Bryce Edwards

Who Benefits: The power of the farm lobby, part one Freshwater policy changes were already being criticised for favouring polluters, then ministers intervened, asking for them to go further.

Here's the link to the commissioned Newsroom piece:
newsroom.co.nz/2025/07/24/w...

The Integrity Institute wants to foster more media scrutiny of vested interests and integrity issues in NZ. One of our first steps is to make grants to media outlets to pay for journalists to conduct in-depth investigations. This is the first Newsroom item. What do you think? (link below)

“Ruffling feathers in the political lobbying world” — today’s Post piece on The Integrity Institute pulls no punches. Not all of it’s flattering, but that’s the cost of poking at power. Still, I’m pleased this debate is happening in public.

Integrity Briefing: NZ’s trust crisis – A Revolt against oligarchy New Zealand is in the throes of a trust crisis.

Join the Fightback against Oligarchy in NZ! The Integrity Institute has been formed to scrutinise and challenge the dominance of the wealthy in the political process. Here’s my explanation of our orientation to discontent:
democracyproject.substack.com/p/integrity-...

Danyl Mclauchlan interviewed me for his excellent Listener cover story (“Paradise Lost”) explaining New Zealand’s decline, drawing attention to the role of vested interests in corroding politics and economy. Here’s an excerpt about lobbying:

NZ has yet again slipped in the latest Transparency International Corruption Perception Index released tonight – declining in score from 85 to 83/100, and dropping in the rankings from 3rd to 4th. NZ used to be #1. The trendline continues downward as seen in this graph showing NZ’s ranking over time

NZ has a cohesive business & political elite that can make deals and policies via matey networks. I recently posted about Shane Jones’ annual Waitangi party in which he hosts lobbyists etc. And here’s some insightful commentary on the topic from the Sunday Star Times editor Tracy Watkins:

Danyl Mclauchlan’s very good analysis of the Regulatory Standards Bill in the latest Listener:

The Deputy PM has agreed to “roast” Cameron Slater:

Coverage in BusinessDesk today of the launch of The Integrity Institute:

Murdoch’s cartoon in The Post today on the Regulatory Standards Bill (and see my analysis piece published in The Post on Monday: www.thepost.co.nz/nz-news/3605...):

Today, I'm launching an exciting project: The Integrity Institute, an organisation dedicated to scrutinising and challenging vested interests in NZ politics. My first analysis piece on the Government’s Regulatory Standards Bill was published in The Post. Please let me know your thoughts! Or re-post!

Obituary: a classical scholar of politics Generations of political science students — and law and history students for that matter — have had cause to be grateful for the scholarship and...

Prof Mulgan had left the politics department at Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka - The University of Otago by the time I studied there, but his work on the Royal Commission on the Electoral System literally remade how politics in Aotearoa NZ is experienced. Not a bad legacy to leave behind. 1/3

A whitewash? Cartoon by Murdoch in the Sunday Star Times today:

Simeon Brown, Health Minister - cartoon by Emmerson in the NZ Herald today:

Richard Mulgan – a giant of NZ political science, died in November. His obituary today in the Otago Daily Times by Mike Houlahan:

Culture wars Vs Bread and Butter politics - cartoon by Body in the NZ Herald today:

Privatisation - cartoon by Yeo in the ODT today:

Privatisation - cartoon by Emmerson in the NZ Herald today:

Cartoon by Emmerson in the NZ Herald today:

Cartoon by Yeo in the ODT today:

Cartoon by Vernon in The Post today:

It's difficult to overstate just how much professional journalists have been trained to fear defamation lawsuits and how much it has impacted the ability to tell the truth

Why we’re not ready to extend the parliamentary term A four-year term must be out of the question – at least until accountability mechanisms are strengthened....

Why we’re not ready to extend the parliamentary term

Excellent analysis (and satire) of the dire state of the political left and right as Trump takes power:

Sad to hear former Foreign Minister Russell Marshall has died - always a progressive voice and a gentleman. Deepest sympathies to family and those who knew and loved him.

As in NZ, the global Political Left is the most unpopular since the Cold War, according to 2024 elections, and it'd get worse. According to this analysis the left has suffered from culture wars, the decline of organised class politics, and left fragmentation: www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2...

Interislander ferry decision: Yeo - ODT 12 December 2024

Interislander ferry decision: Emmerson - NZ Herald 12 December 2024