefit from the wealth its people create? There Really Is a NESARA · Strip away everything you may…

The COVID-19 pandemic changed New Zealand in ways few events have in modern history. While the Royal Commission has now completed its work, new evidence and investigations overseas are continuing to reshape the international understanding of the pandemic and the decisions that followed. Report by eLocal (PART 1) · History rarely stands still. Major public inquiries are conducted using the best evidence available at the time, but they are not…

Surveillance was once imagined as a camera watched by a police officer in a control room. Today, it is an interconnected commercial ecosystem combining cameras, licence-plate readers, facial recognition, artificial intelligence, cloud storage, digital evidence platforms and enormous searchable databases. · Private companies increasingly build and operate the infrastructure through which governments, police agencies and businesses observe the…

For much of the pandemic, the prevailing public narrative presented by many governments and major media organisations was that COVID-19 most likely originated through a natural spillover event associated with the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan. Over the past several years, however, congressional testimony, declassified intelligence material, internal scientific communications and official audits have prompted renewed scrutiny of that…

Few periods in New Zealand’s modern history have transformed the country as profoundly as the reforms that followed the 1984 General Election. Supporters saw an economy liberated from unsustainable regulation. Critics saw the dismantling of a social and economic model that had protected local ownership, employment and community stability for generations. Based on research provided by Peter MacaDonald | eLocal Investigates · Editor’s Note: This…

The New Zealand Government has described the New Zealand–India Free Trade Agreement (FTA) as one of the country's most significant trade achievements in decades. It promises expanded export opportunities, reduced tariffs and stronger economic ties with one of the world's fastest-growing economies. · Trade agreements shape economies long after the political announcements surrounding them have faded. eLocal has examined the treaty itself together…

Artificial intelligence, digital identity, biometric recognition and automated surveillance are transforming societies around the world. As governments adopt increasingly sophisticated technologies in the name of public safety and efficiency, a larger constitutional question is emerging: are the laws designed to protect individual liberty evolving just as quickly? eLocal Investigates: This report examines the growing debate surrounding…

The India FTA entrenches policies that would not survive the floor of Parliament on their own - uncappable immigration, CBDC, UNDRIP, transfer of our cultivars to a competitor, a US$20B obligation enforceable by India. FTAs used to be about trade. By Joshua Riley · The India Free Trade Agreement has been presented to New Zealanders as a breakthrough deal - one that opens a vast market of 1.4 billion people and promises new opportunities for…

A new episode of the Duncan Garner Podcast has reignited debate over parliamentary spending, with broadcaster Duncan Garner and Taxpayers' Union spokeswoman Ella Dixon questioning whether politicians are showing the same financial restraint being demanded of ordinary New Zealanders. By eLocal Report · The discussion centred on recently released parliamentary expense figures which show Parliament spent more than $200 million during 2025, before…