
The Wilful Blindness of Putin’s Apologists
Some see Ukraine’s fight as a defining battle for freedom. Others dismiss it as a reckless provocation. Read more
Roger Partridge is chairman and a co-founder of The New Zealand Initiative and is a senior member of its research team. He is a regular commentator in the media on public policy and constitutional law. He led law firm Bell Gully as executive chairman from 2007 to 2014, after 16 years as a commercial litigation partner. He is an honorary fellow of the Legal Research Foundation, a charitable foundation associated with the University of Auckland and was its executive director from 2001 to 2009. He is a member of the editorial board of the New Zealand Law Review and was a member of the Council of the New Zealand Law Society, the governing body of the legal profession in New Zealand, from 2011 to 2015. He is a former chartered member of the Institute of Directors, a member of the University of Auckland Business School advisory board, and a member of the Mont Pelerin Society.
Phone: +64 4 499 0790
Some see Ukraine’s fight as a defining battle for freedom. Others dismiss it as a reckless provocation. Read more
Donald Trump rode to office pledging to “drain the swamp,” fight runaway bureaucracy, and defend ordinary Americans against elite-driven progressivism. In a world of “woke” excess and activist courts, these promises resonated deeply with conservatives who believe in smaller government, individual liberty, and strong national defence. Read more
Roger talked to Sean Plunket on The Platform, articulating principled concerns about Donald Trump's approach to governance, warning that despite identifying legitimate problems, Trump threatens democratic institutions by systematically undermining constitutional checks and balances. Watch below. Read more
For many conservatives, Donald Trump’s return to the presidency brings hope. America’s institutions desperately needed disruption. Read more
The Finance and Expenditure Committee resumed its banking inquiry this week, with Committee members wanting to hear again from bank chiefs. The Committee is looking for answers about banking competition. Read more
The Supreme Court’s decisions late last year in A, B and C v D and E Limited as Trustees of the Z Trusti (the Alphabet case) and Whakatōhea Kotahitanga Waka (the Edwards case) v Ngāti Ira O Waiowekaii (the Edwards case) offer a striking study in contrasts. Both decisions have drawn attention for appearing to resist judicial overreach. Read more
Waitangi day debates about New Zealand’s sovereignty often fixate on a single moment: the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840. This focus is understandable, given the Treaty’s significance to both Māori and the Crown. Read more
Prime Minister Luxon’s State of the Nation speech has already orchestrated an immediate response. The naysayers have identified the possibility of success as a threat to our national way of life. Read more
Has the Supreme Court once again stepped outside its lane? A recent ruling about who controls our coastlines suggests our highest court is trying to reshape laws made by Parliament, rather than just apply them. Read more
David Harvey’s thoughtful critique in Law News of my report for The New Zealand Initiative, Who Makes the Law? Reining in the Supreme Court,[i] highlights the importance of addressing judicial overreach.[ii] The retired District Court judge agrees with the report’s conclusions that recent Supreme Court decisions raise legitimate concerns. Read more
Something is seriously wrong with New Zealand’s public wealth. We rank near the top globally for per-capita resources and assets - ahead of most OECD nations. Read more
Jordan Peterson’s recent keynote at the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship (ARC) conference in Sydney laid bare a critical divide within classical liberalism. Peterson champions individual responsibility and free markets. Read more
For over three decades, New Zealand has laboured under an employment law paradox. Laws designed to protect ordinary workers from arbitrary dismissal have constrained firms when dealing with poorly performing senior managers. Read more
My recent report, Who Makes the Law? Reining in the Supreme Court,[i] has sparked widespread debate about judicial overreach by the Supreme Court. Read more
Wellington (Friday, 29 November 2024) - The New Zealand Initiative welcomes today's announcement that New Zealand will follow Australia in excluding high-income earners from personal grievance claims for unjustified dismissal. The change implements recommendations from the Initiative's 2021 research note "Nothing Costs Nothing: Why unjustified dismissal procedures should not apply to the highly paid" (available here). Read more