| Recent
commentaries...
View
all reader comments>>> |
|
 Heat
turned up on global warming
22 August 2010
Muriel Newman
When
a new supermarket in Mt Roskill recently advertised for new
staff over 2,700 people applied for the 150 positions. This
desperate situation is being replicated up and down the
country. It is symptomatic of an economy in trouble.
More >>>
|
|
NIWA and the
New Zealand
Climate Science Coalition
22 August 2010
Bryan
Leyland
The
New Zealand Climate Science Coalition has asked the High
Court to rule on the validity of NIWA's "Seven
Station" New Zealand Temperature Record (NZTR) that
features prominently on its website and is used in
information...
More
>>>
|
|
|
The
dark underbelly of welfare
15 August 2010
Muriel Newman
According to Saturday’s
Herald, the co-leader of the Maori Party, Pita Sharples, is
trying to save a Black Power gang house from being demolished
by the city council because it caters for the "spiritual
and cultural needs" of Maori.
More >>>
|
|
Welfare
reform becomes political football - again
14 August 2010
Lindsay
Mitchell
arlier
this year the National government appointed a working
group to look at ways of reducing welfare dependence.
The group has consulted widely, too widely in my
opinion. More
>>>
|
|
|
Simplifying
and Streamlining the RMA
8 August 2010
Owen
McShane
For generations of Kiwi
families, once the children arrived, so too did the dreams of
a house and a bit of land in the country. Five or ten acre
lots were ideal – they provided tons of space for the kids,
room for a pony, a few steers, some sheep... More >>>
|
|
Simplifying
and Streamlining the RMA
8 August 2010
Owen
McShane
The
Impact of the Simplifying and Streamlining Amendments to
the RMA. The Government’s RMA (Simplifying and
Streamlining) Amendment Act 2009 came into force on 1st
October 2009. This Act was the outcome of a review that
began in November 2008 which had the following major
themes: More
>>>
|
|
|
John
Key - Selling Out to Maori Activists
1 August 2010
Muriel Newman
Almost
without a ripple, John Key’s administration is about to
table a bill in Parliament that will have far reaching
consequences that few can imagine. I am of course referring to
the Government’s proposed changes to the... More >>>
|
|
The
Great Foreshore
and Seabed
Sellout
31 July 2010
Michael
Coote
The
National-led government’s attempts to sanitize its
controversial “remedy” to the Foreshore and Seabed
Act (2004) grow ever more curious and contradictory by
the day. It
is quite clear that the government and Maori interests
already do not see eye-to-eye over what the proposed
replacement legislation ... More
>>>
|
|
|
Problem
or Fact of Life?
25 July 2010
Muriel Newman
"What
is happening to our young people? They disrespect their
elders, they disobey their parents. They ignore the law. They
riot in the streets inflamed with wild notions. Their morals
are decaying. What is to become of them?"... More >>>
|
|
Youth
Alcohol Abuse is the Symptom of a Wider Disease
25 July 2010
David
Seymour
Any good economics
student in year 11 will tell you that the cost of
everything is what you give up to get it. By that logic
the "cost" of a weekend's binge drinking can
be 48 hours of life; drinking, recovering, drinking and
recovering again ... More
>>>
|
|
|
Arming
the Police
18 July 2010
Muriel Newman
Without a doubt, drugs and organised crime are key
drivers of the increase in violence in New Zealand society.
Firearms are now commonplace within the illicit drugs
industry. The question we should be asking ourselves is...
More >>>
|
|
The
Ability
to Respond Quickly is Imperative
18 July 2010
Greg
O'Connor
The
recent incident in Christchurch in which two police
officers were shot and seriously wounded and a police
dog killed once again highlighted the risks that
frontline police officers face going about what most
would consider routine tasks. More
>>>
|
|
|
A
Triumph
of Ideology Over Common Sense
11 July 2010
Muriel Newman
In
politics, ideology can be a very dangerous thing if imposed
without proper constraint. Nine years of rampant socialism saw
New Zealand’s public policy framework inundated with
ideological dogma... More >>>
|
|
The
Road to Hell...
11 July 2010
Karl
du Fresne
In
a column in The Dominion Post in February 2008, I
wrote that a law change requiring intellectually
disabled workers to be paid the legal minimum wage was a
triumph of human rights ideology over common sense...
More
>>>
|
|
|
In
Pursuit of the National Interest
4 July 2010
Muriel Newman
Over
the last few years the information revolution has transformed
the way we communicate and access knowledge. The New Zealand
Centre for Political Research is a product of this... More >>>
|
|
The
foreshore smell has become deafening
4 July 2010
Prof Roger Bowden
Just
in case you hadn’t heard, it’s now official; under
the coalition Government’s proposed Foreshore and
Seabed Act Mark II, customary title is recognised as
ownership... More
>>>
|
|
|
Improving
the Lives of Children
27 June 2010
Muriel Newman
A study released last year by the OECD on child
wellbeing painted a grim picture of the status of children in
New Zealand. It found that New Zealand children lived in poor
conditions – average family incomes in New Zealand were low
by OECD standards and child poverty rates high...
More >>>
|
|
Agenda
denial and framing – the Child Support Act 1991
28 June 2010
Stuart Birks
An
American politician, the late Eugene McCarthy, described
politics as a game. It is a game where the public see the
performance, but not the behind the scenes planning. Much of
the politics that we see is engineered... More
>>>
|
|
|
Maori
Ownership of the Foreshore and Seabed
20 June 2010
Muriel Newman
It
has now been confirmed that under the new constitutional
arrangements National and the Maori Party are planning to push
through before Christmas, Maori will become the legal owners
of large tracts of New Zealand’s foreshore and seabed. More >>>
|
|
Giving
away the foreshore and seabed
20 June 2010
Hugh
Barr
Whatever
the outcome of coastal iwi quests for customary title to
the foreshore and seabed, under Mark2 of the foreshore
and seabed agreement, two lessons stand out. Firstly the
National Party is only too happy for power and political
expediency, to racially privatise public property such
as the foreshore and seabed to iwi...
More
>>>
|
|
|
Time
to Make a Stand
13 June 2010
Muriel Newman
Comments
made by Nick Smith in 2005 highlight the monumental hypocrisy
of the National Party. Then, when the economy was booming
they campaigned against a carbon tax saying... More >>>
|
|
Why
the ETS Should be Deferred
13 June 2010
Roger
Kerr
Calls are
mounting for the next phase of the government's
emmissions trading scheme, due to commence on 1 July
2010, to be deferred. There are string arguments for a
temporary suspension of the scheme.
More
>>>
|
|
|
The
Next Item on the Maori Agenda
7 June 2010
Muriel Newman
Five
years ago, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights
of Indigenous People, Rodolfo Stavenhagen, visited New Zealand
to consult with Maori... More >>>
|
|
Who
is Indigenous?
6 June 2010
David
Round
There
is, in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of
Indigenous Peoples, one very surprising omission.
Nowhere is there any definition of who or what exactly
an indigenous person is. It would surely not be
unreasonable to ... More
>>>
|
|
|
Welfare
bad for Health
30 May 2010
Muriel Newman
Last
week the Royal Australasian College of Physicians released a
report which strongly affirmed something we all know - that
work is good for us. The report, Realising
the Health Benefits of Work, was prepared by... More >>>
|
|
|
The
Social Assistance Bill
30 May 2010
Lindsay
Mitchell
The
most pressing problem with the DPB is not the mother who
enters the system with a work history fresh from a
relationship breakdown. The urgent problem is the young,
sometimes very young mothers...
More
>>>
|
|
|
Rating
the Budget
23 May 2010
Muriel Newman
In
Thursday’s budget speech the Minister of Finance, Bill
English announced that this budget had four main objectives:
“The first is lifting the long-term performance of the
economy. The second is reform of the tax system, to make it
fairer, more sustainable and more supporting of economic
growth. More >>> |
|
|
Budget
not a Game Changer
22 May 2010
Roger
Kerr
The
annual budget is the main statement of the
government’s overall economic and social programme. So
in the first instance it needs to be evaluated in terms
of the government’s own goals.
More
>>>
|
|
|
Social
Policy – evaluating success or failure
16 May 2010
Muriel Newman
Last Monday, a teacher at Te Puke High School was
stabbed in the neck and back with a kitchen knife by one of
his students. The boy’s whanau said that the 13-year-old had
been brought up by his grandmother because... More >>> |
|
An
ugly, greasy stew which is called policy
16 May 2010
Alex
Penk
Family
dysfunction ruins lives. We all know this; many of us
will have personally seen its corrosive effects. Even if
we’ve been fortunate enough to avoid this personal
knowledge, we can’t escape the effects staring up at
us from the pages of our newspapers.
More
>>>
|
|
|
Proportionate
Representation, Disproportionate Power
9 May 2010
Muriel Newman
The
present move towards Maori privilege is a direct consequence
of MMP. Under MMP the party that wins the greatest party vote
on election night is given the chance to form a government by horse trading with potential coalition
partners. More >>> |
|
Why
and How we Should Change from MMP
9 May2010
Peter
Shirtcliffe
MMP
is a frog, and no matter how many times the princess
kisses it, it won’t turn into a prince. The
forthcoming referendum is a one-shot opportunity to
dismiss a voting system which has been a governance
failure, a negative influence on the economy, and a
blight on our democracy.
More
>>>
|
|
|
Protest,
Propaganda and Petitions
2 May 2010
Muriel Newman
On Saturday some 20,000 people marched down Queen Street
protesting against the government’s proposals to mine
conservation land. The rally was organised by Greenpeace with
some protesters bussed in...
More >>> |
|
Politically
Correct Education and the Cultural Revolution
1 May2010
Kevin
Donnelly
Across
the English-speaking world, debates have flared periodically
about the impact of political correctness and left-wing
ideology on the school curriculum.
Education has become a central part of the culture wars
and debates ...
More
>>>
|
|
|
Acting
without a Mandate
25 April 2010
Muriel Newman
There
are turning points in public affairs when parliamentary
parties cross an invisible line. We saw it when former Prime
Minister Helen Clark forced her government to support the
anti-smacking law against...
More >>> |
|
Democracy
or Dictatorship?
25 April 2010
Larry Baldock
Do
you think we live in a democracy? Recently
a radio interviewer asked me, “Why call it a
Campaign4Democracy, when we already live in a
democracy?” Well, it’s because more and more New
Zealanders are coming to the conclusion that our
democracy now consists of just having the privilege of...
More
>>>
|
|
|
A Call
to Action
18 April 2010
Muriel Newman
It
is crystal clear from the responses of the Minister of Treaty
Negotiations, Chris Finlayson, to questions posed by TV3’s
Duncan Garner on “The Nation” on 10 April 2010 that
National has no concerns about opening up New Zealand’s
foreshore and seabed to Maori development and mining. More >>>
|
|
|
Revisiting
the Foreshore and Seabed Act 2004
18 April 2010
Michael Coote
First
up, let us refresh our memories as to what the foreshore
and seabed is legally defined as being. Prime minister
John Key for one keeps deliberately trivialising what
the foreshore and seabed is all about by cynically
rabbiting on about Kiwis retaining the right to walk
along the beach and cook up a barbie there. More
>>>
|
|
|
A Referendum on
the Foreshore & Seabed
11 April 2010
Muriel Newman
The
government’s discussion document outlining their proposal
for foreshore and seabed legislation was launched at the
beginning of Easter. The period for submissions ends on 30 April. The
Attorney-General Chris Finlayson says he is interested in the views of New
Zealanders... More >>>
|
|
|
Riding
Roughshod Over Our Right to the Foreshore and Seabed
11 April 2010
David Round
The
Attorney-General, Chris Finlayson, says that he is
‘very interested in hearing New Zealanders’ views.
They matter.’ And
seriously, it is really important that we do provide
feedback. But actually, I do not believe for a second
that Chris is very interested in hearing our views...
More
>>>
|
|
|
An
Idea Whose Time has Come
4 April 2010
Muriel Newman
“Who speaks for me?” is a question being asked by
more and more New Zealanders who feel increasingly alienated
from the democratic process. Democracy is no longer working
when politicians feel they have a mandate to do
whatever they please.... More >>> |
|
100
Days - Claiming Back New Zealand
3 April 2010
Amy Brooke
The
mood of restlessness and anger in the country at large
will not pass. This allied to the growing recognition... that
governments get most issues wrong… means that even if
we have passed the crossroads of competent
decision-making... it is not too late to reverse our thoroughly
anti-democratic directions. More
>>>
|
|
|
The
Litmus Test of Welfare Reform
28 March 2010
Muriel Newman
The National Government has just announced their welfare
reform package. The crucial question is whether the measures
will fulfill John Key’s promise that “the
problems of our growing underclass is a priority...
More >>>
|
|
|
Reforms
Could Arguably be Worse than the Status Quo
27 March 2010
Lindsay Mitchell
The
National government's long awaited welfare reforms
are at best a rehash of previous efforts to reduce the
cycle of dependency. At worst, they may increase
it. More
>>>
|
|
|
The
Conceit of the Anointed
21 March 2010
Muriel Newman
All
too often something odd seems to happen to people elected to
public office. Instead of being a conduit for the opinion of
those they represent – as promised in their campaigns - many turn into
mini-dictators... More >>>
|
|
|
Global
Warming No Longer Cool Even in New Zealand
21 March 2010
Roger Kerr
From
north America and western Europe to east Asia and
Australia, politicians are raising doubts about the
costs of reducing carbon emissions to combat climate
change. But who would have thought that even in New
Zealand, which likes to parade its environmental
credentials, global warming is no longer cool? More
>>>
|
|
|
Race
Relations Commissioner
Should Go
14 March 2010
Muriel Newman
The
Prime Minister has said that New Zealand has far too many
state agencies for a country of our size. He’s not wrong.
It’s one of the reasons why government spending has
escalated out of control. More >>>
|
 |
Will
this Government end Political Correctness?
14 March 2010
Dr Greg Clydsdale
This
week, the Race Relations Commissioner expanded his
mandate. No
longer content to give certificates to school girls
opposing right wing politicians, he is now entering the
super-city debate. In fact, it seems there is no issue
that Joris de Bres believes is beyond his influence. More
>>>
|
|
|
The
Sacred Cow of Nuclear Power
7 March 2010
Muriel Newman
There
are a number of “sacred cow” issues in New Zealand that
politicians shy away from. These taboos are embedded so deep
within our culture that they have become sacrosanct...More >>>
|
 |
Floating
Nuclear Reactors: coming soon to a port near you?
6 March 2010
Dr Ron Smith
Here’s
an idea to address our continuing power generation
anxieties: a nice new floating nuclear reactor.
Minimal infrastructure required; just tie it up in
a convenient harbour and plug it in. More
>>>
|
|
|
New
Zealand Needs a Champion
28 February 2010
Muriel Newman
Sixteen
months later, the polls show the Prime Minister and the
National Party still enjoy majority popular support, while ACT
and the Maori Party languish at around 2 percent of the party
vote...
More >>>
|
 |
Politics,
Parties, Voters
27 February 2010
Mike Butler
Sixteen
months after winning the 2008 election, Prime Minister
John Key and the National Party have increased in
popularity, according to the latest opinion polls. The
polls were published before Housing and Fisheries
Minister Phil Heatley’s resignation after signing off
an incorrect spending declaration, the second minister
to go from the Key Cabinet... More
>>>
|
|
|
Welfare
Reform on the Agenda
21 February 2010
Muriel Newman
Our welfare system is long overdue for
reform. Far too many people are gaming the system. That’s
not to deny that there are many deserving people who need the full
support of the state. More >>>
|
|
|
Unemployment
Returns as a National Scandal
21 February 2010
Roger Kerr
Recent
unemployment numbers were not good news. Contrary to
expectations, the overall unemployment rate in the
December quarter jumped to 7.3% of the labour force...
More
>>>
|
|
|
Climate
Change in Tatters
14 February 2010
Muriel Newman
It's not often that international controversies directly
impact NZ, but “Climategate” - and the collapse of the
IPCC's credibility - most
certainly does.
More >>>
|
 |
The
Cause of Global Warming
14 February 2010
Dr Vincent Gray
The theory that carbon dioxide
emissions cause warming ran into an impenetrable road
block from the start because there's no method currently
available that can measure the average temperature of the
earth's surface. More
>>>
|
|
|
Hopes of a Nation
7 February 2010
Muriel Newman
While words sound good – it
is actions that matter. After nine years of socialism the
country was more than ready for a fresh approach. That’s why
National was elected... More >>>
|
 |
Reaction to the Report of the 2025
Taskforce
7 February 2010
Dr Don Brash
Late
last November, the 2025 Taskforce issued its first report.
As readers may recall, the Taskforce was set up by
Government as a result of the coalition deal between the
National and ACT Parties after the 2008 election. More
>>>
|
|
|
A
Radical Agenda
31
January 2010
Muriel Newman
Earlier this month Wikatana and John
Popata, the two brothers who assaulted the Prime Minister
at Waitangi Day last year, began an occupation on
privately owned land at Taipa in
the Far North. More
>>> |
|
|
National
has no mandate for promoting racial separatism
31 January 2010
David Round
You
and I, gentle readers, can see all too clearly what is
happening to our country.
In despair we watch the whole colossal
slow-motion train wreck, helpless to do anything about it.
It is not that we are not trying to help.... More
>>> |
|
|
Less Tax Not New Tax Was the Election Pledge
23
January 2010
Muriel Newman
The Tax Working Group released its report on proposed
changes to our tax system on Wednesday to a respectful
response from the government. This is in sharp contrast
to the dismissive reaction the 2025 Taskforce received...
More >>>
|
|
|
Tax
Working Group report over-hyped
23 January 2010
Roger Kerr
Following
the tax reforms of the 1980s, New Zealand’s tax system was widely regarded as one of the least
distortionary in the OECD. It remained largely that way through the 1990s...
More
>>>
|
|
|
The
MMP Review: trashing our democratic rights
16 January 2010
Muriel Newman
It
can be argued that the announced referendum on MMP, to
be held in conjunction with the 2011 general election,
is one of the most important constitutional reforms
undertaken...
More >>>
|
 |
A
step toward constitutional reform
16 January 2010
Graeme Hunt
No
one pretends that if the mixed-member proportional
voting system (MMP) is thrown out by public referendum
New Zealand’s constitutional woes will be over.
More
>>>
|
|
Please note
that the above columns are the most recent. Older columns by
date can be found by clicking the ARCHIVES button on the top
navigation bar and by topic by clicking the relevant topic
button in the TOPIC INDEX on the left hand sidebar.
|
|
| Most
Popular NZCPR commentaries... |
|
Stephen Jennings
Opportunities of
a Lifetime
Speech, Sir Ronald Trotter Lecture 2009, 7 April 2009
I am going to speak about the accelerating economic
convergence taking place globally as the living standards
of the 5 billion people living outside the historically
rich part of the world rapidly catch up with income levels
in the West... More
>>>
|
 |
S.
Fred Singer:
The
Global Warming Debate
In the past few years
there has been increasing concern about global climate
change...
this concern is misplaced, human activities are not
influencing the global climate... and very little can be
done about global climate change.
More
>>>
|
 |
Hon Václav Klaus, President of the Czech Republic:
From
Climate Alarmism to Climate Realism
This week Muriel Newman met with
the President of Czech Republic at an International Conference on Climate Change in New York. The
President delivered a powerful speech; pointing to realities
that many governments, including our own, choose to ignore. Speech
>>>
|
 |
Prof David Bellamy:
The global warming myth
Am I
worried about carbon induced global warming? No because there
has been no sign of global warming in NZ since 1955. Yes because
it has become a political football that has lost its foundations
in real science...
More >>>
|
 |
Bev Adair:
Child abuse, my story
I
know how it feels to have a life of apparently no value to
anyone. From my earliest years I lived with violence. I remember
knives, blood on walls, being beaten, being locked up in
cupboards, being molested by my Dad, being used by my mother's
men friends - she put me on show for them. I remember sitting in
the gutter outside the hotel waiting for my mother...
More
>>>
|
 |
Dr
Daniel Shayesteh:
Islamisation
of the West
A
brief introduction of my background may help the reader to
better understand my comments concerning the plans of Islam for
non-Muslim nations. From early childhood, we learned that
Christians and Jews were unclean and Islam must take over the
world.A
brief introduction of my background may help the reader to
better understand my comments concerning the plans of Islam for
non-Muslim nations. More
>>> |
 |
Alan
Duff:
Maori
under-performance
The law of
consequence – in other words, taking responsibility for
our own actions – has left the lexicon. Well, where
Maori are concerned it has. There’s always some
professional excuse-monger who leaps up and blames “the
system” or “government” or “Child, Youth &
Family” or “Western culture” on our every failing. More
>>> |
 |
Lindsay
Perigo:Nanny State
Nanny State is
vicious, anti-human … and, as we speak, relentlessly
advancing. Who is she, this hybrid of gargoyle and
dominatrix? She is the strident, scolding, snooping
socialist, the control-freak who seeks to regulate every
aspect of our existence.
More
>>> |
|
|
Recommended
Reading...
|
 MELANIE
PHILLIPS SPECTATOR BLOG ... More>>>
THEODORE
DALRYMPLE ARTICLE ARCHIVE ...
More>>>
THOMAS
SOWELL ARTICLE ARCHIVE ... More>>>
JOHN
STOSSEL ARTICLE ARCHIVE ...
More>>> |
|
Support
the NZCPR and receive this outstanding EBOOK which explains how
climate change is a natural process as your FREE gift - click 
David
Round 
Marc
Alexander 
