The unintended consequences of the gang patch ban
New Zealand's gang patch ban has removed visible insignia from public view—but gang membership has grown by over 700. Has the legislation made communities safer, or has it simply made an existing threat harder to identify and more attractive to join?
Grant McLachlan
2 days ago28 min read
In Cold Blood: The calculating mind of Clayton Weatherston
I sat in the same finance lectures as Clayton Weatherston. I watched him absorb a lesson on the economics of murder—how killers weigh costs against benefits, how provocation could reduce a sentence, how the average murderer served fifteen years. When he stabbed Sophie Elliott 216 times, was he running the numbers? Eighteen years later, he faces the Parole Board. Everyone miscalculated—Clayton, Sophie, and the politicians who abolished provocation thinking it would save lives.
Grant McLachlan
4 days ago22 min read
The man who made everyone feel larger than life
I had chronicled Sir Tim for twenty-five years, and in that time, he never once disappointed me with his generosity.
Grant McLachlan
Jan 203 min read
Democracy demands more than blind obedience
Road safety campaigner Geoff Upson raised valid concerns, yet the comment section revealed a disturbing civic illiteracy about how democracy actually works.
Grant McLachlan
Dec 15, 20253 min read
The Long Road to Parihaka: A Writer's Journey
I never set out to become a writer. Like most paths that matter, it chose me rather than the other way around.
Grant McLachlan
Dec 10, 20258 min read
New Zealand's Property-Industrial Complex: A democratic warning
In his 1961 farewell address, President Eisenhower warned America about the military-industrial complex. In 2024, New Zealand faces its own existential threat: the property-industrial complex has consumed our democracy whole.
Grant McLachlan - Column
Dec 9, 20254 min read
Would they go to jail? Comparing New Zealand's corruption gap with Australia's integrity framework
New Zealand lacks the robust anti-corruption infrastructure that exists across every Australian state and at the federal level.
Grant McLachlan - Column
Dec 7, 202533 min read
The clandestine campaign to dismantle Jacindamania
The falls from grace of Helen Clark and Jacinda Ardern were not the result of democratic whim or policy failure, but rather the outcome of sophisticated, coordinated campaigns orchestrated by a network of right-wing political operatives who maintained the illusion of independent action while working in concert.
Grant McLachlan
Dec 6, 202531 min read
Syrup sticks: Why Christ's College can't wash away its abusive past
When TVNZ commentator Scotty Stevenson called Christ’s College students “syrup suckers” during cricket coverage this week, he inadvertently exposed something far more troubling than a schoolyard nickname.
Grant McLachlan - Column
Dec 5, 20254 min read
When good intentions paved the road to gridlock: New Zealand’s cycleway saga
I used to cycle across town to school without a second thought about safety. The roads were shared space, drivers watched out for cyclists, and common sense prevailed. That was before cycling became an industry.
Grant McLachlan
Dec 3, 20254 min read
The roads that never were: Ten New Zealand infrastructure dreams that died on the drawing board
New Zealand’s transport network tells a story not just of what was built, but of what could have been.
Grant McLachlan
Dec 1, 202519 min read
The Immigration Tap: How National turned a housing crisis into a growth strategy
For nearly a decade, National governments have run the same cynical playbook: when the economy falters, turn on the immigration tap. It’s economic fraud masquerading as policy.
Grant McLachlan
Nov 30, 202510 min read
New Zealand’s corruption illusion: A Police scandal exposes the myth
This week's damning IPCA report on the McSkimming scandal exposes New Zealand's corruption paradox: ranked third globally for clean governance, yet complaints go un-investigated by compromised oversight bodies. Without a truly independent anti-corruption commission with powers like Australia's ICAC, New Zealand's squeaky-clean reputation remains an illusion sustained by institutional complicity, political cronies embedded in civil service, and media silence born from revolvin
Grant McLachlan
Nov 15, 20254 min read
The cynical motives behind Maori representation
The establishment of Maori seats in New Zealand’s Parliament in 1867 tells a story of political calculation rather than progressive idealism.
Grant McLachlan
Aug 18, 20253 min read
Politics101: The art of the false allegation
Political scandals involving allegations that are later unsubstantiated or dismissed represent a complex intersection of media, law enforcement, and democratic accountability.
Grant McLachlan
Aug 4, 202512 min read
'Ruling the Roost': How a council staffer created her own private fiefdom.
Imagine a job where you could live the life of a lord where you rule by decree and can act with impunity. Welcome to the life of Megan Young.
Grant McLachlan - Column
May 31, 202521 min read
Why Police Commissioner Richard Chambers is the problem and should resign.
Instead of investigating complaints that a police station was operated by unvetted and unsupervised volunteers, Police Commissioner Richard Chambers instead abused police resources to dig dirt on the complainant to use as an excuse to discredit the complainant and dismiss the complaint. I sent this email to the Commissioner, calling for him to resign.
Grant McLachlan
May 27, 202515 min read
Freedom fighters or freedom frauds? The Act Party’s local government hypocrisy
Act want to run candidates at this year's local body elections. But local body politicians who were previously Act candidates at the general election are retiring. Their track records speak for themselves.
Grant McLachlan - Column
Apr 26, 20259 min read
Investigative journalism master class eviscerating corrupt council
In an era when media organisations frantically downsize, replacing substance with clickbait and advertorial content, a remarkable counter-narrative is unfolding in Queenstown.
Grant McLachlan
Apr 16, 20256 min read
ALEC's global reach: How US corporate interests drive New Zealand's punitive justice policies
New Zealand's Act Party, Sensible Sentencing Trust, and New Zealand Taxpayers' Union simply echo US think tanks. Why?
Grant McLachlan - Column
Apr 12, 202512 min read
