Category: Politics
“Never let the truth get in the way of a good story.” The quote is attributed to Mark Twain but he could have been talking about New Zealand where misinformation campaigns continue apace. What’s worse is that these days they get reported as news.
Tax reform would benefit by following one simple motif: don't tax what you want more of. It follows that cutting income tax rates should be a boon for the economy-freeing up labour markets, incentivising work, and stimulating entrepreneurship. If only politics were that simple.
Last week the Race Relations Commissioner Dame Susan Devoy wrote an open letter to all New Zealanders. She wants to hear your views on racism in New Zealand.
This is the speech I delivered almost in its entirety in my capacity as special commentator, along with Race Relations Commissioner Dame Susan Devoy, at Monday night's semi-final in the intra-university Next Generation Debates series at Auckland University.
A new battleground is forming, one that has been likened to a real life “Game of Thrones”. It is a battle for the control of the Maori Seats and involves the Maori King Tuheitia Paki and his closest advisor, the new president of the Maori Party, former New Zealand First MP Tukoroirangi Morgan.
As far as the law is concerned, the king is just Mr Paki, a New Zealand citizen and the Queen’s subject like anyone else. Nor, even nominally, is he the king of all Maori ~ as many Maori are the very first to insist. Many in Nga Puhi evidently refer to him as the ‘King of Huntly’!
A nation’s future is determined by the vision of its leadership. That is essentially the message that Taranaki born Stephen Jennings, one of country's most successful global entrepreneurs, delivered when he returned to New Zealand last month to present a keynote address for the New Zealand Initiative.
Last Wednesday the Green Party’s co-leader Metiria Turei made a shock announcement - the Green's want to reduce house prices to half their present value, to create more affordable homes. Their radical ideological agenda is why no ruling party should have anything to do with them - and certainly not as partners in Government.
The recent political debate over the shortage of housing has been more heat than light. The real issue that needs addressing is the policy framework that’s preventing the housing market from operating properly and meeting the growing demand for houses - especially those in the lower and medium price brackets.
The headlines are relentless about homelessness and the cost of housing. Nowadays $2,500 a square metre is not unusual even for a relatively straight forward build. Given the average home is about 200m2, the building cost alone is likely to be +$500k (plus land cost). So why does it cost so much to build a house? There are many reasons, but mostly the cause ends up at the doorstep of local and central government.
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