Josh Van Veen: Wayne Brown’s first month

Wayne Brown has been Mayor for a month, and already he has done more to change Auckland than Phil Goff did in six years. The changes began even before Brown was sworn in. Only hours after the election results were announced on 8 October, the Chair of Auckland Transport Adrienne Young-Cooper resigned. It set in motion a radical change of direction at the Council-Controlled Organisation (CCO), encouraged by an open letter from the Mayor-elect.

Much to the frustration of some, AT’s executive leadership has instructed staff to be less preoccupied with ‘active modes’ such as walking and cycling. In practice, this could make Goff’s Transport Emissions Reduction Pathway null and void. Under the Pathway, adopted by the Council in August, transport emissions must be reduced by 64% before the end of the decade. This ambitious target was always fanciful, given that emissions were forecast to go up by 6% under the current 10-year Regional Land Transport Plan (RLTP).

Josh Van Veen: A Modest defence of Chris Liddell

Is it possible to live and let live in the post-Trump era? The online campaign to vilify Christopher Liddell, ex-White House Deputy Chief of Staff and Assistant to Trump, makes for an interesting case study. Liddell is a New Zealander whose illustrious career in corporate America once earned him plaudits back home. 

Five years ago, the New Zealand Government recognised the multi-millionaire for his ‘services to business and philanthropy’. But some activists are now urging New Zealanders to ‘#ShunLiddell’. In response, politicians are distancing themselves and the media has turned negative.

The mastermind of this campaign is Phil Quin, a New Zealand writer and ex-Labour Party staffer with links to the U.S. Democratic Party.