Politics

Today is the fifth and final day the online event Visionweek NZ 2020, the virtual summit asking ‘What next for New Zealand?’ in the wake of the biggest pandemic in our lifetime. All week a myriad of New Zealand’s finest minds in business have been offering their thoughts on the future of New Zealand in the wake of the biggest …

Jack Vowles, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington New Zealand’s 2020 general election will be like no other in our history. It comes in the wake of a remarkable government-led act of collective solidarity that has sacrificed businesses and livelihoods in the cause of protecting those who would have been most vulnerable to COVID-19: the old, those with …

Michael Baker, University of Otago and Nick Wilson, University of Otago Editor’s update: New Zealand has “eliminated” COVID-19 “for now”, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has declared, announcing the nation will move to alert level 1 from midnight on June 8, lifting all requirements for social distancing and restrictions on businesses. We are confident we have eliminated transmission of the virus …

Regina Scheyvens, Massey University and Apisalome Movono, Massey University Pacific nations have largely avoided the worst health effects of COVID-19, but its economic impact has been devastating. With the tourism tap turned off, unemployment has soared while GDP has plummeted. In recent weeks, Fiji Airways laid off 775 employees and souvenir business Jack’s of Fiji laid off 500. In Vanuatu …

Lachlan G. Howell, University of Newcastle; John Clulow, University of Newcastle; John Rodger, University of Newcastle, and Ryan R. Witt, University of Newcastle The COVID-19 pandemic is causing significant economic challenges for Australia. With April figures showing more than 800,000 people unemployed and last month 1.6 million on JobSeeker payments, a key focus will be job creation. Lessons should be …

Michael Fletcher, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington One of New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s favourite exhortations is that we all “be kind” to one another. It’s part of the reason she and her government have won admiration around the world for their handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Their latest income support program, however, has led many …

Philip Russo, Monash University The death of African-American man George Floyd at the hands of police has sparked protests across the United States and inspired many people to reflect on our own history of police violence against Indigenous people in Australia and New Zealand. After thousands marched across New Zealand on Monday, a series of rallies and vigils are planned …

In mid-April, as New Zealand entered its fourth week of alert level 4, the Prime Minister warned us not to make comparisons with other countries over our Covid-19 pandemic response.   This extraordinary advice came after Simon Bridges had urged the government to adopt a less-stringent lockdown similar to those in some Australian states. He told media that Australia “has …

China and Hong Kong will this week reach a major turning point, with the expected signing of the new National Security Law in Beijing. The law is designed to quell the continuing pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, but marks a departure from the “One Country, Two Systems” arrangement Hong Kong has worked under since 1997, which includes a high degree of …

Andre Spicer, City, University of London A very large number of people in the UK have been complying with coronavirus lockdown rules and staying at home, according to recent study. That, in part, explains the outrage that has followed the revelation that Dominic Cummings, Boris Johnson’s chief adviser, was not among them. Cummings has admitted travelling across the country in …