Should NZ reintroduce legislation requiring MPs that leave their parties to also quit Parliament? The debate over that question involves a battle over what happened in the past.
Read MoreNick Smith
Pulling levers, not pulling people down
When it comes to our homelessness crisis, you can come up with constructive ideas or, it seems, you can blame those living in their cars for bringing it on themselves
Read MoreHow Special Housing Areas are failing & the immorality of land bankers
It's time to call out land bankers and require urgent action, because Auckland's lack of houses is driving people in their cars
Read MoreGM showdown: Minister & Councils face-off over who decides
The rights and wrongs of genetic modification are resurfacing as a political issue, as National signals its intent to introduce more GMOs, despite opposition from some councils and business
Read MoreSmith: I can tackle Auckland's housing shortage by 2017
Lots of new houses are being consented in Auckland, but supply is still not keeping up with demand. So why is National so keen to talk about supply?
Read MoreIwi and Auckland housing - the tune is changing
It looks like Nick Smith and the National Government may be doing what they should have done from the outset - talking to Auckland Iwi about how they can be the developers of housing on the Crown's land in Auckland.
Read MoreAnd then another elephant came along
In 2012, the Government promised Auckland Maori that they would have first dibs on any new housing developments on its land. So why aren't they involved at all in Nick Smith's 500 hectare vision?
Read MoreA tangata whenua shaped elephant on the path
The Government's plans to use the Crown's land for houses for Aucklanders face a bit of a problem - it may not be able to sell them the land on which those houses sit.
Read MoreHow high can you go?
Rules that stop you using your property as you see fit are bad. Rules that stop other people using their property ... are less so.
Read MoreI'll huff and I'll puff and blow their houses down
Both National's and Labour's housing policies can begin to look like a house of cards when you get into the detail. But one seems more likely to give us more houses
Read MoreNational out to shrink local government, centralise by stealth
Rather than treating councils as a Beehive branch office, the government should pick up the phone and learn from council's local knowledge
Read MoreNick Smith – A Greek Tragedy of his own making
Nick Smith got it right, then wrong, then right again. But Is this the second or third act in the Greek tragedy that is his political career?
Read MoreMike Joy answers the PM, with hard facts
Fresh water ecologist Dr Mike Joy responds to the Prime Minister’s ‘hardtalk’, debunking his bland assertions, and calling his advice “rubbish science”, that would fail a first-year student
Read MoreDeepwater protection - too little, too late
Environment Minister Nick Smith has finally confirmed that
Deepwater protection - too little, too late
Environment Minister Nick Smith has finally confirmed that
Charge of the right brigade
Paula Rebstock is appointed to the ACC Board one day after the resignation of Chief Executive - National lays strong foundations for further ideological assault on ACC
Read MoreMackenzie developments, and Trust
High country farmers and Ministers are defending private property interests in the Mackenzie Basin, while speaking the language of collaboration and trust — with a capital T
Read MoreElection 2011: blue green or true green?
Three parties laid out their wares last week. Nats and Labour gave us a left-right choice: Robin Hood-style tax-grab, or partial SOE sales. Thanks to a tidy paint job, when the ‘Bluegreens’ and Greens offered theirs, the difference was harder to spot, but no less large
Read MoreShorter of breath, and one day closer to death …
Nick Smith’s announced that some highly-polluting airsheds will be allowed until 2020 to meet air quality standards, costing something in the region of several hundred lives, but saving jobs — and why I think this is okay
Read MorePCE and Groser: fix the ETS
In which expert advisory work from the PCE illustrates why the ETS in its present form risks a massive lignite subsidy, and Tim Groser — quite rightly — observes that this would be “ridiculous” and “incoherent”
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