Using randomly selected juries to make some council-level policy suggestions is arguably a good starting point for organically growing a system for Auckland, writes Nicholas Ross Smith and Zbigniew Dumienski.
Those military officers will continue to dominate politics, because 25 per cent of the votes, according to the 2008 constitution, can block any changes to the constitution, writes Gwynne Dyer.
Auckland Council has voted to set up a Rainbow Advisory Panel today.
An Auckland Council committee will consider establishing a 'Rainbow Community Advisory Panel' on Wednesday at an annual unbudgeted cost of $116,880.
Sixteen Egyptians were killed in clashes around the country as the people went to the streets to protest against the Government on the fourth anniversary of the uprising that led to the removal of President Hosni Mubarak.
We show you how SkyCity's new convention centre would look in central Auckland, as details are revealed for the first time in its resource consent applications.
Yesterday we saw how progress has been made on matters where both language versions of the Treaty say the same thing. Those areas are predominantly natural resources and cultural treasures.
The new Hunger Games Movie has reportedly been banned from a number of cinemas in Thailand after protesters adopted the film's hand gesture as an anti-authority symbol.
It's time that we grew up as a nation when it comes to diplomatic courtesy. It's time the Greens revoked their "unofficial ban" on visiting political leaders addressing the New Zealand Parliament.
Fresh clashes broke out in Hong Kong as riot police used batons and pepper spray on pro-democracy demonstrators after they were ordered to leave.
Pro-democracy protesters are continuing demonstrations in Hong Kong, with riot police responding with tear gas. What set it all off?
Pro-democracy protesters may have engaged in a night of battles with police, but then they cleaned up and apologised to police who pepper-sprayed them.
It's election time again. We've got bombshell books, burning effigies and debates about debates, writes Matt Heath.
The rich and powerful are expert at using their dominance of the media to raise the salience in the popular mind of values that suit their interests, writes Bryan Gould.
Ukraine warned its conflict with Russia had entered a "military stage" and authorised its troops to open fire in self-defence after suffering the first casuality since Crimea was seized.
Prime Minister John Key says New Zealand athletes should complete in the Sochi Winter Paralympics despite Russia's intervention in Ukraine.
This weekend the fates of President Viktor Yanukovych and former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko once again took dramatically opposite turns.
A group of Greenpeace activists, including two New Zealanders, are trying to stay realistic over their chances of being home for Christmas, after the Russian parliament backed an amnesty bill to drop charges against them.
He executed his uncle and one-time girlfriend - but could Kim Jong Un, North Korea's new dictator - have purged even his own wife?
Thailand's premier may have called a snap election to try to defuse the kingdom's political crisis, but protesters vowed to keep up their "people's revolution".
North Korea has acknowledged the purge of leader Kim Jong Un's powerful uncle on allegations of corruption, drug use and a long list of other "anti-state" acts.
The rebel-leader-turned-president of Central African Republic has acknowledged that he doesn't have total control over former allies accused of killing scores of civilians.
Thailand's main opposition party resigned from Parliament to protest what it called "the illegitimacy" of an elected government with which it can no longer work.
Former Labour MP Chris Carter says he was lucky to escape possible death after a suicide car bomb exploded metres away from his Afghanistan home.