Queenstown | klaut

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Publishing • Production • Communications

Showreel

Books

Unleashed

Sex, rackets & vigilantes in

New Zealand's most corrupted community.

He wrote about vigilantes during the Covid lockdowns.

What could possibly go wrong?

How a clique used their council and police connections to try to silence an investigative writer through a series of stitch ups. This Kafkaesque farce delves into a community often at the centre of many New Zealand corruption scandals.

Matakana War Memorial heritage application

Matakana War Memorial heritage application

Fix Hill Street Now: TVNZ Gutsful episode

Fix Hill Street Now: TVNZ Gutsful episode

Fix Hill Street Now: Visit the campaign website

Fix Hill Street Now: Visit the campaign website

Matakana War Memorial heritage application

Matakana War Memorial heritage application

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Welcome to Klaut.

Klaut is the publishing, production, and communications company of Grant McLachlan – a New Zealand-based writer. Grant is a prolific investigative writer of fiction and non-fiction for newspapers, books, and screen.

A former hearings commissioner, barrister, and solicitor*, Grant has worked in the public and private sectors, ranging from a Parliamentary researcher and campaign director to a planner and infrastructure specialist. His columns in New Zealand newspapers and his pro-bono work has assisted many people involved in disputes with central and local government authorities.

On this site you will find links to his current and past work. There are several projects in development so please watch this space.

Sparrow

A Chronicle of Defiance

An epic account of The Sparrows

- Battle of Britain gunners who defended Timor as part of Sparrow Force in 1942.

It is the story of Charlie McLachlan's war: a triumph of stubborn Scottish defiance and laconic Aussie genius over the relentless violence of man and nature. Charlie survives and bears witness to some of the landmark days of World War II.

Media Coverage

Vindicated, then banished: Three days that exposed Queenstown council’s playbook against its only watchdog

Vindicated, then banished: Three days that exposed Queenstown council’s playbook against its only watchdog

Vindicated, then banished: Three days that exposed Queenstown council’s playbook against its only watchdog

How a ratepayer-funded communications operation removed the journalist who proved it wrong — seventy-two hours before RNZ confirmed his reporting.

PERSONA NON GRATA

Grant McLachlan - Column

May 2012 min read

The roads that never were: Ten New Zealand infrastructure dreams that died on the drawing board

The roads that never were: Ten New Zealand infrastructure dreams that died on the drawing board

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, 202518 min read

Has Queenstown exceeded capacity?

Has Queenstown exceeded capacity?

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

Is Queenstown's "Road to Nowhere" a waste of money?

Is Queenstown's "Road to Nowhere" a waste of money?

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

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© Grant McLachlan, 2026. Klaut is a Fortis Fidus Company.
*Grant McLachlan holds a law degree and was admitted as a barrister and solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand. He does not hold a current practising certificate and does not provide legal services or legal advice. Where columns republished on this site incorrectly refer to him as a lawyer, this reflects the original publication's wording and not a description he uses of himself. Nothing on this site constitutes legal advice.

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