Dr Muriel Newman is the Director of the New Zealand Centre for Political Research, and a former Member of Parliament. She holds a PhD in mathematics education from Rutgers University.
A bombshell ruling from the High Court opens the door to tribal control of New Zealand’s foreshore and seabed. It represents a major setback for those who believe the country’s coastline and Territorial Sea should be owned by no-one and protected by the Crown for the benefit of all. The Edwards case is the first of some 200 Marine and Coastal Area Act applications for customary…
The Government’s state of emergency has created a dangerous political vacuum. Decisions that profoundly affect everyone’s lives are being undertaken in an autocratic fashion without any attempt at democratic involvement. Even the typically reserved Law Society has raised concerns about the lack of transparency and consultation associated with the lockdown: “As far as possible,…