Local Council Amalgamations Must Be Resisted
An attack on democracy in the local government sphere is underway. The government is attempting to force local councils to amalgamate, form regional unitary authorities, and abolish the City and District Council tier of local government. Existing District, City, and Regional Councils must either submit their own plans for amalgamation to central government by 9 […]
New Laws Harken Back to the Dawn Raids Era
Under new laws, immigration officers will be able to demand identification from suspected overstayers at their homes and workplaces. These out-of-hours compliance visits harken back to policies of the Dawn Raids era of the 1970s, in which Pacific peoples were forcefully targeted as “overstayers” despite only constituting one-third of migrants staying past the expiration of […]
Migrants are not Disposable Workers!
Last year on 18 December, International Migrants Day, Union Network of Migrants (UNEMIG) joined with other groups to protest outside the office of Immigration Minister Erica Stanford, raising the slogan “migrants are not disposable workers.” Mandeep Bela, president of UNEMIG, said that “today is about recognising the immense contributions of migrants, but also confronting the harsh realities many face. Our immigration system has created a profound power imbalance, trapping workers in silence and fear.”
Protest Report: Ōtepoti – No Cuts to Fees Free!
The Spark Ignites in Ōtepoti On Thursday 28 May 2026, around 400 students marched through the University of Otago campus, down George Street, and to the Octagon, adorned with various flags, placards, and banners. As students recognise their strength in numbers, the spark of a student movement is igniting in Ōtepoti. After the progressive rise […]
Postering on Campus a Step Too Far? Student Politics in the Corporate University
On 20 May 2026, political student groups received an email from the University of Otago proctor Dave Scott, requesting that students only poster in allowed places, threatening legal action and financial compensation if billsticking continued. While seemingly an innocuous request for students to respect the Proctor Office’s Code of Conduct, Scott’s email betrays the thorough […]
A Class War Budget
Above all else, what Nicola Willis and Chris Luxon are doing in the 2026 Budget is taking from poor and middling folks and giving to the rich, who also happen to be National and ACT’s main political donors. More precisely, Budget 2026 continues to maintain comparatively low tax rates on corporate profits and high incomes, […]
Party Profiles: The New Zealand Greens – A Marxist Critique
This piece is one in a series of profiles of electoral parties in the lead up to the 2026 General Election. The Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand is currently the most left-wing it has ever been. It is the largest pole of attraction for radicals and even socialists in the New Zealand political landscape. […]
The Coalition and the Climate: Counting the Crimes
Editor’s note: This piece was penned in April 2026, prior to large-scale flooding in the North Island, and the 2026 Budget The consequences of environmental destruction and climate inaction are becoming clear. So-called “one-in-a-generation” weather events and extreme weather more broadly are becoming increasingly common. The extreme rainfall that recently devastated North Island communities and […]
Against the “Definitions of Woman and Man” Bill
Following in the footsteps of innumerable waves of anti-trans legislature in the US and the UK’s Supreme Court decision last year, the coalition government ensured that, on 20 May, “Legislation (Definitions of Woman and Man) Amendment Bill” passed its first reading. It is now with the Select Committee and submissions on this Bill will be […]
ACT New Zealand: The Ideologues of Neoliberalism
This piece is one in a series of profiles of electoral parties in the lead up to the 2026 General Election. From attacks on the public service and pay equity to the farcical Treaty Principles Bill, the ACT Party has done much to throw us further to the grinding gears of capitalism. Their role in […]
