

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 22, 20254 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 20, 20254 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 7, 20254 min read


The serious crimes that Police won’t prosecute.
If the punishment is 14 years in prison, you’d think that Police would take the crime seriously, wouldn’t you?

Grant McLachlan
Feb 6, 202523 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 5, 20251 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 2, 20253 min read


Submission to Auckland Council in response to proposals for the northern end of Snells Beach
Submissions to the Rodney Local Board of Auckland Council on the Proposals of Megan Young and dog access rules for Snells Beach.

Grant McLachlan
Jan 30, 202517 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 28, 20257 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


Police 'aghast' unsupervised volunteers opened community station to public
Police were "aghast" to find volunteers at a community police centre north of Auckland opened the station to the public without supervision.

1News
Sep 21, 20243 min read


R v McLachlan: What was Constable Fairbrass thinking?
You'd expect that a police constable with ambitions of becoming a detective would be careful with their investigations, wouldn't you?

Grant McLachlan
Aug 13, 202429 min read


R v McLachlan: Who turned the Keasts?
There is a considerable difference between what Corinne and John Keast did, compared to what they said. Why?

Grant McLachlan
Aug 13, 202411 min read


New book uncovers corruption at every layer of a community.
Unleashed is investigative writer Grant McLachlan’s Kafkaesque account of a community often at the centre of many NZ corruption scandals.

Grant McLachlan
Jul 29, 20242 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 29, 20245 min read


R v McLachlan: Paul Shanahan's list of lies
Paul Shanahan tried to be more than the star witness. Here are some of the lies that he said while under oath in court.

Grant McLachlan
Jul 29, 202411 min read


R v McLachlan: The corrupt dog ranger
According to Warkworth Police, they didn't discuss my case with the council. This evidence proves someone was lying.

Grant McLachlan
Jul 29, 20243 min read


R v McLachlan: How Lois McPherson and Lorraine Martin perverted the course of justice.
During a trial, a support person is meant to sit quietly next to a complainant giving evidence. Instead, Lois McPherson whispered answers.

Grant McLachlan
Jul 29, 20247 min read


R v McLachlan: The 'expensive' camera.
Lorraine Martin hit me with her camera twice, threw it at my face twice, and witnesses twice attempted to return it. Didn't she value it?

Grant McLachlan
Jul 29, 20246 min read


























