Articles by John MacDonald
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Opinion
John MacDonald: Australia might have AUKUS-buyer's remorse
Friday, 13 June 2025, 1:33pmDonald Trump won’t be too happy with Helen Clark right now, because she’s saying she doesn't want New Zealand to be an ally...
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Opinion
John MacDonald: Wool carpet is great - but not everywhere
Thursday, 12 June 2025, 1:24pmI’m all for the push to have wool carpet used in government buildings but I think it’s a mistake putting it in state homes....
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Opinion
John MacDonald: People should have known about mentally-unwell gardener
Wednesday, 11 June 2025, 1:04pmI’m not exactly sure where to start with this, because it is just so tragic and there is so much to it. I could start by...
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Opinion
John MacDonald: The Govt needs some skin in the solar game
Tuesday, 10 June 2025, 12:27pmHow would you feel if the Government came out and said solar energy is the future and it was going to throw everything at...
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Opinion
John MacDonald: The modern learning environment - pipedream turned nightmare
Friday, 6 June 2025, 1:11pmImagine a school having $800,000 in the bank. Imagine all the things a school could buy with that amount of money. This...
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Opinion
John MacDonald: Privacy Commissioner says facial recognition's okay, but...
Wednesday, 4 June 2025, 1:15pmI am really torn. Because when it comes to facial recognition technology, I’ve always been of the view that if you’re not...
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Opinion
John MacDonald: The dangers of tinkering with Health and Safety
Tuesday, 3 June 2025, 1:02pmIf there’s anyone who shouldn't be told they can wind things back on the health and safety front, it’s a New Zealander. Because...
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Opinion
John MacDonald: Finger-wagging won't get more kids going to school
Friday, 30 May 2025, 12:42pmI can’t find an exact figure but from what I have seen online, I’m pretty confident in saying that there are hundreds of...
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Opinion
John MacDonald: Sometimes a ban isn't the answer
Wednesday, 28 May 2025, 1:06pmIt would be very easy for me to say that the organisers of those ridiculous Run it Straight combat sport events have blood...
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Opinion
John MacDonald: Have we lost the retail crime battle?
Tuesday, 27 May 2025, 12:53pm“Don’t sweat the small stuff.” That’s the message cops have been given about shoplifting. And the powers-that-be can...
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Opinion
John MacDonald: The community work sanction is an opportunity
Monday, 26 May 2025, 12:28pmThe Government is describing the 20 hours unpaid community work that people on the Jobseeker benefit will be made to do from...
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Opinion
John MacDonald: We're not going far enough with superannuation changes
Friday, 23 May 2025, 1:51pmQuite a well-known chief executive and finance guy told me once that, in business, you should always make use of other people’s...
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Opinion
John MacDonald: Unsafe health workers need more than a band-aid
Wednesday, 21 May 2025, 1:02pmLet’s call it and say that workers going to and from Christchurch Hospital at night-time deserve better. This is after what’s...
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Opinion
John MacDonald: Gun salutes and c-bombs don't belong in Parliament
Friday, 16 May 2025, 4:32pm"I've seen some bad times in this house, but this is one of the lowest I've ever seen. When you go to that sort of standard...
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Opinion
John MacDonald: I support the truckies saying 'us too in the T2'
Friday, 16 May 2025, 2:11pm“It’s like making a silk purse out of a pig’s ear.” That’s a quote from the boss at Transporting New Zealand, which represents...
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Opinion
John MacDonald: The Pope won't change the world, but needs to be part of it
Friday, 9 May 2025, 12:58pmI don’t often quote Albert Einstein, but I’m going to today. “Those who believe that politics and religion do not mix,...
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Opinion
John MacDonald: The one problem I have with MMP
Thursday, 8 May 2025, 12:41pmI’ve always been a fan of MMP. And I still am, but there’s one thing about it that I do struggle with – the list MPs. I...
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Opinion
John MacDonald: Don't crow about giving women the vote and then do this
Wednesday, 7 May 2025, 12:46pmNext time I hear one of our government politicians banging on about New Zealand being the first country in the world to give...
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Opinion
John MacDonald: Do we all really need the pension at 65?
Tuesday, 6 May 2025, 1:00pmIt was very clever of the Government announcing that it was going to pump $12 billion into defence before saying anything...
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Opinion
John MacDonald: What to do about the illegal tobacco trade
Monday, 5 May 2025, 12:52pmHere’s a stat for you: 25 percent of cigarettes sold in New Zealand are from the black market. They’re being smuggled into...
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Opinion
John MacDonald: Less ministers and govt. departments? Yes please!
Friday, 2 May 2025, 2:09pmI love the way David Seymour is describing the size of cabinet and the number of government departments. He says the whole...
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Opinion
John MacDonald: You thought it was expensive now to travel. Just wait...
Thursday, 1 May 2025, 1:11pmIf you think it’s expensive to travel around the country now, it’s about to get more expensive with KiwiRail ditching one...
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Opinion
John MacDonald: How does reducing revenue equal a business-like approach?
Wednesday, 30 April 2025, 12:58pmGet ready for what we now know will be a winter of discontent after the announcement by Nicola Willis that she is slashing...
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Opinion
John MacDonald: A Cantabrian's perspective on govt building changes
Tuesday, 29 April 2025, 1:02pmI reckon a lot of us in Canterbury won’t be as excited as people elsewhere in the country about the Government’s plan to...
