Month: April 2026

Dealing with hostile political leaders is nothing new for the Catholic church. It has two thousand years of practice, from Herod and Pilate through Napoleon to Stalin and Hitler. An institution that outlasted all of them will probably manage Donald Trump as well.

New Zealand signed its first city deal with Auckland, promising funding for local projects. However, it lacks real local autonomy and continues centralised control from Wellington, limiting true local governance.

With rising energy prices, New Zealand First proposes splitting electricity companies, but the argument lacks economic merit. Vertical integration helps stabilise prices, making competition effective despite consumer inertia in switching suppliers.

New Zealand’s governance structure limits ministerial authority, making chief executives accountable to a commissioner instead. This system demands reforms, allowing ministers to appoint leaders for improved accountability and effectiveness.

New Zealand’s government system, where chief executives are appointed by an independent commissioner without ministerial input, hinders effective governance and lacks accountability, unlike practices in other democracies.

New Zealand’s ministers lack control over departments, so my report suggests reforms to improve accountability by allowing ministerial appointments of chief executives, learning from OECD counterparts like Germany and Australia.

The SPD, Germany’s oldest political party, faces existential decline, struggling to retain traditional voters amid shifting political dynamics, compounded by historical missteps that jeopardise democratic integrity in Germany.