Law & Government
About Law & Government
Our representatives in Parliament and their advisors have the power to affect thousands, even millions, of lives. From the constitutional framework that empowers and limits government, to issues of law and policy that touch on deeper issues like the value and inviolability of human life, we continue an active engagement and interest in a range of policy and legal issues.
Most Recent Activity
The process of voting on our voting process
By Danielle van Dalen
Last week, Justice Minister Andrew Little flagged the possibility of having an MMP referendum at the 2020 election to reconsider…
Read More
The Politics of Diving
By Kieran Madden
Soccer goalkeepers sure look spectacular with their acrobatic dives during penalties, but studies show that simply standing in the middle…
Read More
Shaking off stardust politics
By Kieran Madden
Famously elusive about her political leanings, pop sensation Taylor Swift recently went beyond her usual neutral get-out-and-vote message to endorse…
Read More
Better the ballot box we know
By Danielle van Dalen
When online banking was first introduced, my Dad was sceptical. He worried there would be problems with security, access, and…
Read More
Don’t leave law to the lawyers
By Alex Penk
One day, a man called John Entick was at home when in walked Nathan Carrington and three other government agents….
Read More
The $64,000 question
By Julian Wood
As my colleague discussed in a recent column, we have to be careful that our desire to punish offenders and…
Read More
Is there demand for a tourist tax?
By Danielle van Dalen
I’m no economist, but even I know that basic economic theory says that as the price for a product increases,…
Read More
Does punishment prevent crime?
By Jeremy Vargo
Benjamin Franklin once wrote to a friend that “in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and…
Read More
Beware the consequences of the waka-jumping bill
By Danielle van Dalen
Like many, my first introduction to politics was through a class election. My group decided our key campaign promise was…
Read More
Submission: The End of Life Choice Bill
By Danielle van Dalen
We are opposed to the End of Life Choice Bill. The dangers of this Bill lie at its very core…
Read More
“No.8 wire” ethic is not enough
By Julian Wood
While New Zealanders are proud of the “number 8 wire” ethos that represents our ingenuity and resourcefulness, our actual productivity…
Read More
New Zealanders need to inspect details of End of Life Choice Bill
By Alex Penk
MEDIA RELEASE: Thursday, 14 December 2017 With the End of Life Choice Bill now voted through to Select Committee stage,…
Read More
Three strikes, out
By Alex Penk
The “Three Strikes” legislation is going to be struck out. The new Government has promised to repeal the law in…
Read More
Dodging the lolly-scramble for power
By Alex Penk
As a kid, there was one word that always got your heart racing and your legs pumping at a community…
Read More
The battle lines for our votes
By Kieran Madden
It’s the economy, stupid. This phrase, coined by one of Bill Clinton’s wily campaign strategists, has done a crude but…
Read More
Press column: The price of a ticket on the Universal Basic Income train
By Alex Penk
Read Alex and Julian’s column, published in the Christchurch Press: The price of a ticket on the Universal Basic Income…
Read More
Press column: Why populist politicians favour the dangerous appeal of referendums
By Alex Penk
Read Alex’s latest column in the Christchurch Press: Why populist politicians favour the dangerous appeal of referendums “In the vast…
Read More
The dangerous appeal of binding referendums
By Alex Penk
“Actually, when you drill into it, there are some big reasons to think twice before embracing binding referendums.” Click here…
Read More
MIC 08 | The experts against euthanasia
With David Seymour’s End of Life Choices Bill up for a first reading in Parliament, legal assisted suicide is firmly on…
Read More
The illusion of certainty in the End of Life Choices Bill
By Danielle van Dalen
David Seymour is convinced his End of Life Choices Bill, drawn from the Private Member’s Ballot last Thursday, would be…
Read More