Damien Grant: Should ministers be compelled by Waitangi Tribunal?

If we were to do a word-cloud for the Honourable Judith Collins KC, few would reach for ‘restraint’. She made her bones crushing the dreams of boy racers and removing one of the last pleasures for prisoners; cigarettes.

So. When I stumbled across a speech that Collins, now attorney general, gave to the Law Association, formerly the Auckland District Law Society, I didn’t pay it much attention. Nor did anyone else.

This is unfortunate. Some background: