Category: Politics
It's stating the obvious to say Donald Trump’s win was historic. It's actually staggering from various perspectives, but 2016 has been a year of historical outcomes – including Brexit. Democracy though is a remarkable thing!
October was an important month for global warming advocates - New Zealand ratified the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. Essentially the Government has committed us to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent below 2005 levels by 2030 - even though an estimated one million more people will be living in New Zealand by then.
There is an on-going debate in New Zealand as to why immigrants are required for low-skill work that unemployed New Zealanders could do. Some say our immigration policy is at fault. Others point the finger at our welfare system.
The votes are in and up and down the country local body candidates will be celebrating or commiserating. All should be proud of putting themselves forward for office – for believing they could represent their communities well and make a difference – because standing for election is not an easy thing to do.
It’s hard to recall a more concerted gang-up against a public figure than the one that followed the launch of former National Party leader Don Brash’s Hobson’s Pledge movement, which wants an end to race-based preference.
The changes currently being undertaken by the Government in the education sector have been described as the biggest shake-up since Tomorrow's Schools set-up school boards in 1989. The driving motivation behind the reforms is a desire by National to improve the quality of educational outcomes - especially for students at risk of failure - and to provide a greater choice of schooling for parents.
The Government is using the Treaty Bill to undermine the democratic rights of the people of the Taranaki Region. They are riding roughshod over local democracy by forcing the Regional Council to appoint six iwi representatives onto two of their key planning committees.
The Taranaki Iwi Claims Settlement Bill, that legislates for six race-based appointees on the Taranaki Regional Council, provided new ammunition for New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters this week.
Last year our Prime Minister boldly announced to the United Nations that New Zealand was going to create one of the world’s largest ocean sanctuaries. It was intended to establish our sustainability credentials on the biggest international stage.
The Kermadecs lie six hundred or so miles to the north of the rest of New Zealand. The main island, Raoul Island, is our country’s northernmost inhabited outpost. The islands are all reserves, administered by the Department of Conservation, and the only inhabitants are Conservation Department staff and volunteers.
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