Category: Politics
Good policies do not have international borders. What works in one country, can often be successfully adapted and used in another. For policy analysts, general elections provide a rich hunting ground for cutting edge policy options - and the United Kingdom’s 2015 general election on May 7 is no exception.
While no-one can own freshwater in New Zealand, iwi leaders are pushing the government for race-based rights akin to ownership. They know that control of water brings power. They also know that water is big business. The Ministry for the Environment puts the economic value of New Zealand’s water at $34.85 billion a year – iwi corporations want a permanent share.
The ownership of water is coming to the top of the political agenda with sinister connotations that it can be bought and sold and allocated on the basis of race. Before public opinion is led down this road to hell it is timely to revert to first principles and to consider just what it is the politicians and their in house advisors are dealing with.
One of the roles of the New Zealand Centre for Political Research public policy think tank is to keep an eye on the government’s legislative agenda and to remind readers of their opportunity to contribute to the law-making process.
In December 2013, draft legislation was introduced into Parliament to amend the way the Building Act deals with seismic risk to buildings. The key element in the legislation is the ‘earthquake prone’ building definition.
The Northland by-election is a significant win for Winston Peters. In the short-term it takes away from National the luxury of being able to pass legislation without having to kowtow to Peter Dunne and the Maori Party.
The result of the Far North District Council’s referendum on the establishment Maori seats was released last week. Voters in Northland have said a resounding “No” to Maori seats on their local council, by a two to one margin.
If the costs of major public projects are being routinely underestimated and the benefits over-stated by those promoting such projects, then the role of providing a realistic a cost-benefit analysis should become the responsibility of an independent agency like the Auditor General.
Voter apathy appears to be the not-so-secret weapon that the Local Government Commission seems to rely on in local government amalgamations proposed for Hawke’s Bay, Northland, and Wellington. If no one objects a transition to amalgamation is self-starting.
Has the war on Islamic extremism got anything to do with us? Specifically, should we contribute to any military action against the so-called Islamic State and its outliers? This, of course, is a multi-faceted question.
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