Happening every three years, Youth Parliament gives young people a unique opportunity to get a first-hand look at how democracy works in New Zealand. According to the Office of the Clerk, Youth Parliament has five objectives: replicate the Parliamentary process involve as many young people as possible (before and after the event) maximise the educational […]
Today marks the 25th anniversary of the first ever MMP election in New Zealand, the biggest change to the country’s electoral system since women were given the right to vote more than a century ago. That’s Wal of Footrot Flats fame in 1996, practising something New Zealanders were about to do for the first time […]
New Zealand will review its electoral laws to ensure the rules remain fit for purpose and “meet the needs of the next generation of voters” ahead of the 2023 general election. “Much has changed since the 1950s but most of our electoral rules haven’t. We want to make election rules clearer and fairer to build […]
New Zealand’s parliament will return under lockdown, but against the wishes of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. Ardern suspended the parliament last week, amid fears of spreading Covid19. However, after calls from the opposition party, parliament will resume this week. National party leader Judith Collins, who has travelled from Auckland – the epicentre of the outbreak […]
The New Zealand government confirmed it would deliver on its commitment to raise the minimum wage to 20 NZ dollars (14.26 U.S. dollars) per hour from April 1, 2021, Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Michael Wood said on Thursday. As the country recovers and rebuilds from COVID-19, the government is committed to supporting New Zealanders […]
It’s the world’s biggest trade deal most people have never heard of. New Zealand and 14 other countries from the Asia Pacific region are set to sign a new major trade agreement this weekend – the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). It encompasses Japan, China, South Korea, the 10 members of the Association of Southeast […]
Asia Pacific leaders have set aside differences with their first joint communique in three years, calling for free and predictable trade to help a global economy laid low by the coronavirus pandemic. Leaders of the 21-nation Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), who included US President Donald Trump and China’s President Xi Jinping, also said they would […]
The government has done a deal over facial recognition technology that throws access to it wide open. The Department of Internal Affairs has signed a master agreement with a leading global biometrics tech supplier that just about any organisation, public or private, can be allowed to join. Documents released under the Official Information Act show […]
Reserve Bank governor Adrian Orr says the central bank wants to introduce debt to income ratios in New Zealand. It comes in the wake of a letter from Finance Minister Grant Robertson to the RBNZ suggesting a change to the rules under which it operates, to take heed of the impact of any monetary policy […]
Māori electorates have been a feature of national politics for more than 150 years, but at a local level just three of New Zealand’s 78 local authorities have Māori wards – the Bay of Plenty and Waikato regional councils and Wairoa District Council. The Bay of Plenty Regional Council was the first council to introduce […]