Articles in ‘Opinion’

New Zealand has been applauded globally for its apparent success in limiting COVID-19 infections and death. It is true that New Zealanders enjoy liberties in their day-to-day lives that are not available to others around the globe. But a question remains that is relevant to both this pandemic and the next. At what cost was the success achieved? Available evidence suggests that the costs may have been much higher than anticipated and also higher…

Earlier this year, I wrote a column headed “The country is going mad”. I was wrong: we have already gone mad. I produce three pieces of evidence. The first relates to the very widespread push in recent months to create Maori wards in local government: New Plymouth, Tauranga, Kaipara, Whangarei, Northland, Taupo, Gisborne, Ruapehu, Nelson and South Taranaki. In several of those areas, councils have tried to create Maori wards previously, only to…

I have been giving a great deal of thought and consideration to our present “Super City” Auckland Council, based on my own experience as a City Councillor of the former Auckland City Council and as a Member of the old Auckland Regional Authority. Just where is Auckland at present, what financial constraints and guidelines have been responsibly implemented, particularly as November 1st this year was the 10th anniversary of the establishment of…

I love Christmas. As a child it was always a happy and fun time. Having grown up on a Northland farm, Christmas was usually a few days break from the hot hard work of either haymaking, or shearing. While there was not the emphasis on the Christian message of God taking the form of a baby, there was a celebration of being a happy family. Life had its stresses. This was usually around high expectations of our schooling, and the time that had to…

In the middle of November, the Real Institute reported that the median house price across New Zealand had risen by 19.8 percent over the year to the end of October. Across the country as a whole, the median price had risen to an astonishing $725,000, while in the Auckland region the median price had reached $1 million. In Auckland city the median reached $1.2 million, on the North Shore $1.15 million, and in Manukau $1 million. These are…

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…

This year’s election is one for the history books: it was the first since MMP was introduced in 1996 which resulted in a single party being able to govern without the aid of allies. What on Earth happened? In early 2020, the first Colmar Brunton poll of the year had National on 46% support, Labour on 41%, the Greens on 5%, New Zealand First on 3%, and ACT on 2%. Had those poll results held good until election day, the combined National-ACT…

Last week I was talking to someone who mentioned “Robbie of Auckland”, how much the city had changed, and not for the better. Robbie was in fact Sir Dove-Myer Robinson, Auckland’s oldest serving Mayor. I had the good fortune to serve with Robbie and several later Mayors during my 15 years as a City Councillor. I won a seat on the council in the 1970s when the council was still run by businessmen and women. Those were the good old days when we…

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…

This year has been quite frankly one out of a box of nightmares. Most New Zealanders have been dealt financial disasters large and small, with no apparent end yet in sight. Trips planned then discarded, special celebrations and family bereavements. A decided lack of enthusiasm to fly, if you could, anywhere in the world. A new word with a chilling name Covid 19 became something out of a horror movie, a daily conversation subject. February…