About
Chris Trotter
Latest articles
Chris Trotter says if Christopher Luxon secured his promised New Zealand-India FTA by giving India what it most wants, NZ First would have all it needed to campaign against its former coalition partner with every prospect of increasing its tally of seats
24th Mar 25, 8:50am
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Chris Trotter says if Christopher Luxon secured his promised New Zealand-India FTA by giving India what it most wants, NZ First would have all it needed to campaign against its former coalition partner with every prospect of increasing its tally of seats
Will institutions with billions of dollars at their disposal invest them in a country so obviously in a deep funk?
17th Mar 25, 8:14am
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Will institutions with billions of dollars at their disposal invest them in a country so obviously in a deep funk?
The next question after 'will Luxon really go?' is, of course, 'will that work?'
10th Mar 25, 7:26am
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The next question after 'will Luxon really go?' is, of course, 'will that work?'
While people may laugh at a ventriloquist’s dummy, they are much less likely to vote for one
3rd Mar 25, 9:19am
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While people may laugh at a ventriloquist’s dummy, they are much less likely to vote for one
Until we can agree upon the shape and purpose of the state we are defending, then the long-overdue refurbishment and rehabilitation of our armed forces is unlikely to, and probably shouldn’t, happen
24th Feb 25, 8:30am
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Until we can agree upon the shape and purpose of the state we are defending, then the long-overdue refurbishment and rehabilitation of our armed forces is unlikely to, and probably shouldn’t, happen
Chris Trotter asks: What happens to a nation’s politics when compromise becomes a dirty word?
17th Feb 25, 8:24am
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Chris Trotter asks: What happens to a nation’s politics when compromise becomes a dirty word?
The challenge facing Christopher Luxon and Chris Hipkins is how to keep their small and vulnerable nation safe and stable in a world whose economic and political climate the forty-seventh American president is changing so profoundly
10th Feb 25, 7:37am
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The challenge facing Christopher Luxon and Chris Hipkins is how to keep their small and vulnerable nation safe and stable in a world whose economic and political climate the forty-seventh American president is changing so profoundly
Over the 33 years between 1990 and 2023, and allowing for the aberrant 2020 result, the average level of support enjoyed by the parties of the Left and the Right turns out to be, as near as dammit, identical
3rd Feb 25, 9:23am
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Over the 33 years between 1990 and 2023, and allowing for the aberrant 2020 result, the average level of support enjoyed by the parties of the Left and the Right turns out to be, as near as dammit, identical
Economic growth is possible, Christopher Luxon reassures us, but only under a government that is willing to get out of the way and let those with drive and ambition get on with it
27th Jan 25, 9:09am
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Economic growth is possible, Christopher Luxon reassures us, but only under a government that is willing to get out of the way and let those with drive and ambition get on with it
Successful political leadership embodies a keen awareness of past, present, and future: along with the wisdom to adjudicate what is owed, and should be paid, to each; writes Chris Trotter. Sadly, such leadership has not been much in evidence during 2024
16th Dec 24, 9:21am
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Successful political leadership embodies a keen awareness of past, present, and future: along with the wisdom to adjudicate what is owed, and should be paid, to each; writes Chris Trotter. Sadly, such leadership has not been much in evidence during 2024
As a starter for 10% of the Party Vote, 'saving the planet' is a very respectable objective, writes Chris Trotter, but what does being Green really mean in 2024?
9th Dec 24, 8:15am
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As a starter for 10% of the Party Vote, 'saving the planet' is a very respectable objective, writes Chris Trotter, but what does being Green really mean in 2024?
For the democratic process to be meaningful, argues Chris Trotter, it must also be public
2nd Dec 24, 8:13am
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For the democratic process to be meaningful, argues Chris Trotter, it must also be public
What message was the devastating arrival of all those nuclear-defanged Russian MIRVs supposed to send? And how should the government of far-away New Zealand respond?
25th Nov 24, 8:19am
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What message was the devastating arrival of all those nuclear-defanged Russian MIRVs supposed to send? And how should the government of far-away New Zealand respond?
The one sound loud enough to be heard above even the most determined of political noise-makers, is the sound of the majority making up its mind
11th Nov 24, 9:51am
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The one sound loud enough to be heard above even the most determined of political noise-makers, is the sound of the majority making up its mind
Chris Trotter says Christopher Luxon should be grateful that his principal opponent, Chris Hipkins, is as out of sympathy with the temper of the times as he is
28th Oct 24, 9:38am
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Chris Trotter says Christopher Luxon should be grateful that his principal opponent, Chris Hipkins, is as out of sympathy with the temper of the times as he is
Chris Trotter says Matthew Hooton’s support for Winston Peters’ New Zealand Futures Fund reflects the Radical Right’s newfound reluctance to bet everything on the efficacy of market forces
21st Oct 24, 8:24am
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Chris Trotter says Matthew Hooton’s support for Winston Peters’ New Zealand Futures Fund reflects the Radical Right’s newfound reluctance to bet everything on the efficacy of market forces
Labour and National can only reduce the toxic influence of their electoral competitors by rejecting their extremism, writes Chris Trotter
14th Oct 24, 8:41am
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Labour and National can only reduce the toxic influence of their electoral competitors by rejecting their extremism, writes Chris Trotter
To the Peoples Republic of China, and its friends around the world, the United States must remind them of the flailing and failing Chinese Empire of 1900, writes Chris Trotter
7th Oct 24, 8:15am
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To the Peoples Republic of China, and its friends around the world, the United States must remind them of the flailing and failing Chinese Empire of 1900, writes Chris Trotter
No government can survive the level of anger driving one quarter of a major city’s citizens onto the streets, Chris Trotter says
30th Sep 24, 7:43am
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No government can survive the level of anger driving one quarter of a major city’s citizens onto the streets, Chris Trotter says
Chris Trotter argues governing is now about fulfilling private interests’ objectives whilst trying to pass them off as your own
23rd Sep 24, 9:23am
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Chris Trotter argues governing is now about fulfilling private interests’ objectives whilst trying to pass them off as your own
Denied the state’s leadership and resources, New Zealand’s economy has been hollowed out and taken over. More importantly, so has its democracy
16th Sep 24, 7:30am
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Denied the state’s leadership and resources, New Zealand’s economy has been hollowed out and taken over. More importantly, so has its democracy
With no realistic prospect of a 'policy disrupter' taking over the Labour Party, writes Chris Trotter, New Zealand’s wealthiest citizens can sleep easy
9th Sep 24, 7:36am
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With no realistic prospect of a 'policy disrupter' taking over the Labour Party, writes Chris Trotter, New Zealand’s wealthiest citizens can sleep easy
Māori and Pakeha have an equally pressing need for the Kotahitanga that was King Tuheitia’s guiding star
2nd Sep 24, 9:33am
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Māori and Pakeha have an equally pressing need for the Kotahitanga that was King Tuheitia’s guiding star
Chris Trotter says Chris Hipkins’ give-National-nothing-to-aim-at strategy will only succeed if the Coalition becomes as unpopular in three years as the British Tories became in fourteen
26th Aug 24, 8:22am
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Chris Trotter says Chris Hipkins’ give-National-nothing-to-aim-at strategy will only succeed if the Coalition becomes as unpopular in three years as the British Tories became in fourteen
Chris Trotter says voting together, Māori and Pasifika workers, professionals and managers employed by the state, and “progressive” Baby-Boomer superannuitants, can defeat the Coalition Government. But will they?
19th Aug 24, 7:51am
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Chris Trotter says voting together, Māori and Pasifika workers, professionals and managers employed by the state, and “progressive” Baby-Boomer superannuitants, can defeat the Coalition Government. But will they?