01 August 10
My decision to enter parliament reflected a belief that public life is a vocation, not a job. Our role in public life is to empower others, not to accumulate and exercise power over them.+ more
04 May 10
A lot of ink has already been spilled over the recent signing of the United Nations declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People. Appropriate concerns about potential legal implications of have been raised, as have been concerns about whether or not it will have any tangible affect.+ more
15 December 09
The issue of Easter Sunday trading is receiving a fair bit of attention. Labour MP, Steve Chadwick’s bill to allow districts to decide whether ...+ more
01 December 09
Northland can see how well its District Health Board (DHB) is doing compared with others in the country, after the Government and the Ministry of Health last week released their quarterly health targets report. While the results show the Northland DHB is doing okay, there is still some room for improvement.+ more
01 October 09
It is common to think that direct democracy is what democracy should be. But despite its apparent appeal, most communities are not ruled by direct democracy. Instead we elect representatives who rule on our behalf.+ more