Politics

Budget 2015

Posted 11:21am Sunday 24th May 2015 by Henry Napier

What is the Budget? The budget is the annual allocation of government funds to state services and initiatives. The allocation covers all government spending from social welfare to health. Every year a budget is announced that shows the government’s spending priorities. Here’s a Read more...

Opinion: New Zealand Becoming a Republic

Posted 11:18am Sunday 17th May 2015 by Tim Lindsay

Over the last few weeks, we have seen the birth of a royal baby, Prince Harry visiting our shores and a formal process to decide whether to change New Zealand’s flag. In light of these events, it may be worth considering the state of New Zealand’s constitution and whether we are making a Read more...

In My Opinion: Henry’s word | Issue 12

Posted 11:15am Sunday 17th May 2015 by Henry Napier

Rumours of Prime Minister John Key’s potential departure from the leadership were sparked after #ponytailgate came to life and ended very quickly. However, almost immediately, speculation flew over who might rise to the top of the party if the prime minister were to step down. Last week, Read more...

UK Labour Party: Worst Result in 28 Years

Posted 11:12am Sunday 17th May 2015 by Henry Napier

On 7 May the UK Labour Party experienced a dismal defeat at the hands of the Conservative Party in the general election. The party had its worst result in 28 years, winning only 232 of the 650 seats in parliament. New Zealand Labour leader Andrew Little said he was disappointed at the result, Read more...

Super-City Gets Super Rates

Posted 11:08am Sunday 17th May 2015 by Henry Napier

Auckland Mayor Len Brown revealed last week that Aucklanders should expect rates increases as part of a new budget aimed at tackling transport congestion. The transport levy passed by the Auckland Council has rates increasing by an average of 9.9 percent throughout the supercity.  The Read more...

In My Opinion: Henry’s word | Issue 11

Posted 11:41am Sunday 10th May 2015 by Henry Napier

National’s treatment of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) will eventually hurt the party. The TPPA is a multilateral investment agreement between twelve states. In short, this means a bunch of countries get together and make up some rules that they’ll all abide by and, in Read more...

James Shaw Interview

Posted 11:38am Sunday 10th May 2015 by Henry Napier

Greens MP James Shaw is currently travelling New Zealand in his bid for the Green Party co-leadership following the resignation of Russel Norman earlier this year. He has a different perspective on politics than would be expected of a typical Greens MP. Last week, Critic sat down with Shaw to see Read more...

In My Opinion: Henry’s word | Issue 10

Posted 12:10pm Sunday 3rd May 2015 by Henry Napier

The opposition’s role is to criticise the government. In doing so, it usually tends to highlight the negatives and avoid the positives. Yet too often, when asked what they think of good policy, opposition MPs will turn around in disagreement, regardless of what they truly believe. They Read more...

Key Unlocks Another Trade Door with Saudi Arabia

Posted 12:08pm Sunday 3rd May 2015 by Henry Napier

News of a trade agreement with Saudi Arabia has come amid controversy over human rights. Prime Minister John Key recently confirmed that he is seeking a trade agreement with the nation, visiting last week to meet King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. Key admitted in an interview with ONE News that Read more...

Māori Party Takes Back Seat in Water Rights

Posted 12:05pm Sunday 3rd May 2015 by Henry Napier

The issue of Māori water rights has had a resurgence in New Zealand politics. The government recently turned down a proposal from iwi to award Māori permanent water rights. The proposal sought to discard the existing system of water allocation, whereby water rights can be granted through Read more...