Lighting a fire in the first hundred days

Lighting a fire in the first hundred days
In the thick of it – Christopher Luxon shakes yet another hand on the campaign trail. (Image: BusinessDesk)
Pattrick Smellie
With a hiss and a roar, Chris Hipkins took up his prime ministership in late January, promising a “policy bonfire” that would reset Labour’s relationship with the New Zealand public.By stopping a variety of unpopular policies or watering them down, he was attempting to get his hands on a policy agenda that had become bloated, unwieldy and, worst of all, ineffectual. The trouble with that approach was that it too often featured Hipkins as “The Great Unannouncer”.Rather than giving the country a sense of what La...

More Opinion

Wellington's blue sky boondoggle
Infrastructure

Pattrick Smellie: Wellington's blue sky boondoggle

Is the capital's airport serious, or is Infratil just trying to pump value?

Pattrick Smellie 22 Nov 2024
Govt’s arms flailing, with little cohesive direction
Economy

Ganesh Nana: Govt’s arms flailing, with little cohesive direction

A tight-fisted Government is hobbling its own ambitions. 

Ganesh Nana 22 Nov 2024
It’s time for a national conversation on productivity
Economy

Cameron Bagrie: It’s time for a national conversation on productivity

Bold action needed as a further downgrade to Treasury's forecasts looks likely.

Cameron Bagrie 22 Nov 2024