Independent Analysis and Reportage
Keith Rankin - What would happen if the Strait of Hormuz was blocked by a giant earthquake? Then a pipe, tunnel, road or canal would have to be built. There would be no argument then about a portage fee being charged.
Keith Rankin - New Zealand is increasingly becoming a country with a high denizen-to-citizen ratio. New rules intended to make it more difficult for New Zealand permanent residents to become citizens of Aotearoa New Zealand can be expected to keep more immigrants here. That may be the intention.
Keith Rankin - Before mentioning crime, cocaine and apartheid, we should note that Sweden is a large-scale military systems exporter. For Sweden, the 'big gun' industry is equivalent to the dairy industry in New Zealand as a source of foreign exchange revenue.
Not me personally; and, of course, all ethnicities are equal. A week or so ago, as I was casually doing something else, I saw being interviewed a gentleman who I understand was a Gazan intellectual.
New Zealand is almost completely dependent on four things for its survival in the contemporary world. Imported wheat, rice, and refined fuel. And ships.
There is a narrative going around that the war in the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman – Israel/USA versus Iran – is a training exercise for the big one, a war between the United States and China centred on the Taiwan Strait.
Inflation is a topic which has, for a long time now, been at the forefront of normative economics. Normative economics is the economics of mainstream ideology, not the economics informed by concept or science.
Are we witnessing, for the first time, a British King appeasing a foreign emperor? And on the quarter-millennial anniversary of Britain's greatest ever geopolitical humiliation. Could King Charles be enacting one of the final straws in the deathknell of the Monarchy?
Essay by Keith Rankin, 20 April 2026 It’s commonplace, especially in The West, to think of wars in binary terms. In those terms, wars are either won or lost, like a sports match. And the symbol of victory is a trophy. In a match-up, the symbol of defeat is the loss of a trophy. In ... <a title="Keith Rankin Essay – War Trophies: Considering USA, Iran, and Japan" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2026/04/20/keith-rankin-essay-war-trophies-considering-usa-iran-and-japan/" aria-label="Read more about Keith Rankin Essay – War Trophies: Considering USA, Iran, and Japan">Read more</a>
Analysis by Keith Rankin, 17 April 2026 My first paragraphs here feature Steve Keen, Australian economist, who was a panellist on Al Jazeera’s Inside Story 12 April 2026 (Could the Iran war pose lasting risks to global food security?, or here on YouTube): Interviewer: “You’ve warned that the world could face famine within months … ... <a title="Keith Rankin Analysis – Marooned in the Pacific Ocean: Famine Down-Under?" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2026/04/20/keith-rankin-analysis-marooned-in-the-pacific-ocean-famine-down-under/" aria-label="Read more about Keith Rankin Analysis – Marooned in the Pacific Ocean: Famine Down-Under?">Read more</a>
Essay by Keith Rankin, 16 April 2026. On 14 April, TV3 News ran an item (15 minutes in, not in the sports section) about how the Crusaders rugby team will, with the new Christchurch stadium, no longer be able to parade its horses and knights circuiting the sportsfield. Many of the fans, despite now having ... <a title="Keith Rankin Essay – Crusaders; the Crass, the Past, and the Present" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2026/04/20/keith-rankin-essay-crusaders-the-crass-the-past-and-the-present/" aria-label="Read more about Keith Rankin Essay – Crusaders; the Crass, the Past, and the Present">Read more</a>
Analysis by Keith Rankin, 15 April 2026. On 14 April 2026 I heard this on TV3 News (about 8 minutes in): Sharon Zollner, ANZ Bank chief economist: “We were earlier picking that the Reserve Bank wouldn’t need to hike until December, but the news out of the Middle East has kept getting worse. It does ... <a title="Keith Rankin Analysis – Aggravating an Aggravated Cost of Living Crisis" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2026/04/20/keith-rankin-analysis-aggravating-an-aggravated-cost-of-living-crisis/" aria-label="Read more about Keith Rankin Analysis – Aggravating an Aggravated Cost of Living Crisis">Read more</a>