We're finally going to find out if we need to change how our election laws limit satirical speech ... after the period for submitting to Parliament on our election laws has ended.
Read MoreBloody Bureaucrats
Are we paying enough attention to bureaucracy? Are the current bureaucratic pressures changing the nature of society -- and are they doing so for the public good?
Read MoreWhy having no retrial for Teina Pora matters
The Privy Council says that Teina Pora should not face another trial. Now we can get on with trying to make some reparation for the wrong we did to him.
Read MoreFilling the void left by Winston (until he comes back again)
What happens when (or if) Winston quits Parliament before he is declared the member for Northland? Nothing very much at all.
Read MoreFortune cookies for all parties in Northland
The loudest message went to National. The loudest clap was for Winston (not NZ First). But each party can take fortune cookies from the result in Northland this weekend.
First National. The secret of John Key's Teflon popularity; 'don’t be what we know you really are - Tories.' When National inhabits the centre ground, and behaves like a Labour-lite government, they're hard to beat.
After the rain has fallen: What does Northland mean?
Is the Northland by-election pothole just a flat tyre for National or is it a sign this political vehicle is running out of gas? Here are two things to keep an eye on once Winston's tempest has passed
Read MoreIs Parliament about to drop our commitment to the Rule of Law?
Parliament seems about to drop New Zealand's commitment to the rule of law from the Act underpinning the judicial branch. Retiring Supreme Court judge (and former Solicitor-General) John McGrath thinks that's worrying. He's right. There's still time to lobby the Minister of Justice.
Read MoreTime To Rejoyce? A Northland perspective
A denizen of the Far North observes who got things right – and who got things very wrong – in the by-election
Read MoreA post-Northland mea culpa
Goddam it - Winston Peters went and made a complete fool out of me. Did he have to do it so publicly?
Read MoreThe Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement.
Perhaps New Zealand’s acceptance of the TPPA will depend upon the outcome of the Northland by-election
Read MoreHow to win a death with dignity
Choosing to end your life on your own terms in order to avoid an inevitable lingering death is not suicide. So giving someone the means to do so should not be a crime.
Read MorePost-election damage control from Israel
The Israeli PM is fiercely backtracking on a claim that won him the election but alarmed the world. After saying there would be no Palestinian state on his watch, he now says he didn't say that…but no one believes him and that's now a problem for everyone.
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Friday March 20
Arrests in Tunisian museum attack; Beijing and Tokyo officials meet to discuss maritime security; former Thai PM to go on tiral for alleged involvement in rice subsidy scheme; UN to monitor school safety in Pakistan; fresh strife between Kiev and Moscow; and more
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World News Brief, Thursday March 19
Netanyahu secures leadership of Israel; Australia and Vietnam strengthen security ties; Japanese exports rise; lawyer for doctor who helped CIA find bin Laden killed; at least seven dead in suicide bomber attack in Afghanistan; and more
Read MoreHow Racism wins elections
Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu has won the largest single chunk of seats in the latest race for the Knesset meaning he's likely to form a coalition government. However his desperation politics of the last few days exposed a man willing to sink so low as to use the future of Palestine as an election ploy…and that's not all he's capable of.
Read MoreWorld News Brief, Tuesday March 17
Iraq puts Tikrit Offensive on hold; China surpasses Germany in arms trade; Japanese delegates to visit Beijing in bid to improve relations with Japan; Sierra Leone vice president seeks asylum in US; Putin puts 40,000 troops on full alert; and more
Read MoreProcess, not pork the problem for National
Matthew Hooton’s jihad against Imam Steven Joyce and his pork-barrel Muldonism is legendary.
But in his desperation to find National party flag-bearers to fight the pork-pushers, he’s picked the wrong martyr.
Read MoreIs Hillary Too Big To Fail?
There is no evidence so far that Hillary Clinton retained any classified information when using a personal email whilst Secretary of State but that now questionable decision has proven more than enough for the Republicans to suck her right back into the Benghazi nightmare.
Read MoreRegional Development Policy?
The Northland by-election demonstrates we do not have a regional development policy. Should we? What might it look like?
Read MorePundit joins Press Council
So that you can have confidence in Pundit's commitment to accuracy, fairness and integrity, we've joined the New Zealand Press Council and will now we held accountable by an independent body
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