Gordon Campbell On The Myths Of Frugality In Our Defence Spending
In one sense, Peru is the poster child of political instability, having gone through nine presidents in the past 10 years, with several ending up […]
Economy
Gordon Campbell On Having The Backbone To Restrict Our Defence Spending
Lynda Topp can look after herself. Yet the rejoinder by Paul Goldsmith to her criticism of our irresponsible spending spree on Defence was so patronising […]
Gordon Campbell On Budget 2026
The Luxon government won the last election by claiming that it alone possessed the managerial competence to fix the nation’s cost of living crisis. Three […]
Gordon Campbell On Labour’s Vanishing Act
Chris Hipkins is testing the patience (and allegiance) of every centre- left voter. We may be now only a few months out from the election, […]
Gordon Campbell On The Social Housing Debacle, And The Red Tape Fantasy
Fair is foul, and foul is fair. Truly, the witches in Macbeth had a pretty accurate take on the government’s new demands for social housing […]
Gordon Campbell On The Public Service Chainsaw Massacre
According to Finance Minister Nicola Willis, trashing the public service (“an old clunky system” says Willis, a “make work scheme” says Christopher Luxon, “a job […]
Gordon Campbell On Pauline Hanson’s Rise, And The TOP Renaissance
Routinely in politics, there is a double standard for outrage. The same people who regarded Jacinda Ardern as a jackbooted tyrant seem to be quite […]
Gordon Campbell On The Political Panic Over Immigration
In the wake of WW2, immigration policy was driven by a mixture of compassion for the refugees of war, and by a less admirable desire […]
Gordon Campbell On The Risks Of AI In The Workplace
Clearly, last year’s fears of a stockmarket “AI bubble” have long gone. AI firms and related stocks are now being treated as the backbone of […]
Gordon Campbell On The FTA With India
Labour finally came down off the fence last week and agreed to give National the votes required to get the free trade deal with India […]
Gordon Campbell On The Folly Of Blaming Everything On Trump
The recently infamous “I’m the CEO/ Your job is the Prime Minister” exchange between Christopher Luxon and Tova O’Brien should be a defining moment in […]
Gordon Campbell On The Government’s Leadership Failure On The Fuel Crisis
As the last stop on the global supply chain for oil and diesel, New Zealand should be the first country taking pre-emptive steps to conserve […]
Gordon Campbell On The Feeble Fuel Support Package, And Israel’s Violent Land Grabs
Two big calls this week by the two real decision makers in this government. First, David Seymour all but sank the government’s plan to make […]
Gordon Campbell On Our Willingness To Earn US Approval, Via China-Bashing
The Chinese Embassy is right. The recent joint statement by Australia and New Zealand condemning China’s actions in the South China Sea reads like a […]
Gordon Campbell On The Weaponising Of IRD
So hard to pick and choose but the $2.9 billion tax break for landlords still stands out as the coalition government’s most abject surrender to […]
Gordon Campbell On The Iran War’s Impact On The Economy, And On Air New Zealand
Oil and gas prices have surged since the war on Iran began. The real surprise is that oil prices haven’t risen as much as you’d […]
Gordon Campbell On The Callous, Short-Sighted “Moving On” Laws
Watching Christopher Luxon try to get to grips with a serious issue can be a pretty sad sight. His response to the homelessness epidemic has […]
Gordon Campbell On The Centre-Right’s Newly Found Passion For Taxes, And James Bond, Snowboard Ace
Meet National, our new “tax and spend” party. Reportedly, the National-led coalition is seriously considering spending (at least) $16 billion on a second harbour crossing […]
Gordon Campbell On Weather, Climate, And The Contest Between ACT And NZF For The Braindead Vote
As the wild weather rages, and once-in-a-century storms and floods become seasonal events, Mark Mitchell, the country’s Emergency Management and Recovery Minister, still seems locked […]
Gordon Campbell On The Not Good, Very Bad, Terrible Unemployment Figures
As the unemployment rate hits 5.4%, the highest jobless rate in a decade, PM Christopher Luxon may be regretting his choice of “Fixing the Basics, […]
Gordon Campbell On The Secret Pact On Rare Earth Minerals, And The India FTA
Drill and dig, baby. The week began with the coalition government giving an Australian mining company the green light for an open cast gold mine […]
Gordon Campbell On Selling The Recovery Mirage, And Wolf Parade
If the economy was an apartment building, the recovery would be the party that’s beginning to kick off in the penthouse flat, while everyone else […]
Gordon Campbell On New Zealand’s Readiness To Prostrate Itself Before King Donald
New Zealand likes to portray itself as a steadfast champion of international law. (We’re the brave little country that stands up for what’s right). In […]
Gordon Campbell On The Selling Out Of Iran
First Venezuela, then Iran. In its modern versions of gunboat diplomacy, the United States is willing to weaken a terrible regime, but not to replace […]
Gordon Campbell On GDP Growth, And Other Holiday Diversions
No one likes being a downer at Christmas time, so…as we look forward into 2026, we can all agree that some economic growth is better […]
Gordon Campbell On The Wisdom Of Driving Faster Up An Economic Cul De Sac, And The Bondi Aftermath
Tomorrow is a long time, as Bob Dylan once said, and while Dylan wasn’t singing about our prospects of economic recovery, the mood of frustrated […]
Gordon Campbell On The Shrinking Lack Of Alternatives Here, And In The US
Nicola Willis vs Ruth Richardson? Alien vs Predator? Thankfully, everyone may now be having second thoughts. We all deserve better than a contest between these […]
Gordon Campbell On Why Christmas Spending Is Starting To Feel Like A Scam
Mother’s Day, Father’s Day…there are a couple of other occasions when shopping is mobilised to express love and appreciation. (Black Friday panders to more basic […]
Gordon Campbell On The Rates Cap Gambit, And Chile’s Dire Future
For many councils, the Luxon government’s plan to restrict the ability of local councils to increase rates to a range of between two and four […]
Gordon Campbell On The Coup Against Local Government
It’s democracy Jim, but not as we know it. In line with the plans that the government unveiled this week to reform local government, the […]