Rodney Hide’s Local Government Act 2002 Act Amendment Bill claims to rest on the principle that decision - making by local authorities should be clear, transparent and accountable, and that financial reporting is in clear English.

Concern over chronic current account deficits prompts politicians to exhort the productive sector to work harder and improve efficiency.

They may be, but only because they probably don't know what they're missing? When I read on the Internet that about 49 per cent of New Zealanders are content with the economic situation, one assumes that all his getting much better for everyone.

Will New Zealanders ever save enough? The recent call by the Governor of the Reserve Bank for people to save more and stop piling up debt should send a shiver down the spine of all business folk and those in paid employment.

Kiwisavers: lookout! When one learns of another New Zealand finance company going bust leaving 9,000 investors out of pocket, thoughts must surely turn to the Kiwisaver "market" said to worth over $5,000 million. Investments made with these funds intended to provide money for pensions can someti...

In his opening address to Parliament, PM John Key ignored most of the Tax Working Group’s recommendations for tax reform. The TWG report recognised New Zealand’s tax system was dysfunctional, but could only suggest clumsy patches and shuffling revenue streams. It is more notable for omissions and ...

The other day I bought a pair of headphones with a microphone to use with my laptop computer. The main reason for the purchase was to dictate into the computer - as I am doing now - rather than typing.   The problem was that I could hear nothing back, nor could I hear the music I had filed...

In his book Whoops! Why Everyone Owes Everyone and No One Can Pay , John Lanchester seemingly explained how modern language of government, (delivering of services, providers etc) came into being. Following the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, this produced a climate of unchallenged victory for t...

View a "campaign video by Richard Curtis and Bill Nighy, about the Robin Hood Tax, a tiny tax on bank transactions that could raise hundreds of billions for public services and to tackle poverty and climate change at home and around the world. Â

Are carbon credits a solution or extra wealth for the rich? There is evidence that the activities of the human race over the years have adversely affected the environment. The debt based financial system has seen to that. Whether the carbon credits schemes are the answer to the problems of air p...