Blog | Speak For Yourself: Balloting the House of Representatives on their Speaker 
The Right Honourable Trevor Mallard, Speaker of the House of Representatives By Nicholas Langrell-Read I The Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives (herein the House) holds an important constitutional office and performs crucial roles with regard to the functioning of the House. Two such roles are chairing meetings of and maintaining order in […]
Blog | “New Zealand’s Moonshot”: The Road To Predator Free 2050
Written by Ethan McCormick In 2016 the John Key government announced that New Zealand would eradicate all rats, possums, and mustelids by 2050. It’s a goal of mind-boggling scale that was dubbed “New Zealand’s moon shot” by the late Sir Paul Callaghan [1]. Since the announcement, the mission of Predator Free 2050 has received support […]
Blog | Attorney-General, David Parker, rejects Rotorua District Council Representative Arrangements Bill
Pictured above: David Parker, Attorney-General of New Zealand. By Emilie Paris Baldauf The Rotorua District Council Representative Arrangements Bill was drafted by the Rotorua Lakes Council and brought to Parliament by Rotorua-based Labour MP Tamati Coffey. It would grant 21,700 Māori roll voters three seats in the electorate, the same number of seats given to […]
Blog | Multiple Sides to Every Story: Revamping the New Zealand History Curriculum
By Simran Sonawalla After three years in the making, Hon Chris Hipkins announces the release of Aotearoa New Zealand history curriculum, which will be compulsory in every school throughout years 1 to 10 [1]. The programme — officially known as Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories/Te Takanga o Te Wā — is part of the social sciences […]
Blog | Everything You Need to Know About Auckland Light Rail
An artist’s depiction of light rail in Mt Roskill [1]. By Samuel Hill After several years of talks about light rail coming to Auckland, the Government confirmed earlier this year that work will proceed on a partially-tunnelled light rail line extending from the CBD to Auckland Airport [1]. The project has been the subject of […]
Blog | The Black Gold: A Look Into New Zealand’s Fuel Resilience Among Shifting Global Winds.
By Raphaël Rauner As the Russo-Ukrainian conflict intensifies, the global geopolitical narrative is shifting. It impacts every actor on the world stage- from small to large. It also raises questions about New Zealand’s place in the world and our dependence on international partners. This article is not about foreign policy. It’s about New Zealand’s fuel […]
Blog | Firearm Protection Orders: A Silver Bullet for New Zealand’s Gun Violence?
By Maddison Lewis Gun violence has become a prominent issue in the public eye. In 2020, New Zealand saw a record-breaking level of gun violence, and Auckland saw a 49 percent increase in firearms-related injuries over a year and a half at the end of 2021 [1]. Against this background, the Justice Select Committee is […]
Blog | Do Planning Reforms Spell An End to the Housing Crisis?
Amendments to the Resource Management Act (RMA) promise up to 105,000 houses over eight years [1]. But are these changes going to help end New Zealand’s housing crisis? By Charlie Matthews The Changes Parliament has recently passed the Resource Management (Enabling Housing Supply and Other Matters) Amendment Bill. The main aim of the changes is […]
Blog | Government Seeks to Repeal Three Strikes Law
The government is seeking to repeal the controversial three strikes law, which mandates maximum penalties for third-time violent offenders. The debate over the proposed repeal has raised claims that the three strikes framework disproportionately impacts Māori, that it is in breach of the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act, and that the sentencing law is […]
Blog | Inflation in Aotearoa: The Facts, The Roots, and Policy Responses.
By Matt Fletcher The complex realities of Covid-19 have had profound effects on economies across the globe – impacting consumers directly in their pockets. Disruptions to supply chains, shifts in consumer spending, and heightened government expenditure have culminated in decades-high inflation. These figures scarcely remain absent from headlines, from the United States witnessing annual inflation […]