Roger Ellis

01/06/2026

https://www.thepost.co.nz/nz-news/361012284/wellington-librarys-14k-website-bill-was-actually-closer-600k

The chairperson of Wellington City Council’s planning and finance committee is astounded the cost was approved, “especially when the council’s main website is outdated and has major usability issues”.

22/05/2026

Good to see new investment in ambulance services. https://www.facebook.com/share/1HceDezDV3/

10/05/2026

https://substack.com//note/c-254870692?r=5hpd25

The more worrying blockade.

07/05/2026

https://theconversation.com/the-four-day-week-wont-happen-overnight-but-it-could-transform-how-we-live-and-work-281934?utm_medium=article_clipboard_share&utm_source=theconversation.com

Reduced working hours could lead to important changes in how society is organised.

06/05/2026

Good to see others reaching similar conclusions. We need to build up onshore fuel reserves then rapidly move towards full energy self sufficiency.

NZ today stands as the only International Energy Agency member whose public oil reserves lie entirely offshore. How can it now rebuild its domestic fuel resilience?

05/05/2026

An innovative approach to kiwi defence in an uncertain and rapidly changing world. https://www.facebook.com/share/1CezHyAtM1/

NEW RESEARCH NOTE 📢

The Government’s 2025 Defence Capability Plan commits $12 billion over four years, including $9 billion of new spending. But without institutional reform, new money risks being absorbed into a system too slow and fragmented to deliver modern capability, a new report from The New Zealand Initiative warns.

In "God Defend New Zealand", Major General (Retired) John G Howard, MNZM, a Senior Fellow of The New Zealand Initiative, argues that New Zealand’s defence system is still built for an earlier era. Equipment purchases still move through long approval processes designed for big platforms like ships and aircraft, while the digital systems, intelligence tools and skilled workforce that now determine whether a military force can operate effectively are treated as secondary.

“New Zealand now has more money on the table for defence. The country should use that moment not only to buy new capability, but to redesign the settings that determine whether capability can be generated, integrated and employed at the speed of relevance,” he says.

The report draws on New Zealand’s experience entering a deteriorating strategic environment in the late 1930s without having adequately modernised. When war arrived, the country had to adapt under pressure at far greater cost. Howard warns that delay in defence preparation carries real penalties, especially for a small and distant state.

The report argues New Zealand should focus on areas where a smaller country can still make a serious difference. Better intelligence, particularly using open-source information and AI tools, would help direct limited resources more accurately. Space-based services and supporting ground infrastructure would strengthen defence and civil resilience. Secure digital architecture would improve how information is shared across government and with partners. Backing local firms that build software, sensors and other technologies with both civilian and military applications would reduce reliance on overseas suppliers and strengthen resilience.

The report recommends six areas of action, including an independent 90-day review of defence policy settings reporting to Cabinet, faster investment in information and intelligence capability, a sovereign space-security pathway defined within 12 months and improved public reporting on defence progress with independent oversight.

“A defence force can be recapitalised without becoming truly modern. A procurement pipeline can be active without becoming agile. A strategy can be published without becoming operational,” he says.

The research note, "God Defend New Zealand", is available on The New Zealand Initiative website. You can find a link to it in the comments below ⬇

04/05/2026

https://open.substack.com/pub/roger941983/p/india-free-trade-agreement?r=5hpd25&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

It's worth having but is not without potential issues

03/05/2026

Could a simple zoning rule change make a real dent in the cost of living?

If you asked a multinational to open 100 New Zealand stores tomorrow, their first question would be: where? Right now, New Zealand doesn’t have the answer.

29/04/2026

https://theconversation.com/anzac-then-and-now-as-trans-tasman-defence-relations-get-closer-nz-must-be-on-guard-281109?utm_medium=article_native_share&utm_source=theconversation.com

In an increasingly unstable world, building the defence relationship with Australia makes sense. But New Zealand has to safeguard its military sovereignty, too.

25/04/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1B3WSMc45F/