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
Welfare to work?
By Kieran Madden
Just where do people go when they move off a benefit? It’s a serious question that demands an answer. Why?…
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The regional role of iwi
By Julian Wood
Bill English has made a splash in the last few days, both for his sheep shearing skills and his first-time…
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The public square vs the voting booth
By Alex Penk
Why was Donald Trump’s election so surprising? One obvious reason is that he was completely unfit to be president. Less…
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Lessons from America
By Kieran Madden
While most of us have experienced holding our nose as we vote, our American friends are, as usual, taking it…
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What is the number?
By Alex Penk
Anyone advocating for euthanasia or assisted suicide should have to answer this question: How many wrongful deaths is Parliament prepared…
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Life consistent with our identity
By Jeremy Vargo
I love a good public disagreement; lately there seems to be a perishing lack of the good kind. To me…
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No Bregrets
By Kieran Madden
As the market dived and the pound sterling plummeted to a thirty-year lows following Brexit, deep despair and outrage reigned….
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Protesting democracy
It’s been an odd week. With Britain’s 52% vote to leave the EU shocking the pollsters, news websites and social…
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Unrealistic safeguards
By Danielle van Dalen
“Safeguards.” It’s an official-sounding and soothing term often used by those in favour of euthanasia, to ease concerns about the…
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Promises promises
By Jeremy Vargo
The joint announcement of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Labour and the Greens last week took many by surprise….
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Budget won’t fix lack of vision
By Julian Wood
Last Thursday when I told my son I was going to be home late because it was Budget Day, and…
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Values and voting
By Alex Penk
No-one likes a hypocrite. So when we hear that evangelical Christians in America are voting for Donald Trump , in…
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Living Wage disputes
By Kieran Madden
Last week, the Government announced that the minimum wage will soon rise by 50 cents to $15.25/hour, higher than the…
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Submission: Health Select Committee Inquiry into the ending of one’s life in New Zealand
By Jane Silloway Smith
Since late 2013, Maxim Institute has undertaken a stream of research into the legal and policy arguments regarding euthanasia and…
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The reason more important than the change
By Alex Penk
At the height of the Boer War, New Zealanders celebrated the heroism and abilities of our troopers. There was an…
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The limits of our care
While reading last week’s NZ Herald series “Cancer – The cost of a life,” I wondered what the introduction of…
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Euthanasia Facts: Critique 1
By Jane Silloway Smith
Critique 1: 1.8% of deaths in Belgium occur without the patient’s explicit consent The ACT Party’s regular bulletin, Free Press,…
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Euthanasia Facts: A response to ACT’s Free Press
Recently, the ACT Party’s Free Press newsletter called into question the veracity of some facts used by Family First on…
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Euthanasia Facts: Critique 3.1
By Jane Silloway Smith
Critique 3.1: 40% of those in Oregon who access assisted suicide do so out of a worry that they are…
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Euthanasia Facts: Critique 2
By Jane Silloway Smith
Critique 2: There has been a 656% increase in the number of assisted suicide deaths in Oregon since 1998 The…
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