Articles in ‘Opinion’

For some months now, the NZ government has been claiming that an economic recovery is just around the corner. We are still waiting and wondering. A quick look at the state of health of highly vaccinated nations is very revealing: · In the USA, a Wall Street Journal report found that medical care employment has become the so-called engine of the US economy. Virtually all the 130,000 new jobs added in January were related to healthcare. In the…

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…

The Government’s Ministerial Advisory Group for Victims of Retail Crime is finally being put out of its misery. After less than two years of existence, $1.8 million in spending, the resignation of three of its five members, and an ongoing trail of embarrassing headlines, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith announced last week that the group would be wound up months ahead of schedule. If you want a clear example of how patronage rots policy-making,…

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…

Yesterday, as the Infrastructure Commission released New Zealand’s first-ever National Infrastructure Plan, the North Island was cleaning up from yet another extreme weather event. Roads blocked by slips and flooding. Power cut to homes. Stormwater and sewage systems overwhelmed. Commission chief executive Geoff Cooper acknowledged the grim backdrop, noting that the challenges of maintaining infrastructure in the face of natural hazards “sit at…

New Zealand’s politicians like to point to the existence of published ministerial diaries as evidence that our system is open and transparent. Ministers now routinely say that anyone can see who they’re meeting with, so there’s nothing much to worry about in terms of backroom influence. On paper, the diaries are supposed to be a window into the Beehive – a way for the public to track who gets face time with ministers and who doesn’t. In…

What do they have in common? · They’re a figment of someone’s imagination and once they are discussed they are unlikely to ever materialize again as they are just a lot of hot air. · A classic example would have to be the recent admission that the PSA and the previous Labour government agreed a condition in the employment of a number of government departments, for staff of Maori ethnicity to be able to take paid leave for cultural purposes over…

Last week the US FDA refused to approve the Moderna mRNA flu vaccine because of the inadequacy of trial design. Right away the virulence and reach of the pro vaccine, pro pharma lobby became apparent. Articles are appearing in newspapers all over the world calling for an end to so-called anti-vax policy decisions. For example the NY Post carried an editorial entitled “To save seniors’ lives, Trump must stomp on this deadly anti-vax call”. It…

The political left doesn’t want to talk about it. But the most likely outcome of the 2026 general election is a government that includes New Zealand First. And that might even mean a government led by Prime Minister Winston Peters. This will be highly uncomfortable for many, but it doesn’t mean it won’t happen. So, if you wanted to place a strong bet about what happens after November 7, put your money on NZ First being part of the next…

The Government’s plan to build a billion-dollar liquefied natural gas import terminal in Taranaki is being sold as a masterstroke of energy security. But look past the government spin and what you actually find is a rushed, billion‑dollar infrastructure bet that sidesteps the Government’s own expert advice, locks New Zealand into fossil fuels for decades, and is being rammed through Parliament. The situation is this. This proposal has serious…