The Cabinet of Prime Minister Christopher Luxon in 2023 (STUFF/Robert Kitchin) The New Zealand Parliament has sat for the final time in its 54th edition. I now take the time to rank the Cabinet Ministers of the Christopher Luxon Government. A.C.T. PARTY When Brooke van Velden first became a Minister of the Crown, a cartoonist … Continue reading How the Luxon Cabinet 2023-2026 performed
My report card for 54th New Zealand Parliament
A.C.T. Deputy Leader Brooke van Velden delivering her valedictory statement (Stuff N.Z.) Parliament is in the process of dissolving for the 2026 Election, due on 07 November 2026. As the final insults and questions flew in the House of Representatives yesterday, I wrote this. It is my report card for the political parties of the … Continue reading My report card for 54th New Zealand Parliament
Respecting the Greens in 2026
Green Party co-leaders Chloe Swarbrick and Marama Davidson earlier this year (Green Party). When the Green Party first entered Parliament in 1999, many thought it was a joke of the political system. It would not last. No one would take them seriously and they were/are too childish to hold Cabinet portfolios. Over the years, the … Continue reading Respecting the Greens in 2026
The awful legacy of 11 September 2001
Front page of The Press newspaper, New Zealand, 12 September 2001 We all know where we were when the news broke. For me it came early in the morning (N.Z. time) of 12 September 2001. Initially, I did not think too much of it until Mum came into my bedroom while I was getting ready … Continue reading The awful legacy of 11 September 2001
Immigrants: Too many? Too few? Just right?
Our immigration system needs an overhaul. (Immagine) How many of you readers have friends or family whose birth place was not New Zealand, but who came here to have a better life? What were their reasons for leaving? I have Colombian, Iranian, Peruvian friends - among others - who hold New Zealand citizenship. They left … Continue reading Immigrants: Too many? Too few? Just right?