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Alexander Gillespie

Alexander Gillespie

The Conversation

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Gangs are going global and so is the illegal gun trade – NZ can do more to fight it

New Zealand has avoided the levels of gun-related violence driven by organised crime seen overseas. Improved gun laws and policies could help keep it...

25.07.2025 10

The Conversation

Alexander Gillespie

A law change will expand who we remember on Anzac Day – the New Zealand Wars should be included too

New Zealand’s colonial wars were the third most costly conflict in the nation’s history. The Anzac Day Amendment Bill is an opportunity to make...

14.05.2025 6

The Conversation

Alexander Gillespie

Lest we forget? Aside from Anzac Day, NZ has been slow to remember its military veterans

The government’s plan to expand the definition of the term ‘veteran’ will add about 100,000 service people in an effort to provide better...

22.04.2025 10

The Conversation

Alexander Gillespie

Australia has learned valuable lessons from its own shooting tragedies: 6 ideas NZ can borrow

On the eve of the sixth anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks, New Zealand’s gun control laws are again under review. What can our nearest...

14.03.2025 10

The Conversation

Alexander Gillespie

America or Europe? Why Trump’s Ukraine U-turn is a fork in the road for New Zealand

New Zealand foreign policy has long sought to balance various alliances with a commitment to the rules-based international order. It now faces its...

05.03.2025 10

The Conversation

Alexander Gillespie

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

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?

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 10

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 10

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 20

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 3

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