CoveragePost
March 27, 2026
Analysis by Keith Rankin – this analysis was first published on 24 March 2026. A minute after my radio-alarm went off this morning, I was ‘privileged’ to hear this deeply scary interview with the Deputy Prime Minister: Deputy PM Seymour on NZ, Iran and fuel relief, RNZ 24 March 2026. For most of the interview ... <a title="Keith Rankin Analysis – Has New Zealand just signed up for World War Three?" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2026/03/27/keith-rankin-analysis-has-new-zealand-just-signed-up-for-world-war-three/" aria-label="Read more about Keith Rankin Analysis – Has New Zealand just signed up for World War Three?">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
March 3, 2026
Editorial by Selwyn Manning. The New Zealand Government’s response to Israel-US attacks on Iran has revealed a chasm. On one side are those who argue; that New Zealand must stay aligned with its 20th century allies right or wrong. On the other side are those who insist; that the long fought for reputation, of a ... <a title="EDITORIAL: When Mediocrity Fails National Interest" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2026/03/03/editorial-when-mediocrity-fails-national-interest/" aria-label="Read more about EDITORIAL: When Mediocrity Fails National Interest">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
March 3, 2026
Analysis by Keith Rankin, 2 March 2026. We keep hearing that Iran is an “evil” regime run by “clerics”. This conflation of an unscientific and emotive concept (‘evil’) with a cultural occupation (‘cleric’) is made in the context of picking on an ethnic or religious group of people as inferior. In this context, ‘cleric’ applies ... <a title="Keith Rankin Analysis – The Greater Evil" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2026/03/03/keith-rankin-analysis-the-greater-evil/" aria-label="Read more about Keith Rankin Analysis – The Greater Evil">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
February 28, 2026
Analysis by Keith Rankin, 27 February 2026. I heard this on RNZ News 11am 12 Feb 2026: “The government’s finances are in better shape than expected due to lower [government] spending and a higher tax take. Treasury figures … show a deficit of $5.2b for the six months ended December, almost $1.6b below the half-year ... <a title="Keith Rankin Analysis – New Zealand’s Fiscal Crisis" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2026/02/28/keith-rankin-analysis-new-zealands-fiscal-crisis/" aria-label="Read more about Keith Rankin Analysis – New Zealand’s Fiscal Crisis">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
February 28, 2026
Essay by Keith Rankin, 25 February 2026. Over the last few days, there has been plenty of media chatter in relation to the government’s proposal to pass a law enabling police to forcibly shift street dwellers from Auckland’s CBD. (Refer ‘Move On’ orders penalise those with the least, Scoop 22 Feb 2026.) While Labour likes ... <a title="Keith Rankin Essay – Vagrants and a Very Basic Universal Income" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2026/02/28/keith-rankin-essay-vagrants-and-a-very-basic-universal-income/" aria-label="Read more about Keith Rankin Essay – Vagrants and a Very Basic Universal Income">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
February 28, 2026
Analysis by Keith Rankin, 19 February 2026 The RNZ news bulletin of 10pm on 18 February stated: “New Zealand and Australia are outliers in having three-year parliamentary terms, with four or five year terms far more common … politicians have over the years expressed frustration at how much can be achieved in a three-year cycle.” ... <a title="Keith Rankin Analysis – Parliamentary Term Length; is New Zealand really an Outlier?" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2026/02/28/keith-rankin-analysis-parliamentary-term-length-is-new-zealand-really-an-outlier/" aria-label="Read more about Keith Rankin Analysis – Parliamentary Term Length; is New Zealand really an Outlier?">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
December 16, 2025
Analysis by Keith Rankin, 16 December 2025 RNZ news item, 12pm 9 Dec 2025: “Finance Minister Nicola Willis has challenged one of her predecessors Ruth Richardson to debate her on how to best manage the country’s finances. Our political reporter Anneke Smith has more: ‘The taxpayers union is poised to launch a pressure campaign targeting ... <a title="Keith Rankin Analysis – Fire! Fire! Today’s Vestiges of Ruthenasia and Classical Austerity" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2025/12/16/keith-rankin-analysis-fire-fire-todays-vestiges-of-ruthenasia-and-classical-austerity/" aria-label="Read more about Keith Rankin Analysis – Fire! Fire! Today’s Vestiges of Ruthenasia and Classical Austerity">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
November 14, 2025
Analysis by Keith Rankin. Labour Party Policies Last month the New Zealand Labour Party announced two policies: a second sovereign wealth fund, and a capital gains tax on non-owner-occupier real estate. For me, both are worrying, representing further steps in the financialisation of an already over-financialised economy. Then yesterday, I heard a story (Report highlights ... <a title="Keith Rankin Essay – The Mansion as a Metaphor for Neoliberal Finance Capitalism" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2025/11/14/keith-rankin-essay-the-mansion-as-a-metaphor-for-neoliberal-finance-capitalism/" aria-label="Read more about Keith Rankin Essay – The Mansion as a Metaphor for Neoliberal Finance Capitalism">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
October 24, 2025
Analysis by Keith Rankin. Earlier this week, in The Truth about Prices in New Zealand, (on Evening Report, and on Scoop), I showed how the Consumers Price Index (CPI) is a lagging measure of inflation, and that the Producers Price Index (and the use of six-monthly rather than annual data) gives more timely information about turning points in ... <a title="Keith Rankin Analysis – A Quarter-Century of New Zealand’s CPI Inflation" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2025/10/24/keith-rankin-analysis-a-quarter-century-of-new-zealands-cpi-inflation/" aria-label="Read more about Keith Rankin Analysis – A Quarter-Century of New Zealand’s CPI Inflation">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
October 21, 2025
Analysis by Keith Rankin. The first chart shows annual price increases in New Zealand for businesses (PPI: Producers Price Index) and consumers (CPI: Consumers Price Index), since 1999. We note that the latest CPI datapoint is for the third quarter of 2025, meaning that it’s centred on mid-August. The most recent PPI data is for the second ... <a title="Keith Rankin Chart Analysis – The Truth about Prices in New Zealand" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2025/10/21/keith-rankin-chart-analysis-the-truth-about-prices-in-new-zealand/" aria-label="Read more about Keith Rankin Chart Analysis – The Truth about Prices in New Zealand">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
September 15, 2025
Earlier today, New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said his cabinet would not decide on whether to formally recognise Palestine as a state for some weeks to come. Luxon’s announcement drew criticism from advocacy groups, labelling his position as weak and cowardly. Luxon claimed the issue was ‘complex’ and New Zealanders should not expect a ... <a title="New Zealand PM Luxon Labelled as Weak and Cowardly After Delaying Decision on Palestine" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2025/09/15/new-zealand-pm-luxon-labelled-as-weak-and-cowardly-after-delaying-decision-on-palestine/" aria-label="Read more about New Zealand PM Luxon Labelled as Weak and Cowardly After Delaying Decision on Palestine">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
August 31, 2025
Analysis by Keith Rankin. Public policy in New Zealand is paralysed by an unwavering mis-framing of the current economic stagnation. A key part of the problem is the popular attachment to the phrase ‘cost of living crisis’ as a catch-all for contemporary economic malaise. The first task towards clear thinking is to disentangle ‘cost of ... <a title="Keith Rankin Analysis – Intellectual Paralysis: Cost of Living, Inflation, and Interest Costs" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2025/08/31/keith-rankin-analysis-intellectual-paralysis-cost-of-living-inflation-and-interest-costs/" aria-label="Read more about Keith Rankin Analysis – Intellectual Paralysis: Cost of Living, Inflation, and Interest Costs">Read more</a>