Articles in ‘Opinion’

On the 3rd of March, I published my journey to date with the Three Waters Reforms being proposed by Government. You can see this summary on YouTube. Now, with the 2021 Local Government Conference behind us – the conference where we listened to the Prime Minister and Minister Mahuta and had discussions with a number of Mayors and Chief Executives – it’s time for a further update. · At the Conference, a 2.5-billion-dollar “incentive” was offered…

One of the most amazing aspects of politics in New Zealand in recent decades is the enduring popularity of a Prime Minister who leads a Government which has failed in almost every major policy area. It is indeed a sad reflection on democracy itself that voters seem more impressed by a pretty smile than by the Government’s ability to deliver on its important policy objectives. Too harsh? What about the brilliant way the Government has dealt…

The Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA) is currently New Zealand’s principal law that governs how people interact with natural resources such as our air, soil, fresh water and the coastal marine environment. The RMA also regulates land use and the provision of infrastructure. It is generally accepted across most of the parties in Parliament that the RMA has passed its use-by date and hasn’t really achieved its purpose, which was to protect the…

Mark Twain famously said, “it is easier to fool people than to convince them that they have been fooled”. Whilst points of view can appear to be paradoxical, both right, sometimes this is illusory, and we need to go back to the basics. Real people live in three dimensions not two and so the solution to the illustration is to flip the number the right way up before interpreting it. The cartoonist was messing with their heads. If the Governments…

Small to medium-sized businesses make a significant contribution to New Zealand’s economy, but many face the challenge of how to achieve greater productivity – and this doesn’t mean working longer hours. Improving New Zealand’s productivity has proved elusive for decades and unfortunately we now rank amongst the bottom 25 per cent of OECD countries. But what is productivity, and why does it matter? · Most people think productivity means…

I am constantly surprised to find yet another acquaintance, friend, senior citizen who uses their computer to purchase all manner of items from all over the world, online shopping. Some of the purchases are junk and usually the supplier wasn’t checked out thoroughly but the majority by far seem to be satisfied with their transactions. I have an account with Amazon, AliExpress, Banggood, and Alibaba, and have New Zealand postal facilities in…

In January 2004, I addressed the Orewa Rotary Club by asking: · What sort of nation do we want to build? > Is it to be a modern democratic society, embodying the essential notion of one rule for all in a single nation state? · Or is it the racially divided nation, with two sets of laws, and two standards of citizenship, that the present Labour Government is moving us steadily towards? · But the spirit of the Treaty of Waitangi was expressed…

Organ Donation · I decided to share some of my thoughts about Organ Donation, frankly a subject that is not often discussed. I have a gorgeous little granddaughter soon to be 7 years old. She was born with hyper active kidneys meaning that they cleaned out everything including her mother’s antibodies protection. This was a traumatic situation caused by one hereditary gene, a 1:100,000 chance of both her parents having this gene. Thanks to the…

The recently announced 2021 Budget was an opportunity missed. With vaccination programmes underway and many countries progressively opening their borders, it’s time to reset and better position our economy for growth. This Budget should have delivered a pathway back to prosperity and to reduce the debt burden on future generations, but instead of supporting businesses to create jobs and lift wages, Labour placed a priority on significantly…

On the 20th April Panuku Development and Auckland Transport rolled out an ‘exciting temporary trial’ on King Street with a focus on making it safer for people to walk around Pukekohe. · The idea? Make King Street one way. · Chaos ensued. · Drivers felt less safe when they were suddenly unable to access King Street from the main Manukau Road roundabout and the general response to the idea was anything but excited. Poor signage and a lack of…