Brian Rudman
Columnist
Brian Rudman is a NZ Herald feature writer and columnist.
We are your advocate, Aotearoa. Uncovering stories that matter, asking hard-hitting questions of those in power, live-blogging sport events, monitoring the highs and lows of the NZX and providing Premium expert opinion and analysis. Bringing you distinctive, quality journalism and breaking news from across New Zealand and around the world. With specialists working together to create indepth reads, engaging video, and unmissable podcasts.
Check out Brian’s latest content
Brian Rudman: $150,000 splurge on cultural consultant like a two-fingered salute to Goff and ratepayers
Brian Rudman: $150,000 on cultural consultant sends wrong message to Goff, ratepayers
Brian Rudman: It might be the RNZ bosses now taken off air
COMMENT: Did the leadership of RNZ defy its shareholding minister over Concert FM?
Rudman: It's time for a genuine national day beyond the settlers
COMMENT: The anniversary day holiday list has a pro-settler bias, writes Brian Rudmand
Property price spiral leaves young Kiwis behind
COMMENT: The runaway rate of property price rises leaves few alternatives.
Brian Rudman: How to snatch a port and win a seat
COMMENT: Shocking aspect of plan means we now inhabit the Soviet Republic of NZ.
Brian Rudman: Let natives flourish but spare the oaks
COMMENT: New trees are terrific, but it's a shame so many exotics have to be ripped out.
Brian Rudman: Time to throw monarchy from the reign
COMMENT: We need to formulate a succession plan for what happens on demise of the Queen.
Brian Rudman: Politicians have walked off the job
COMMENT: Our elected class needs to earn its keep by doing what we pay them for.
Comment: Lawmakers take a blunderbuss to terrorism
Once again a government is invoking curbs on rights and liberties to crush terrorism.
Brian Rudman: Why voters ignore local body elections
COMMENT: Local body voters are rather like Christians, a slowly declining minority.
Brian Rudman: History move will fill in our missing pieces
COMMENT: The teaching of New Zealand history in our schools is long overdue.
Brian Rudman: Politicians travelling familiar publicity trail
COMMENT: Election Santas dish out the promises but what happens after?
Brian Rudman: Finally, Dame Kiri gets an overdue honour
COMMENT: Dame Kiri is coming home. It's a shame we didn't make it possible years ago.
Brian Rudman: Why no debate over Big Brother network?
COMMENT: Welcome to Auckland. We're watching you.
Brian Rudman: Ihumātao solution staring us in the face
Comment: Where would we be without youthful idealists?
Brian Rudman: John Banks on the money as he eyes mayoralty
COMMENT: With Banks talking about a comeback, Auckland mayoral race has got interesting.
Brian Rudman: Rough sleepers get raw deal in City of Sails
COMMENT: Eden Park could help needy enjoy a decent kip this winter.
Brian Rudman: David Seymour's Act of hari-kari has synchronicity
COMMENT: Politician comes out in defence of hate speech.
Brian Rudman: Deal of century could burn ratepayers
COMMENT: Secrecy shrouds sale of ex-council HQ.
Brian Rudman: Census farce gets serious
COMMENT: 60 recalcitrants are being dragged before judiciary for failing to fill in a form
Brian Rudman: Goff's pre-election war drums a stuck record
COMMENT: Bold action would speak far louder than yet another CCO review.
Brian Rudman: Leave Israel Folau out of hate speech heat
COMMENT: Banning Folau risks creating new martyrs and threatens our free speech tradition.
Brian Rudman: Drums of disquiet beat in the new Goff Jungle
COMMENT: Unless there are some neighbour-friendly regulations introduced.
Brian Rudman: Too much at stake - Time to quit chases
COMMENT: It's time MPs accepted that police pursuits are obsolete and should be abandoned.
Brian Rudman: Sick to death of poison-based pest remedies
COMMENT: Try genetic tools or get used to predators.
Brian Rudman: It's a battle of wheels versus heels
COMMENT: Time for walkers of the world to reclaim the footpaths.
All students should study NZ's early history
COMMENT: Perhaps a compulsory class in colonial history for MPs is what's needed first.
Brian Rudman: An ark might be safest site for Te Papa treasures
COMMENT: Look to Manukau as a safe site for a national art collection.
Brian Rudman: 'Tis the season to be silly as scooters hit our footpaths
COMMENT: Transport Agency policy on Lime vehicles has Auckland pedestrians under threat.
Brian Rudman: Christmas issues strike our schools
COMMENT: Nativity scene stoush shows secularity in state schools is the best way forward.
Brian Rudman: Draconian power wrong way to fix housing
COMMENT: New authority will override the planning and consenting powers of local councils.
Brian Rudman: Online voting won't cure lack of interest
COMMENT: That local politics is no longer relevant to the non-voting majority.
Brian Rudman: Anti-progress stance on viewshafts misses point
COMMENT: PwC director out of sync with wider views on Auckland's volcanic cone viewshafts.
Brian Rudman: Housing crisis no respecter of class
COMMENT: After a decade of neglect, there are problems in all directions.
Brian Rudman: Lest we forget ravages of our own un-civil war
COMMENT: The colonial wars of the 1800s had a much greater influence than World War 1.
Brian Rudman: Waterfront stadium lacks adventure
COMMENT: A true visionary would have taken advantage of watery site and embraced the sea.
Brian Rudman: Bus ads are not a pretty picture
COMMENT: Window advertising lives on. Instead of banning it, AT is now running business.
Brian Rudman: Time to bite the bullet on Auckland rail
COMMENT: Let's bite the bullet and build a heavy rail spur from the airport to Puhinui.
Brian Rudman: NZ First once more revving up anti-migrant bland wagon
COMMENT: There's no sign of NZ First's anti-Asian itch infecting the body politic.
Brian Rudman: Watch out for electric scooter bowling alley
COMMENT: Forcing pedestrians to share with motorised planks hardly creates safer streets.
Brian Rudman: Time to rewrite the national anthem
Comment: National anthem calls to a God at least 50 per cent of us don't believe exists.
Brian Rudman: Wētā sanctuary at zoo would be double win
COMMENT: Forest in predator-free zone could have corridor role in native bird revival.
Brian Rudman: Minister's tough turn on housing hard to justify
COMMENT: Phil Twyford is resorting to the tired old Wellington-knows-best line.
Brian Rudman: RWC fiasco lesson amid push for SkyPath
COMMENT: Bike lobby would do well to recall fiasco when rail revamp was tied to RWC 2011.
Brian Rudman: Debate on proposed museum's mana cuts both ways
COMMENT: Spotlight on Waitangi museum project gives new opportunity for basic questions.
Brian Rudman: Academic freedom must be sacred
COMMENT: Massey University already addressing issue without need for Govt bullying.
Brian Rudman: Fast-track Auckland bus improvements please
COMMENT: Why haven't we borrowed Sydney's bus priority rules.
Brian Rudman: The great piano arrest scandal
COMMENT: What's the point in restoring a mutilated piano?
Brian Rudman: How about downtown pad for homeless?
COMMENT: Manukau Bus Station proposal, for all its short-comings, is a glimmer of hope.
Brian Rudman: Census stats down for the count
COMMENT: 'digital-first' approach leaves one in ten of people in New Zealand unrecorded.
Brian Rudman: Goff got ban on supremacists right
COMMENT: Goff was right to signal white supremacists are not welcome in our community.
Brian Rudman: Govt has bob each way on penal policy
COMMENT: The Government continues to play footsie with the law and order lobbyists.
Brian Rudman: Council's memory caught short over loo
COMMENT: 1988 deal means toilets have 20 years to go.
Brian Rudman: Matariki perfectly at home in NZ
COMMENT: Imported events nowhere near as relevant to us .
Brian Rudman: Better to clip tourism ticket at border
COMMENT: Kiwi trampers will now bludge off their overseas fellow travellers.
Brian Rudman: Where's cash for freedom campers?
COMMENT: Don't let the freedom campers' queue to toilet in the sand dunes grow.
Brian Rudman: We don't need a stadium - we need St James
COMMENT: Hardly surprising council bureaucrats wanted costly stadium report kept secret.
Brian Rudman: Farmers should cope with bug on their own
COMMENT: Taxpayer bailout undeserved after rural misuse of the Nait scheme.
Brian Rudman: Is there a Phil free for rat detail?
COMMENT: Last week, came the annual, "Plague of rats hits Remmers" scare story.
Brian Rudman: Off with tradition of a royal head
COMMENT: Confirming Charles in role makes mockery of values.
Brian Rudman: Vector lines security in dark ages
COMMENT: Embarrassing outages prove undergrounding greater priority than annual dividend.
Brian Rudman: Hosking's minimum wage cropper
COMMENT: Setting a bottom price for labour key in civilised society.
Brian Rudman: Time for PM to call in a favour
COMMENT: Help is needed from NZ First to change bail and parole law.
Brian Rudman: At last, a Govt that treats city as part of NZ
COMMENT: It is nice at last to have a Govt that treats Auckland not as a rival power base.
Brian Rudman: Going back to the future
COMMENT: Some politicians and parts of media trying to put us back into colonial diapers.
Brian Rudman: Pursuit policy dead wrong
COMMENT: Too many chases of minor traffic offences end in death, says Brian Rudman.
Brian Rudman: Census '18 - The year God defriends NZ?
COMMENT: What an anti-climax. Yesterday was Census Day so where are the results?
Brian Rudman: Use defence dollars on pests
COMMENT: Divert some defence money to fighting stink bugs, argues Brian Rudman.
Brian Rudman: Cheaper bus and train fares a no-brainer
COMMENT: Finally a minister wants to improve public transport instead of building roads.
Brian Rudman: Twyford hits own thumb with hammer
COMMENT: Politicians have long known the risks of sharing the stage with babies and pets.
Brian Rudman: One final challenge for Jacinda
COMMENT: PM has brought peace to Waitangi. Can we ask for more water at public sites next?
Brian Rudman: Time to stop waterfront dream scheme
COMMENT: Auckland mayor Phil Goff may have rolled over but the Government won't buy it.
Brian Rudman: Show will go on in PM's absence
COMMENT: Doom merchants predicting disaster during PM's absence need to take history pill.
Brian Rudman: Why we should ditch the royals
COMMENT: Let's beat the Aussies to the draw over becoming a republic.
Brian Rudman: Dogged battler was prepared to risk a loss
COMMENT: Jim Anderton fought politically from day one.
Brian Rudman: Douse the water deniers
COMMENT: You do have to despair at what the democratic system can throw up.
Brian Rudman: We live - and die - as a region
We are a region. Our future lies as a region, and we have to pay for it.
Brian Rudman: Auckland's charity should begin at home
COMMENT: A great city used to be more than roads, sewers and ports, writes Brian Rudman.
Downside of 212sq m bungalow earning $260k a year
Bonkers valuation rises restate need for fairer revenue system than rates.