The Prime Ministers of Australia, Canada, and New Zealand have expressed grave concerns about Israel’s planned military operation in Rafah, Gaza. They caution against such an operation, especially given that approximately 1.5 million Palestinians are taking refuge in the area (including citizens of their countries and their families).

The leaders say humanitarian conditions in Gaza are dire and warn of the devastating impacts an expanded military operation could have on Palestinian civilians.

15 February 2024

Is National’s Three Waters repeal a sequel to Labour’s drama?

Commentator Grant Duncan on the National party’s move to repeal Labour’s Three Waters governance restructure asks if Labour’s plan was all that bad and can National do better?

Labour’s plan aimed to address water service issues by transferring asset ownership from local councils to larger Water Services Entities.

14 February 2024

Minister to review fishing industry donor requests for removal of boat cameras

Newsroom is reporting that Westfleet’s CEO, a significant donor to NZ First’s Shane Jones, is urging the Fisheries Minister to eliminate boat cameras, citing privacy concerns for fishermen.

At a wine and oysters meeting, Craig Boote advocated against what he perceives as intrusive surveillance.

13 February 2024

NZDSOS issues a call to action to challenge WHO’s IHR amendments

New Zealand Doctors Speaking Out with Science (NZDSOS) voices its strong opposition to the proposed amendments to the International Health Regulations (IHR) 2005 by the World Health Organization (WHO). Key among NZDSOS’ concerns is the potential to make WHO’s recommendations binding, potentially infringing on individual freedoms and democratic rights.

12 February 2024

Wealthy foundations’ influence on climate journalism exposed

Caleb Howe writes that wealthy liberal foundations are significantly influencing climate change journalism by funding training programs for journalists at top universities worldwide, including Columbia, Harvard, the University of Southern California, and Oxford.

13 February 2024

Crampton warns against adopting the proposed Fair Digital News Bargaining Bill

Dr Eric Crampton’s critique of the Fair Digital News Bargaining Bill, paralleled with Canada’s Online News Act, warns of adopting legislation without fully understanding its consequences.

New Zealand’s proposed bill shares features with Canada’s regime, potentially burdening platforms like Google and Facebook with compulsory bargaining and arbitration.

12 February 2024

A call for radical reform of Higher Education

Jonathan Barth’s article “It’s Time to Upend the Modern University” addresses the systemic issues plaguing American universities (and perhaps universities throughout the western world).

Liberals and Democrats outnumber conservatives and Republicans, amongst the faculty, by huge numbers.