CoveragePost
May 29, 2021
Analysis by Bryce Edwards. Should we give more power to the politicians so that they can get things done? It’s an increasingly popular idea in New Zealand that we should hold elections every four years, rather than three, so Governments can implement more change. This week the Act Party gave the idea another push with ... <a title="Bryce Edwards’ Political Roundup: The Growing momentum for four-yearly elections, and why it’s a mistake" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2021/05/29/bryce-edwards-political-roundup-the-growing-momentum-for-four-yearly-elections-and-why-its-a-mistake/" aria-label="Read more about Bryce Edwards’ Political Roundup: The Growing momentum for four-yearly elections, and why it’s a mistake">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
April 13, 2021
Analysis by Bryce Edwards How seriously does the Māori Party take issues of corruption and the untoward influence of big money in politics? Not very, based on how it’s handling a political finance scandal in which three large donations were kept hidden from the public. The party is currently making excuses, and largely failing to ... <a title="Bryce Edwards’ Political Roundup: The Māori Party needs to come clean" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2021/04/13/bryce-edwards-political-roundup-the-maori-party-needs-to-come-clean/" aria-label="Read more about Bryce Edwards’ Political Roundup: The Māori Party needs to come clean">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
October 30, 2020
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards Our House of Representatives has just become more diverse, and yet narrower at the same time. A record 40 new MPs have flooded into Parliament – with especially big intakes from the Labour and Act parties. You can see some short profiles of the new MPs in Simon Collins’ article, Forty ... <a title="Bryce Edwards’ Political Roundup: A diverse yet narrower Parliament" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2020/10/30/bryce-edwards-political-roundup-a-diverse-yet-narrower-parliament/" aria-label="Read more about Bryce Edwards’ Political Roundup: A diverse yet narrower Parliament">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
October 22, 2020
Analysis by Keith Rankin. This week’s first chart shows the average numbers of votes cast – on and before election day – in New Zealand’s different regions. In principle, all electorates have the same population, with electorate boundaries drawn with reference to population quotas based on census returns. However, each electorate may be up to ... <a title="Keith Rankin Chart Analysis – Election Day Demographics" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2020/10/22/keith-rankin-chart-analysis-election-day-demographics/" aria-label="Read more about Keith Rankin Chart Analysis – Election Day Demographics">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
August 18, 2020
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards Has the election been saved from becoming another victim of Covid-19? Quite possibly. The issue of when to hold the election had come under serious scrutiny due to the increased restrictions and changed focus necessitated by the outbreak of community transmission of Covid-19. There were major problems with how democratic ... <a title="Bryce Edwards’ Political Roundup: Jacinda Ardern’s successful and clever election date shift" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2020/08/18/bryce-edwards-political-roundup-jacinda-arderns-successful-and-clever-election-date-shift/" aria-label="Read more about Bryce Edwards’ Political Roundup: Jacinda Ardern’s successful and clever election date shift">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
August 11, 2020
Analysis by Keith Rankin. “I think you have to recognise money comes from somewhere. It doesn’t just come from a big money tree.” Judith Collins 2020 “Someone has to pay the bill – there aren’t little pixies at the bottom of the garden printing cash.” John Key 2009 These messages from two different National Party ... <a title="Keith Rankin Analysis – Money: Where Does it Come From, Where Does it Go?" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2020/08/11/keith-rankin-analysis-money-where-does-it-come-from-where-does-it-go/" aria-label="Read more about Keith Rankin Analysis – Money: Where Does it Come From, Where Does it Go?">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
August 3, 2020
Analysis by Dr Bryce Edwards Can we trust New Zealand’s military? There must now be serious doubt, given the landmark report released on Friday concluding the investigation into allegations made in the book Hit and Run by Nicky Hager and Jon Stephenson about a 2010 SAS killing raid in Afghanistan. The most recent Colmar Brunton ... <a title="Bryce Edwards’ Political Roundup: The Burnham report shows why we can’t trust NZ’s military" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2020/08/03/bryce-edwards-political-roundup-the-burnham-report-shows-why-we-cant-trust-nzs-military/" aria-label="Read more about Bryce Edwards’ Political Roundup: The Burnham report shows why we can’t trust NZ’s military">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
March 5, 2020
New Zealand has a problem with money in politics. National and NZ First have been the subject of Serious Fraud Office investigations. And now that Labour mayors Phil Goff and Lianne Dalziel have been added to the list of fraud investigations, this should cement in the fact that we have a problem across the political ... <a title="Bryce Edwards’ Political Roundup: Fixing the problem of money in politics" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2020/03/05/bryce-edwards-political-roundup-fixing-the-problem-of-money-in-politics/" aria-label="Read more about Bryce Edwards’ Political Roundup: Fixing the problem of money in politics">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
February 19, 2020
A very concerning element of the current NZ First donations scandal is the role of lobbying and lobbyists close to the Government. The most recent story from RNZ’s Guyon Espiner and Kate Newton, revealed that lobbyist Doug Woolerton, who is also a trustee of the NZ First Foundation, had been advocating for law changes on ... <a title="Bryce Edwards’ Political Roundup: NZ’s latest political lobbying problems" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2020/02/19/bryce-edwards-political-roundup-nzs-latest-political-lobbying-problems/" aria-label="Read more about Bryce Edwards’ Political Roundup: NZ’s latest political lobbying problems">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
February 17, 2020
NZ First is facing the boot at this year’s election, especially as it’s now embroiled in an unfolding donations scandal, which comes on top of low poll ratings. But what effect will the scandal have on NZ First’s government coalition colleagues? And is Labour and the Greens’ hands-off stance appropriate, or are they ethically compromised? ... <a title="Bryce Edwards’ Political Roundup: Are Labour and the Greens behaving unethically over the donations scandal?" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2020/02/17/bryce-edwards-political-roundup-are-labour-and-the-greens-behaving-unethically-over-the-donations-scandal/" aria-label="Read more about Bryce Edwards’ Political Roundup: Are Labour and the Greens behaving unethically over the donations scandal?">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
February 15, 2020
Does money buy policy in New Zealand politics and government? Based on the ongoing political finance scandal involving New Zealand First, which comes hot on the heels of the Serious Fraud Office charging four people in relation to donations to the National Party, New Zealanders have every reason to doubt the integrity of the electoral ... <a title="Bryce Edwards’ Political Roundup: Is Government policy for sale in New Zealand?" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2020/02/15/bryce-edwards-political-roundup-is-government-policy-for-sale-in-new-zealand/" aria-label="Read more about Bryce Edwards’ Political Roundup: Is Government policy for sale in New Zealand?">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
December 5, 2019
What is it about reforming laws around money and politics that makes politicians so inclined to stuff it up and act undemocratically? From Helen Clark’s notorious Electoral Finance Act (2007) – which the party eventually voted to repeal, given it was so anti-democratic and unworkable – through to yesterday’s announcement of a so-called ban on ... <a title="Bryce Edwards’ Political Roundup: What’s driving the urgent clamp down on foreign donations?" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2019/12/05/bryce-edwards-political-roundup-whats-driving-the-urgent-clamp-down-on-foreign-donations/" aria-label="Read more about Bryce Edwards’ Political Roundup: What’s driving the urgent clamp down on foreign donations?">Read more</a>
