Ali Cook

In 2023, I adopted my cat, Beans, from the Wellington SPCA. I had moved to Wellington from the United States the year before, and adopting her felt like a way to mark my first anniversary in the city. Wellington was beginning to feel less like somewhere I was temporarily living and more like somewhere I could build a future. With all my family still in the United States, I wanted a companion. A pet seemed like the closest thing to having family here. I was drawn to cats because they are...

Capital gains tax is back on New Zealand’s political agenda. Labour has promised to introduce a targeted capital gains tax if elected in 2026, while National has pledged that it will not introduce one. The debate has already produced the usual combination of tax jargon, frightening hypotheticals and arguments about whether landlords are hardworking investors or property-hoarding parasites. Before deciding who is right, it helps to understand what is actually being proposed. What is a...

The Opportunities Party (TOP) is suddenly close enough to Parliament to be taken seriously. After recently polling at 4.6%, just shy of the 5% threshold, TOP has been rebranded by some as the sensible, fresh, almost-left alternative for voters tired of the old parties. The Coalition parties have been criticising TOP as a left-wing party, citing their Citizens Income Policy as evidence. On the surface, it is easy to see why—TOP proposes paying up to $370 a week to almost every adult, funded...