Ele Ludemann: From $50,000 to less than $1,000

Minister Brooke van Velden shows what can be achieved when common sense and practicality meets bureaucracy:

Kiwis told us that they wanted their Government Departments to be easier to engage with by putting English names first, as it is the language that the vast majority of the country speaks.

Suze: Remember the New Civil Registration System Promised in 2022?

A virtual chocolate fish to the first person to come up with an estimate of the amount of money squandered on the DIA’s poorly managed systems update.

In August 2022 we were promised a new system of recording births, deaths and marriages. It was supposed to be more efficient, secure, and reliable than the current system and was set to go live late this year.

Guy Hatchard: The New Zealand Government Has Tabled Proposals to Appoint a Chief Wizard

How on Earth Did This Happen?

The Department of Internal Affairs has released a consultation document containing proposed changes to censorship procedures. Read a sobering commentary by the Free Speech Union here.

The proposals include the appointment of a chief regulator who will be empowered to decide whether online content (including social media posts) is ‘harmful’. To do so, he will be empowered to make up his own ‘guidelines’ without the input of parliament. The proposals will also allow fines exceeding $200,000 to be levied on those who don’t comply with his ideas.

So What Exactly Will the Regulator’s Draconian Powers Replace?