OpinionElement of absurd around talksTrade negotiations by their nature tend to teeter on the brink of failure and TPP at Maui proved to be no exception, says Stephen Jacobi.02 Aug 09:20 PM
OpinionBrian FallowBrian Fallow: Hard to assess risks in secret trade talksShould we be dismayed or relieved at the disarray the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations are in? Sorry, but on the information to hand it is impossible to say.02 Aug 05:00 PM
OpinionRodney HideRodney Hide: Sure beats Friday night bingoWe live in a beautiful, peaceful country. The Prime Minister has us designing a new flag. Labour leader Andrew Little wants a new national anthem. We truly are blessed.01 Aug 05:00 PM
OpinionFran O'SullivanFran O'Sullivan: Groser should walk away from TPP if no dealThe TPP has the potential to transform the economies of the 12 Asia-Pacific nations - but the devil, as always, is in the fine print, writes Fran O'Sullivan.31 Jul 05:00 PM
OpinionClaire TrevettClaire Trevett: Bottom line a problem for Little in flag and TPPThe Labour leader is walking a tightrope in delivering trade messages, writes Claire Trevett.31 Jul 05:00 PM
OpinionJohn RoughanJohn Roughan: TPP a 'threat' to innovation?Knowledge should not be a restricted property and its applications shouldn't be patentable, writes John Roughan.31 Jul 05:00 PM
OpinionClaire TrevettClaire Trevett: Peters upstaged but again a power on the riseWinston Peters clearly got some momentum from the Northland win. The question is whether he's made the most of it, writes Claire Trevett.29 Jul 09:26 PM
OpinionBryan Gould: Shift left predicted after privatisation shambles"Free market" theory has a lot to answer for, writes Bryan Gould. Charter schools? Privately run prisons? What about the wacky idea of selling bonds to finance social services?29 Jul 08:49 PM
OpinionNats' policy changes signalNational's latest bit of tinkering with its immigration policy will not solve the Auckland housing crisis. It will barely touch it.26 Jul 05:00 PM
OpinionFran O'SullivanFran O'Sullivan: Forthright English sets us straight on ChinaThe Finance Minister punctures dairy denials but needs an eye on recent boom and bust, writes Fran O'Sullivan.24 Jul 05:00 PM
OpinionJohn RoughanJohn Roughan: Little's pragmatic side coming throughThe Labour leader's comments on 90-day trials could be a sign the party is confronting the reality of taking the reins, writes John Roughan.24 Jul 05:00 PM
OpinionBryce EdwardsPolitical roundup: Reforming or wrecking prisons$100,000 a year to imprison a person is a lot of money. That's the striking figure at the centre of the current prison scandal and debate.24 Jul 05:00 AM
OpinionJohn Armstrong: Key told to flag $26m projectHaving watched John Key's obviously flagging campaign for a new flag, Andrew Little had some advice for the PM in Parliament yesterday.22 Jul 05:30 PM
OpinionClaire TrevettClaire Trevett: Key plays it straight as Little lobs on housingThose expecting fireworks in John Key and Andrew Little's first encounter since the Chinese-sounding-surname debate broke out were sorely disappointed, writes Claire Trevett.21 Jul 09:38 PM
OpinionJohn RoughanJohn Roughan: Pluto - credible science without politicsWe are in awe of the discoveries in outer space but sceptical about climate change - and with good reason, argues John Roughan.17 Jul 05:00 PM
OpinionJohn Armstrong: National off-guard over housingFor all intents and purposes National was done like a dog's dinner by Labour this week, writes John Armstrong.17 Jul 05:00 PM
OpinionFran O'SullivanFran O'Sullivan: Labour must dig deeper in foreign buyer dataIf the party's key researchers are made of stern stuff they will now further test their analysis, writes Fran O'Sullivan.17 Jul 05:00 PM
OpinionDita De Boni: Govt inactive on housing but robust against HagerThe state was paying unwarranted attention to Nicky Hager when its low-wage citizens needed it more, writes Dita De Boni.16 Jul 02:16 AM
OpinionClaire TrevettClaire Trevett: To be like Taylor Swift, Labour has to shake it offLabour could learn a thing or two from the adaptable, influential, and canny businesswoman Taylor Swift, writes Claire Trevett.15 Jul 09:43 PM
OpinionJohn RoughanJohn Roughan: Greece best left to its own devicesIt would be better for all concerned if the European Central Bank stopped the supply of credit to Greece and left the country to its own devices, writes John Roughan.10 Jul 05:00 PM
OpinionJohn Armstrong: Euthanasia a dead end for allPublic pressure needs to be harnessed if the ban on assisted deaths is to be axed, writes John Armstrong.10 Jul 05:00 PM
OpinionJohn Armstrong: English gets his surplus, but victory is spoiledThe surplus and its final size will not be known until October. But yesterday's figures effectively guarantee there will be one, writes John Armstrong.09 Jul 12:37 AM
OpinionClaire TrevettClaire Trevett: Surprise, surprise - MPs find urgent business in ApiaAfter a range of World Cups and test matches in his seven years as Prime Minister, Key could now rival Usain Bolt in his sprint to the changing room, writes Claire Trevett.08 Jul 09:30 PM
OpinionJohn Armstrong: This is the house that Bill builtThe Finance Minister is fuelling claims that privatisation is the Government's end game, writes John Armstrong.03 Jul 05:00 PM
OpinionJohn RoughanJohn Roughan: Obama finally sounds PresidentialBarack Obama's Charleston speech could come to rank with Martin Luther King's at the Lincoln Memorial as an inspiring moment of modern times, writes John Roughan.03 Jul 05:00 PM
OpinionDita de Boni: Beating obesity? Fat chanceA sugar tax is out according to Dr Jonathan Coleman who says there's no evidence it works. That's wrong, writes Dita De Boni.02 Jul 09:39 PM
OpinionBrian RudmanBrian Rudman: Auckland, why hate public toilets?Auckland Council's bean counters are trying to make a buck out of public lavatories.02 Jul 09:25 PM
OpinionMike HoskingSocial policies 'dangerous ideological territory'It's one thing to use our own money to bank with the Australians as most of us do, but taxpayer money on social services to foreigners is entering a new realm, writes Mike Hosking.01 Jul 09:33 PM
OpinionClaire TrevettClaire Trevett: Kereru scandal overshadows treaty negotiationsThere are many who appear to believe they are qualified to step up to the role Sonny Tau has vacated and act as bridge builder, writes Claire Trevett.01 Jul 09:31 PM
OpinionJohn Armstrong: Brownlee finds targets with brilliant banterSome MPs given the call to speak who try to be funny end up failing miserably. Brownlee never disappoints, writes John Armstrong.01 Jul 09:29 PM
OpinionFran O'SullivanFran O'Sullivan: Has Auckland cooked its goose?John Key, Bill English, Paula Bennett and Simon Bridges all know Len Brown is a lame duck mayor, writes Fran O'Sullivan.26 Jun 05:00 PM
OpinionJohn Armstrong: Being foolish does not prove you are a foolColin Craig has made a nonsense of his enemies' pigeonholing of him as a political neophyte, writes John Armstrong.26 Jun 05:00 PM
OpinionClaire TrevettClaire Trevett: Anything's possible with a soap opera finaleLike any soap opera the Colin Craig saga is full of shadowy villains, unrequited feelings, vengeance, wrath, and wronged wives, writes Claire Trevett.24 Jun 09:32 PM
OpinionJohn Armstrong: Housing report should be compulsory readingYou hum it; Nathan Guy will sing it. Frank Sinatra may have crooned about there being an awful lot of coffee in Brazil, John Armstrong writes.19 Jun 05:00 PM
