The Government’s new plan for freshwater management is about as foggy as the Waikato on a frosty winter morning… Wonder why?
Read MoreThe Mighty River Battle is on again
The Government can sell 49 percent of its shares in Might River Power – but it’s got another battle to fight before it can guarantee the river flows that spin the turbines and generate value for its power generator share buyers, consumers, and taxpayers.
Read MoreNo rules for NZ Police surveillance drones
New Zealand Police have no authorization from the Civil Aviation Authority to operate their recently acquired surveillance drone - no procedures manual governing its operation – and the police won’t say what it is or what it can do … Why?
Read MorePeople smugglers, asylum seekers, and Ozzie Rules
John Key opened Pandora’s Box when he revealed that Australia had considered using its navy to shepherd a boatload of asylum seekers to New Zealand, but nobody seems to want to look inside. It isn’t a pretty sight.
Read MoreDigital TV's jungle of bungles needs sorting
New Zealand’s switch to digital TV is running smoothly on the home-front – but TV broadcasters are having a rough ride through a jungle of bungles by state agencies.
Read MoreAfghanistan – so yesterday’s war …
“Playstation helps Prince Harry be a better gunner” rates headlines – but “Torture on the rise in Afghan jails” barely rates a mention ... How come?
Read MoreFiji’s dose of khaki democracy
Fiji is getting a strong dose of khaki democracy as its de facto military rulers shift from “go slow” to “go fast” on the road to elections they’ve promised next year. It’s a shift that could create big problems forNew Zealand.
Read MoreLook out! The Drones are here – and we’re not ready …
New Zealand Police aren’t waiting for major aviation safety and personal privacy issues about domestic spy drones to be solved. TV3 reports they’ve already purchased their first unmanned aerial vehicle. So, watch this space …
Read MoreHey, Kim Dotcom! This game is getting serious...
Kim Dotcom’s take on his fight against extradition to the United States makes law enforcement agencies here and there look like the Keystone Cops – but it could become another internet tragedy.
Read MoreReality Test for Bamyan’s perfect PRT model
The New Zealand-led Provincial Reconstruction Team in Bamyan has been presented as a model for building security and stability in Afghanistan – but the cracks are showing as insurgents step up the pressure.
Read MoreWill Hobbit gold lift tourism’s gloom?
New Zealand has been slipping off the international tourism radar since the Rugby World Cup. Can New Zealand movie-makers put us back on screen with global travelers? The Peter Jackson Formula is about to be put to the test.
Read MoreSo long, Seven – It’s been good to know you
TVNZ 7 gave us a glimpse of what a real public television service could be. Our last nationwide, non-commercial TV channel is off the air. Even Kim Dotcom turned out with the thousand Aucklanders who marched to mourn its passing last night. So what’s next?
Read MoreThe Optimist’s Budget
The National-led government has delivered an “Optimist’s Budget” forecasting increased tax revenue, increased spending, and increased debt on its journey to a wafer-thin surplus by June 2015.
Read MoreBang goes another public service TV channel
The Save TVNZ 7 campaign moves into top gear this week – New Zealand loses another public service channel - and Freeview has a rough road ahead.
Read MoreScandals and sideshows, sleaze and slurs
Autumn has become a season of scandals and sideshows – John Key’s casino-convention centre “scandal”, the Banks-Dotcom donation “scandal”, the sideshow of the mythical David Shearer leadership challenge – all soon to be wiped away by the start of the main game: the defining Budget of 2012.
Read MoreAfghanistan – lest we forget
New Zealand troops could be out of Afghanistan next year – but are we stumbling out of one ill-considered international military commitment straight into another, and what happens to our reconstruction and development commitment to the country our troops are leaving?
Read MorePutting the Public Service TV Pot back on the boil
Television New Zealand and NZ On Air have managed to bring the pot of public broadcasting services back to the boil – one with its very commercial salaries, the other with more funding for “commercially attractive” local content.
Read MoreGreat Digital Switch-On could be a Great Switch-Off for Regional TV
Our broadcasting bureaucrats are herding regional television broadcasters into using digital terrestrial transmission services. Unfortunately, the folks at home aren’t following their lead.
Read More"It’s The Prime Minister’s Show” – Really?
Was “The Prime Minister’s Hour” on Radio Live a prohibited election programme? The Electoral Commission says “yes” – the Broadcasting Standards Authority says “no”. And the row needs to be resolved.
Read MoreAsset sales – Where are Mum and Dad’s shares?
Iwi may be steaming over the Government’s plans to convert State-owned enterprises into “Mixed Ownership” businesses - but so will the country’s “Mum and Dad” investors when they find out what the iwi are being told.
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