Dr Oliver Hartwich: NZ is too busy governing badly to govern well

There is an old joke about a man who visits his doctor complaining of fatigue. The doctor prescribes a course of vitamins and tells him to come back in a month. When the patient returns, the doctor asks whether the pills have helped. “I have no idea,” the man replies. “I could not get the bottle open.”

In this case, the joke is on New Zealand.

DTNZ: Politicians unite behind referendum for four-year parliamentary term

A referendum on extending New Zealand’s parliamentary term from three years to four now looks almost certain, following near-unanimous agreement from the Justice Select Committee.

Chair Andrew Bayly confirmed the committee is considering possible dates, noting strong cross-party support to let the public decide.

DTNZ: Four-year Parliamentary Term Bill introduced

The coalition government has introduced legislation to extend the parliamentary term to four years, contingent on the outcome of a binding referendum.

The proposal, supported by National, ACT, and New Zealand First, includes a key condition from ACT: the extension would only take effect if select committees are structured to reflect the proportion of non-Executive MPs.