Author: Peter Williams

OPINION: Peter Williams How a clever campaign could help derail Chris Bishop There’s an intriguing campaign underway to try and manipulate the existence of the Māori electorates at the next two elections – this year and 2029 – and possibly for 2032 as well. That’s because the existence of seven such constituencies is guaranteed through the next two elections and there won’t be a review of their number and boundaries until at least 2030. Now that the census has been abandoned and replaced with otherwise available government data, there’s no guarantee the number of seats will change for 2032 either.…

OPINION: Peter Williams. Any politician who refuses to front on a particular media outlet essentially because he or she is afraid of being made to look foolish is, frankly, a coward and not competent to be in a position of responsibility. It’s into that category that we must now place the current Prime Minister. We know that Jacinda Ardern was already a certified member. Christopher Luxon has cancelled his regular appearances on TVNZ Breakfast after being hopelessly ill-prepared for a predictable barrage of aggressive questioning on a trivial topic from Tova O’Brien. He is also a regular decliner of interview…

OPINION: Peter Williams The following was written in Peter’s capacity as Taxpayers’ Union board member In 2022, I joined the Board of the Taxpayers’ Union to fight Nanaia Mahuta’s plan to confiscate community-owned water assets and put them into ‘co-governed’ Three Waters entities. And with the Luxon-led Government being elected with such a clear mandate, I thought we had won. So it gives me no pleasure to give you the bad news. Co-governance of local water is back. And it rests on you and me to stop it. I am asking you to join me in supporting the Taxpayers’ Union…