BusinessDesk is incredibly pleased to announce that Jane Clifton starts as political columnist this week.

Clifton has been a political reporter and columnist for most of her adult life, including the past 24 years writing for The Listener.

“It’s very exciting to be joining BusinessDesk, particularly at a time when most political orthodoxies are having to be reassessed, and all our parties are operating well outside their traditional comfort zones.”

CEO and editor Pattrick Smellie said: “This completes an incredibly strong line up of regular columnists, making BusinessDesk the destination for smart, thoughtful commentary. Together with a roster of great occasional commentators, we offer our readers a rounded view of the world, free from editorial bias or interference.” 

BusinessDesk’s columnist line up:

  • Jane Clifton, Friday: politics
  • Brian Gaynor, Saturday: business and businesspeople
  • Jehan Casinader, Saturday: social issues and politics
  • Victoria Young, Saturday: money and the people making it
  • Peter Griffin, Thursday: tech and startups
  • David Chaplin, Wednesday: investment industry
  • Pattrick Smellie: politics and business

BusinessDesk launched as a news website on February 26 and has cemented itself as the key voice in New Zealand business journalism with staff including Pattrick Smellie, Matt Martel, Jenny Ruth, Paul McBeth, Rebecca Howard, Victoria Young, Gavin Evans, Brent Melville and Dan Brunskill.

Last week BusinessDesk announced the appointment of Rebecca Stevenson (formerly Stuff’s business editor), Jacqui Loates-Haver (formerly editor of Bauer’s Kia Ora), Andy Fyers (formerly a data journalist at Stuff) and Lauren Buckeridge (formerly of Bauer).