1978 was a most extraordinary year. It was the year when in just over a month there were three Popes. Also, it was the year the racist white regime in Rhodesia finally agreed to African majority rule in the new nation of Zimbabwe. Jim Jones gave new impetus to the dangers posed by religious cults…
I have had one or two fractious media interviews of late on aspects of New Zealand’s drug policy. I am not especially proud of that, because my normal demeanour is much more considered and self-disciplined. My plea in mitigation is that my contrariness has been a reflection of my frustration that, for various reasons, the…
Congratulations to Dame Patsy Reddy on her appointment as New Zealand’s next Governor-General. She is another outstanding selection in that now long line of impressive New Zealanders to hold the office, and I have no doubt she will do a superb job and quickly earn the respect of New Zealanders. However, she should be the…
Are you passionate about one of our core objectives and want to make a difference? Then we need your help. UnitedFuture has now completed its top to toe review. From what we stand for (www.unitednz.co.nz/our-principles), to our three core objectives (www.unitednz.co.nz/why-give-us-your-vote) and the policy solutions to achieve them (www.unitednz.co.nz/policy), the party is now ready to…
Last week’s debate over zero-hour contracts showed Parliament and support parties like UnitedFuture at their best. The outcome was an end to the nasty practice of zero-hour contracts and a new law which was unanimously supported. The spur for change was the work of UnitedFuture, supported by the Maori Party, over recent with the Minister…
The long awaited report of the first ever full and independent review of our security services has just come out. But despite the prudent calls last week from the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security, Judge Cheryl Gwyn, for as much openness and transparency as possible about the review, things did not get off to a…
United Future Party President, Damian Light is encouraging New Zealanders to vote for future generations in the upcoming referendum on New Zealand’s flag. “This is a change that will affect generations of New Zealanders who do not get a vote in this referendum. When we vote we need to take that into consideration.” New Zealanders…
Student loan debt has just hit $15 billion and is likely to increase further. Despite various efforts by successive government over the years to curb debt levels, and significant progress along the way in tracking down recalcitrant borrowers notwithstanding, the debt monster rampages on. The problem is what to do about it. There have been…
Two reports caught my eye this week. First was the Amnesty International Report on Human Rights in New Zealand, and the second was the report of the Family Violence Review Committee on the state of domestic violence in New Zealand. Amnesty International was critical of a number of aspects of human rights in New Zealand,…
For me personally, February is a time to refocus; I am concerned about a number of issues, but I need to clarify for myself what is most important right now, aside of course, the referendum for the next New Zealand flag. As a foreign policy watcher, I have notice a number of ‘pushes’: Syrian Civil…