'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 3121 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 259 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 166 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 1112 min read
Is Auckland Council fascist?
“Fascism” is a strong word, but when examining recent events in Auckland Council governance, troubling parallels emerge.
Grant McLachlan - Column
Mar 304 min read
Trump actions repeat mistakes that led to World War II
There is a foreboding similarity between Trump's actions and those that led to World War II.
Grant McLachlan
Feb 273 min read
China’s Pacific strategy mirrors Japan’s pre-war playbook
Bywater's 1925 book The Great Pacific Water accurately predicted not just the rise of Japan but also China a century later.
Grant McLachlan
Feb 224 min read
Tassie soldiers left a proud legacy of sacrifice and courage that continues to inspire new generations
The story of the “Doomed Battalion” should be remembered for its extraordinary impact on the Pacific War, writes Grant McLachlan.
Grant McLachlan - The Mercury - Column
Feb 194 min read
Has Queenstown exceeded capacity?
Queenstown risks destroying the very reason people visit the destination. With the sewerage plant overflowing, can it grow any further?
Grant McLachlan
Feb 74 min read
Is Queenstown's "Road to Nowhere" a waste of money?
The Queenstown upgrade of Melbourne & Henry Streets has been heralded as a bypass of Queenstown's CBD. Was the $128m price tag worth it?
Grant McLachlan
Feb 51 min read
Bird-brained council officials are dividing communities
Snells Beach encapsulates how a poor decision by elected officials spirals into overreach by unelected officials, wasting time and money.
Grant McLachlan - Column
Feb 13 min read
The Politics of Stupid
Oscar Wilde said: "Life imitates art far more than art imitates life." In Snells Beach, life imitates the films Zoolander and Hot Fuzz.
Grant McLachlan - Column
Jan 287 min read
Groundhog Day at New Zealand's worst intersection
New Zealand's worst intersection symbolises decades of vested interests and dirty politics dividing an increasingly irrelevant community.
Grant McLachlan
Dec 12, 202411 min read
Auckland Council: Too big to care, too complex to control.
Auckland Council has grown so vast that watchdogs lack the resources to keep up, fostering a culture that often rewards dubious conduct.
Grant McLachlan
Oct 3, 20244 min read
Warkworth's celebrity crooked cop culture
When I filmed the mother of a cop break my nose, several cops told me to not share the footage with Warkworth Police.
Grant McLachlan
Sep 25, 202418 min read
How a right wing racket unleashed on me.
When RNZ’s Ruth Hill contacted me about my September 2020 astroturfing article, a year later I would be facing prison time.
Grant McLachlan
Jul 28, 20245 min read
The 'unknowns' that will decide this election
Many politicians have said, “The only poll that matters is election day.” What polls don’t consider could decide this election.
Grant McLachlan
Sep 23, 20233 min read
How much of our culture is contrived?
Is our changing culture making us any the wiser Grant McLachlan asks.
Grant McLachlan
Sep 20, 20234 min read
Signs that voters want change
One sign that voters want change is when they don’t take the government seriously. A sure sign is when authorities won’t enforce those laws.
Grant McLachlan
Feb 19, 20233 min read
Small minds in small communities
I smelt a rat at the Snells Beach Residents and Ratepayers Association AGM. So I set a trap.
Grant McLachlan - Column
May 4, 20218 min read
