Peter Dunne - Latest News [Page 1]
Dunne's Weekly: Bailing Out Ski Fields Or Media Companies?
Friday, 15 March 2024, 9:01 am | Peter Dunne
This week’s government bailout – the fifth in the last eighteen months – of the financially troubled Ruapehu Alpine Lifts company would have pleased many in the central North Island ski industry. The government’s stated rationale for the ... More >>
Dunne's Weekly: The Capital City Is Slowly Dying
Thursday, 7 March 2024, 9:48 am | Peter Dunne
Earlier this week, Wellington’s newspaper, The Post, launched a “conversation” inviting public responses about how Wellington could move on from the problems currently besetting it. The responses published so far show a level of fondness for the city, ... More >>
Dunne's Weekly: Unseemly Rush Shows Need To Review Role Of Waitangi Tribunal
Thursday, 29 February 2024, 9:12 am | Peter Dunne
The rush to push legislation through Parliament under Urgency to abolish the Māori Health Authority, Te Aka Whai Ora, has been unseemly. No matter that the Authority’s abolition was an election commitment of all three government coalition partners, ... More >>
Dunne's Weekly: National's Benefit Changes All About Politics
Thursday, 22 February 2024, 9:31 am | Peter Dunne
Here we go again. Another National-led government, and another round of cracking down on beneficiaries. That was the reaction of the parties of the left to the coalition government's announcement it was returning to applying sanctions to beneficiaries ... More >>
Dunne's Weekly: Traffic Management, Stop-go Signs And Aviation Security
Wednesday, 14 February 2024, 9:18 am | Peter Dunne
There was a hole in a quiet road near me recently. It was about three metres long. A repair crew came to fix it. That crew consisted of six people - a digger operator, someone directing the digger's movements, two stop-go sign holders and their two ... More >>
Dunne's Weekly: Get The Kids Going Back To School
Thursday, 8 February 2024, 9:39 am | Peter Dunne
The debate about the Treaty of Waitangi is running away from the government because ACT is on a mission about its Treaty Principles Bill. Nothing, it seems, is likely to deter it from proceeding, with every attack or criticism appearing to provide ... More >>
Dunne's Weekly: James Shaw's Unchallengeable Legacy
Thursday, 1 February 2024, 8:52 am | Peter Dunne
If success in politics is measured by practical achievements rather than the volume of noise made, James Shaw has been the Greens’ most successful politician yet. His unchallengeable legacy will be the zero-carbon legislation. Shaw knew that the ... More >>
Dunne's Weekly: When Ideological Fervour Overtakes Purpose And Focus
Thursday, 25 January 2024, 10:22 am | Peter Dunne
Purpose and focus in a government are virtues, until they are taken over by an all-compassing zeal that allows no deviation. Governments with clear agendas usually succeed, whereas those more inclined to drift along with the flow look leaderless and directionless. ... More >>
Dunne's Weekly: Meagher Hits The Mark
Friday, 8 December 2023, 9:56 am | Peter Dunne
New National MP James Meagher broke the long-standing convention that Maiden Speeches should be non-controversial. His speech not only raised a few eyebrows but also would have struck some raw nerves. Meagher described himself as a "walking contradiction" ... More >>
Dunne's Weekly: Luxon's Long And Rocky Road
Friday, 1 December 2023, 9:11 am | Peter Dunne
Dame Jacinda Ardern observed after she stood down as Prime Minister that "Government isn’t just what you do, it's how you make people feel". While an interesting insight into how she viewed the purpose of government (and, some would argue, an ... More >>
Dunne's Weekly: Parliament's Rush To Christmas Begins Now
Friday, 24 November 2023, 8:22 am | Peter Dunne
The last few weeks of coalition negotiations have been reminiscent of the Mainland Cheese advertisement on television, where the cheesemakers wait, and wait, for the cheese to say it is ready. Now, with the imminent swearing-in of the new three-way ... More >>
Dunne's Weekly: Labour's Journey Of A Thousand Miles Begins
Thursday, 9 November 2023, 9:26 am | Peter Dunne
Over 2,500 years ago the legendary ancient Chinese Taoist philosopher Lao Tzu observed that “a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”. This week Labour began its journey of a thousand miles towards political rehabilitation. Its first ... More >>
Dunne's Weekly: It Is Volunteers Who Primarily Respond To Disasters
Wednesday, 1 November 2023, 9:20 am | Peter Dunne
This coming weekend the Annual General Meeting and Conference of the United Fire Brigades Association will take place in Wellington. It will be the largest such gathering in the organisation's 145-year history, with more than 600 delegates and observers ... More >>
Dunne's Weekly: Wellington About To Learn Hard Political Lesson
Thursday, 26 October 2023, 10:23 am | Peter Dunne
The essence of politics is often described as about the contest of ideas. But really the political process is primarily about the pursuit and retention of power. Without power, it is very difficult to promote, let alone implement, ideas, no matter how ... More >>
Dunne's Weekly: What Chance A Grand Coalition?
Thursday, 19 October 2023, 9:16 am | Peter Dunne
In the wake of last week's election some have asked why no consideration has been given to a grand coalition between National and Labour to limit the influence of ACT and New Zealand First. After all, they say, grand coalitions have worked in other ... More >>
Please For Support Replace New Ideas
Thursday, 12 October 2023, 9:13 am | Peter Dunne
The last National Party campaign leaflet received in my letterbox this week urged me to "Please party vote National". Unlike the bold promise of "A Brighter Future" under Sir John Key, or Dame Jacinda Ardern's positive "Let's ... More >>
Dunne's Weekly: Government Snooping Threatens Individual Privacy And Freedom
Monday, 9 October 2023, 3:06 pm | Peter Dunne
It has not been a good week for civil liberties in New Zealand. First was the Police’s confirmation that their Tactical Response model launched earlier this year is built around a multi-million dollar programme known as SearchX. This programme is based ... More >>
Dunne's Weekly: Government Snooping Threatens Individual Privacy And Freedom
Thursday, 5 October 2023, 9:00 am | Peter Dunne
It has not been a good week for civil liberties in New Zealand. First was the Police’s confirmation that their Tactical Response model launched earlier this year is built around a multi-million dollar programme known as SearchX. This programme is based ... More >>
Dunne's Weekly: Hipkins Will Be Held Responsible, Although Not To Blame
Thursday, 28 September 2023, 10:44 am | Peter Dunne
Chris Hipkins demonstrated enthusiasm borne of desperation in the second leaders' debate this week. After his lack lustre performance in the first debate and on the campaign trail generally, he needed to. But it is still unlikely to be enough to ... More >>
Dunne's Weekly: Hipkins And Luxon More In Tune With Public Mood Than Commentators
Wednesday, 20 September 2023, 11:06 am | Peter Dunne
In the wake of the first pre-election televised leaders’ debate the commentariat has reacted with predictable banality. The focus, masquerading as analysis, has been almost solely on who “won” or “lost”, rather than what the two leaders said. ... More >>