John Roughan

New Zealand

Editorial Writer and Columnist at New Zealand Herald

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Articles

Hold heads high whatever the result

Jun 22, 2024 | nzherald.co.nz | John Roughan

Consistent winners suffer a loss with grace... because they are proud. Photo / Getty ImagesCan you imagine anything worse at the World Cup than the All Blacks dipping out again? I can. I can imagine the country turning dark, bitter and depressed while the world is here. I can think of nothing worse than that. Rugby fans everywhere know one thing about New Zealand. Out of these faraway islands come giants. At Twickenham they run out in a confident, purposeful lope, a long black line of them.
John Roughan: Final reflections on ‘doing my bit’

May 12, 2023 | nzherald.co.nz | John Roughan
John Roughan: Final reflections on ‘doing my bit’

May 12, 2023 | nzherald.co.nz | John Roughan

OPINION: Had anyone told me when I began writing a weekly column that it would still be running 27 years later, continuing in retirement from the Herald, I would have said a quarter of a century of publication is more than anyone’s opinions deserve. It had to end one day. The day has arrived. It will be hard to be without this voice. Every week there will be something I wish somebody was saying in the mainstream media.
John Roughan: King Charles coronation, the monarchy debate and the splendour of Buckingham Palace occasions

May 5, 2023 | nzherald.co.nz | John Roughan

A night time rehearsal in central London for the coronation of King Charles III. Photo /Getty Images A coronation will be something to see. You’d need to be nearly 80 to have any memory of one. We’ve seen old film and photos of the last one but they can’t tell us what it was like to be alive at the time. So I’ll be settling in front of television tonight with delicious curiosity. Possibly nothing memorable will happen.
John Roughan: King Charles coronation, the monarchy debate and the splendour of Buckingham Palace occasions

May 5, 2023 | nzherald.co.nz | John Roughan
John Roughan: To tax or not to tax - or the third rail

Apr 28, 2023 | nzherald.co.nz | John Roughan

OpinionThe day Jacinda Ardern crumbled on capital gains tax, announcing it wouldn’t happen “as long as I’m Prime Minister”, she dealt a bigger blow to progress than she probably knew. Long ago, in the late 20th century, the words “capital gains tax” were peculiarly unspeakable in New Zealand. I remember uttering them in polite company once. It was 1986, economic reform was rampant. A new Herald editor had brought me back from Parliament to join the small team that wrote its editorials.
John Roughan: To tax or not to tax - or the third rail

Apr 28, 2023 | nzherald.co.nz | John Roughan
John Roughan: Hipkins, water reform and why Kiwis must vote with eyes open

Apr 21, 2023 | nzherald.co.nz | John Roughan

Dame Claudia Orange has written a new book on the Treaty of Waitangi. Photo / Audrey Young The Hipkins Government has decided to go to the election in October with no change to the empowerment of Māori in its water reform. If the Government is returned the election will be an historic milestone — so long as the country has voted with its eyes wide open.
John Roughan: Hipkins, water reform and why Kiwis must vote with eyes open

Apr 21, 2023 | nzherald.co.nz | John Roughan
John Roughan: How long will Michael Wood’s harbour crossing ‘vision’ of light rail, walking and cycling link last?

Apr 14, 2023 | nzherald.co.nz | John Roughan

OPINION Auckland’s new mayor is proving to be sometimes a breath of fresh air and sometimes a foolish blowhard but it was refreshing to hear him declare this week that the city’s most urgent need is not another harbour crossing, and not one for light rail. North Shore commuters know he is right. Much as they would like the security of a second crossing they know the harbour bridge is still well within its capacity. Thanks to its moveable median, the bridge is the bit of motorway that flows best.