Articles in ‘Opinion’

The Free Speech Union is writing to the Chair of the University of Otago Council this week, asking what steps the Council will take after a recent community email from Vice-Chancellor Hon Grant Robertson took an institutional position on a contested political issue. In an email to the Otago community, the Vice-Chancellor described the Legislation (Definitions of Woman and Man) Amendment Bill as "unnecessary and disturbing" at a personal level.…

As we move into winter, New Zealand's fuel supply chain continues to perform well despite operating within a system that remains heavily dependent on imported refined products. The latest vessel schedules show a healthy flow of fuel arriving at key ports around the country, with Marsden Point once again acting as the primary gateway into New Zealand's fuel network. There are no immediate signs of supply disruption, and motorists can take…

This week’s Budget confirmed what most New Zealanders already suspected. The government’s finances are tight, the deficit persists, and there is no pot of money waiting to be spent on the country’s problems. Dr Oliver Hartwich | Executive Director | oliver.hartwich@nzinitiative.org.nz · Just as well, because government spending never delivers growth or prosperity. The question is, what will? · While the reformers of the mid-1980s faced an…

Budget 2026 has been presented as a disciplined roadmap back toward stability. · Finance Minister Nicola Willis framed the budget around restraint, infrastructure, fiscal responsibility and resilience during a period of rising geopolitical uncertainty, fuel shocks and slowing economic growth. And to be fair, some of the numbers are significant. · Billions are being directed into hospitals, roads, rail, schools, energy security and frontline…

The following article is an opinion piece and the views expressed are those of the author. · You may well ask what the heck he is on about. · Well it is either there is a current practice of the government bureaucracy adding sections into legislation without approval from the coalition government or the coalition government is adding these sections in against their express promises from prior to the 2023 election. The latest example is seen in…

After several weeks of irregular movements and tighter scheduling windows, the latest shipping activity is starting to resemble a more stable and normal fuel distribution pattern around New Zealand. What stands out in this latest update is the clear reappearance of two separate but co-joined distribution routes moving product around the country. That is generally how a healthy import-based fuel network should operate. · The northern route…

The Free Speech Union is calling on Parliament to narrow the Summary Offences (Move-on Orders) Amendment Bill, warning it hands police open-ended discretion to move people on, and prosecute them, for peaceful conduct in a public place. The Bill lets an officer order anyone aged 14 or over to leave a public place for 24 hours on grounds as vague as “disorderly” or “disruptive” behaviour, or for begging. Whatever you think about begging, the Free…

New Zealand has always had a pest problem. Possums, rats, stoats and other introduced species damage native ecosystems, threaten bird life and create major management costs. Nobody seriously disputes that action is needed. The real question is not whether pests should be controlled. The real question is whether New Zealand has become trapped in an expensive cycle of poisoning when it should be building industries instead. · Imagine taking…

The latest shipping movements suggest the overall picture remains reasonably stable across the country, although we're beginning to see signs of a quieter period emerging in parts of the network. There is still fuel moving through the system and the larger hubs continue doing most of the heavy lifting, but a few smaller ports are starting to show lighter schedules. It doesn't automatically mean concern, but it does give us a few areas worth…

By Guy Hatchard · A bill containing amendments to the HSNO (Hazardous Substances and New Organisms) Act passed its first reading in Parliament on May 14 with the support of Labour and the Coalition. It is hard to escape the notion that this bill is simply the Gene Technology Bill Mark 2. There are provisions in the amendments which allow for fast tracking of genetically modified organisms if they are approved overseas. It seems the government…