Of course there was nothing else for it. Steven Joyce was never going to sit there and fade into insignificance. So now National begins its true test, and it could signal a realignment on the right of New Zealand politics
Read MoreSteven Joyce
In Praise of Public Servants
This was written before the election outcome is known. It looks at the part of the executive which is not elected: the public servants and advisors.
Read MoreFudging to the left of me, ghosts to the right:The lolly scramble election
As often as they say "let me be clear", politicians from both major parties this election are being anything but clear with voters. In a lolly scramble election, we deserve better
Read MoreRisky Business: Decision 17 debate has candidates on slippery ground
National and Labour leaders show just how close it is and how much is at stake, by upping the risk factor with new policy announcements live in the second leaders debate
Read More"Wellington, this is Auckland calling. Let us out of this maze"
Auckland is like a rat in a maze of the National government's making. But Phil Goff is determined to find his own way out... and he just might be about to find a door
Read MoreIs it enough? Budget 2017 dissected
It's a Key-less budget giving National a new selling point... an Election Year Budget... and a Catch-Up Budget. And it's a budget that starts the thaw after the frozen years. But is it enough for New Zealand and New Zealanders?
Read MoreCure for third-termitis? A dose of the polls
A year on from the election and we now see loud and clear what defines the John Key government - a willingness to bend to public opinion and give the people just enough of what they want
Read MoreKeep it in perspective, eh?
National's attempt to downplay economic concerns is like telling the All Blacks not to worry about playing without their front row
Read MoreAfter 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 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 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 MoreNot another column about the Labour leadership
Time to stop talking about the Opposition and focus on what will really effect us over the next three years: what will the National government do to protect Kiwis from another looming recession?
Read MoreWinston Peters' line in the sand... or farmland
We all know New Zealand First takes a hard line on foreign ownership. But with the Lochinver sale that line just got a little bit harder
Read MoreMr Joyce claimed nine mistakes in David Parker's interview. None stacked up.
If Steven Joyce is right that David Parker told ‘nine lies’ about the economy on The Nation last weekend, then he must believe the economy is already in full boom; growth has peaked and needs to be slowed; exporters are whingers; the hot New Zealand dollar is nothing to worry about; that not selling enough products to the world to pay for all the things we buy from other countries isn’t a problem - hell, we’ve been doing it for forty years - let’s do it for another forty!
And there is no housing bubble in Auckland - David Parker made it up.
Read MoreNational gets on track - and lands decisive political blow
The buzz is that National is about to back Auckland's CBD rail loop. And before you think the government's changed its roading stripes, let's consider the politics behind this
Read MoreNew Zealand's story: our shared story?
Steven Joyce’s Budget 2013 announcement says that his ‘New Zealand Story’ project will be all about innovation and resourcefulness, our Maori heritage, and a ‘welcoming, friendly’ approach. I think the Emperor has no clothes, and it's about time somebody said so
Read MoreWhat is the alternative to Labour’s energy policy?
Blowing raspberries and calling names is what politicians do when they have nothing else to say. When you have substantive alternatives, and you know they are popular, you argue for those.
Read MoreI ain't no big city economist or nothing, but ...
The quantitative easing policies suggested by the Green Party may or may not be a good idea. But the arguments being put up against it don't carry much weight.
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 MoreNational 101: How to hate debt & raise it at the same time
Debt's bad, right? So why is National asking our best and brightest to take on more if they want to get smarter?
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