John MacDonald: Are we really that scared of saying what we think?

At the same time as Winston Peters is declaring war on wokeism, we’ve got a Christchurch community board member saying we are too scared to say things these days in case we offend people.   Ali Jones is the community board member and she’s firing back at criticisms that comments she made online ab…

John MacDonald: How to honour Chch Cathedral's past without being stuck in it

Here's an idea that I’m quite excited about.   It’s quite raw – it only occurred to me at about 5:30 this morning. But I reckon it could be a solution to something that has gone on for way too long, with no sign of it ending.   There is a one-day exhibition being held inside the Christchurch Cath…

Politics Friday with Hamish Campbell and Duncan Webb: Christchurch cathedral, free trade deal with India, party politics in local body government

The future of Christchurch’s beleaguered cathedral is on the radar again – is there a chance it could be turned into a public use venue, or will it be lost to the city entirely?  Will a free trade deal with India really be as quick and straight forward as the Prime Minister believes? And does part…

John MacDonald: An apprenticeship is anything but second-best

I always have and always will be a huge fan of on-the-job training. Which is why I think it’s brilliant that we’ve got an education expert saying today that the apprenticeship system needs an overhaul.   And not only that, he wants to see schools doing more, and is suggesting they could offer a tr…

John MacDonald: What's so bad about political parties having a go at council elections?

David Seymour says the ACT Party wants to put up candidates in this year’s local body elections because “it’s time for a clean-out”. Whatever his motivation is, I think his plan to get ACT involved in local councils is a good thing. Some people think political parties shouldn’t be involved in loc…

John MacDonald: We shouldn't be in the dark to the reality of bullying

Isn't it crazy that schools don't have to report how much bullying is going on? The Chief Children's Commissioner thinks so too, which is why she’s saying that it should be mandatory for schools to provide regular, publicly-available numbers. No wonder some parents feel their school isn’t doing e…

Politics Friday with Matt Doocey and Reuben Davidson: Off-leash dogs, public-private partnerships, and local body elections

Today on Politics Friday, John MacDonald was joined by National’s Matt Doocey and Labour’s Reuben Davidson.   Christchurch City Council is considering allowing unleashed dogs to run free in two central city parks – neither were fond of the idea.  With the Investment Summit underway in Auckland, i…

John MacDonald: Road rage is getting worse - here's what needs to happen

Road rage is getting worse according to survey results out today, and I think it’s time we made road rage a specific criminal offence.    I’ll come back to that but, first, how about this for a story? A guy’s driving around Governor’s Bay when this boy racer starts tailgating him, then stops in fr…

John MacDonald: Taking away the Environment Court is a bad idea

I don’t like this idea of dangling bigger carrots in front of people who own land that the government or your local council might want for big infrastructure projects.   But I'm more concerned about denying people who object access to the Environment Court. Instead of the court, if someone isn’t h…

John MacDonald: Winston had no option

Winston Peters had no option when it came to sacking Phil Goff from his job as High Commissioner in London, but that doesn’t mean I’m happy with it.   I think he’s done the right thing. But he’s done the wrong thing, as well.   Because it just shows how scaredy-cat the world is of Donald Trump. B…