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Alexander Gillespie

Alexander Gillespie

The Conversation

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A Chinese own goal? How war games in the Tasman Sea could push NZ closer to AUKUS

A Chinese own goal? How war games in the Tasman Sea could push NZ closer to AUKUS

When geopolitical tension mounts, New Zealand tends to lean closer to traditional allies. Chinese warships in the Tasman make that even likelier now.

24.02.2025 10

The Conversation

Alexander Gillespie

The threat of 3D-printed ‘ghost guns’ is growing, but NZ is yet to act on these 3 big legal gaps

The threat of 3D-printed ‘ghost guns’ is growing, but NZ is yet to act on these 3 big legal gaps

With gun control laws being rewritten, New Zealand has the opportunity to learn from other countries to better combat computer-aided weapons...

17.02.2025 10

The Conversation

Alexander Gillespie

NZ depends on the rules-based world Trump is dismantling – why the silence?

NZ depends on the rules-based world Trump is dismantling – why the silence?

From Washington DC to the Cook Islands, New Zealand foreign policy is finding itself between a rock and a hard place. Diplomatic silence won’t be an...

14.02.2025 9

The Conversation

Alexander Gillespie

NZ report card 2024: how the country fared in 25 key global and domestic rankings

If it’s good enough for school and university students, it’s good enough for entire countries, too. This report card provides a snapshot of how New...

30.12.2024 1

The Conversation

Alexander Gillespie

From ‘ghost guns’ to gangs, 5 lessons from Canada for NZ firearms reform

Canada and New Zealand share an important approach to gun control: both countries view firearms as a privilege, not a right. The similarities don’t...

12.12.2024 7

The Conversation

Alexander Gillespie

The Treaty Principles Bill is already straining social cohesion – a referendum could be worse

With the protest hikoi from the far north moving through Auckland on its way to Wellington, it might be said ACT leader David Seymour has been...

13.11.2024 6

The Conversation

Alexander Gillespie

Firearms law reform: the case for making club membership compulsory for NZ gun owners

The rationale behind the coalition government’s proposed reform of New Zealand’s gun laws sounds reasonable on the face of it. Responsible gun...

11.11.2024 10

The Conversation

Alexander Gillespie

What can the US teach NZ about gun control? More than you might expect

The current inquest into the worshippers killed in the Christchurch mosque attacks has been examining gun laws at the time of the 2019 atrocities,...

24.10.2024 1

The Conversation

Alexander Gillespie

Principles or raw power: 3 steps NZ can take to resolve its confused stance on Gaza

The Gaza crisis is a major moral and legal challenge for New Zealand’s sense of national identity, and to its worldview based on rules and...

13.09.2024 10

The Conversation

Alexander Gillespie