Nicholas Kerr: Alienation and the Failure of MMP

Bryce Edwards’ column on New Zealand’s growing “alienated” class raises an important issue. The numbers are striking: more than a quarter of the country feels politically disconnected, and nearly half believe the system needs major change or replacement.

That is not noise. It is a flashing red light.

Pee Kay: A mirror can only reflect what is standing in front of it!

New Zealand society is as divided on the issue of race as never before. From the 23rd of September 2017 until the 14th of October 2023 we were encumbered with a Labour government that for 6 years, set about dividing the country along lines based on ancestry.

To criticise was to be labelled racist. Critical analysis of the government by the MSM became a long forgotten process. Academics, they who rode extremely high horses, were free to revel in perpetrating the Treaty partnership myth and condemning anyone who questions the magnificence of Te Ao Maori.

Philip Crump: New Zealand’s MMP Journey - Lessons from Germany’s Electoral Long Game

New Zealand’s move to Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) representation in 1996 unlocked the old two-party grip of Labour and National and ushered in the multi-party era. Achieving greater representation in Parliament was, after all, one of the drivers for reforming the electoral system at that time.

Nearly three decades later, the vote shares of the two main parties in New Zealand have slid from highs above 40% to long-term averages hovering in the 25–30% range.