Category: Environmentalism

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The Politicisation of a Tragedy

What is disturbing, however, is how the matter is now being politicised. The emotions of those in shock and grieving are being exploited by political opportunists and radicals. Through State censorship and hasty law changes, Jacinda Ardern’s Government is trying to disempower New Zealanders and keep us in the dark. 


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The 'Green New Deal' is more dangerous than you think

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez hasn’t officially started her first term in office, but she’s already pushing a massive, far-left proposal that would fundamentally transform much of the economy and push the country closer than ever to socialism.


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Setting the Scene – 2019!

On the face of it, the Labour-led Government would have finished last year well pleased with their progress. Their coalition was holding together strongly and the minor parties had each achieved some big policy wins.


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Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

On behalf of the New Zealand Centre for Political Research, I would like to take this opportunity to wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year! Thank you so much for your encouragement and help over the last 12 months - the NZCPR simply couldn’t achieve what we do without your wonderful support.


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The Integrity of the Climate Change Debate in New Zealand

In April 2016, the Royal Society of New Zealand published a report ‘Transition to a low-carbon economy for New Zealand’. The report was deeply substandard in my opinion, and I am not alone. I wrote up my findings and the resulting paper was rejected. I am publishing the original paper and the redacted referees’ reports here to show how serious debate is being suppressed.


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Climate Change Mitigation in New Zealand - the Stifling of Debate

This paper is in three sections. The first is a paper I wrote examining claims made by the Royal Society of New Zealand in 2016 on transitioning New Zealand to a low carbon economy. The second is the correspondence with the editor of the Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand. The third deals with the editor of the Journal of New Zealand Studies. While the referees thought the approach to the research was to be lauded, they could not agree with the results, and used the old ruse of nit-picking instead of unravelling the substantive arguments...


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Plastic Bags - a matter of perception not science

Jacinda Ardern's Government wants to ban the plastic shopping bags, that households find so useful, even though there is no evidence that New Zealand bags are harming our environment. So what does the consultation document say that might justify banning their use? In short, nothing. This is Nanny State Government at its worst.


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Feel-Good Bans on Plastic Bags Don’t Help the Ocean

Referring to plastic grocery bags as “single use” is almost certainly a misnomer. Consumers in jurisdictions with bans who reused the grocery bags to line their household trash cans, pack lunches, or even pick up their dog’s poop most often have little choice but to purchase significantly higher-density plastic bags for these purposes.


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Carbon Dioxide is a “Short Lived“ Gas

Much has been written recently about the misrepresentation of the effectiveness of methane as a Greenhouse Gas (GHG).  Our paper published in The Journal, the official publication of the New Zealand Institute of Primary Industry Management in September concludes that methane is irrelevant as a GHG and so is nitrous oxide. 


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De-industrialising Our Economy

The cost of living is on the rise due largely to the record prices that New Zealanders are now paying at the petrol pump. Petrol hit $2.40 and more for the first-time last week, but over the weekend, the “no new taxes” Labour Government imposed a new petrol excise tax adding another 3.5 cents per litre – plus GST - onto the cost of fuel.