Use of Artificial Intelligence in European Union Elections: Lessons for New Zealand.

My article with Dr Nicky Gillibrand, Use of Artificial Intelligence in European Union Elections: Lessons for New Zealand, has been published in the New Zealand Journal of Public and International Law.

The article examines the European Union’s regulatory response to the use of artificial intelligence in the 2024 European Parliament elections and considers what that experience might mean for New Zealand.

We look at both the risks associated with AI-generated political content and the limits of treating all uses of AI as equally problematic. The European experience suggests that extensive regulation does not necessarily prevent deliberate misuse, while it can impose significant compliance obligations on legitimate political actors. For New Zealand, more targeted measures around transparency, disclosure and accountability may offer a more proportionate response.

The article grew out of conversations after Nicky and I presented separate papers at the ICON-S conference in Madrid in 2024. Our work brought together Nicky’s focus on the intersection of constitutional theory and artificial intelligence and my interest in electoral law, political practice and the design of workable regulatory responses.

NZ Labour has promised to set up a PBO, what lessons can it learn from the Australian experience.

In 2011 and 2012 I worked on the establishment of Australia’s PBO. While it is now part of the institutional furniture, getting it established was a hard-fought battle. In this piece for the New Zealand Herald I argue that Labour is right to call for a PBO but setting one up won’t be easy.

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/labours-vow-to-set-up-a-parliamentary-budget-office-wont-be-pretty-but-its-the-right-call-marcus-ganley/premium/N6WHHA7CEFBE5A6BKVH4K25ANU/

It also picks up some points I made 10 years earlier in another piece for the New Zealand Herald on an earlier proposal for a PBO.

A referendum is not a time machine

New Zealand’s last election under the first past the post electoral system took place in November 1993. Almost 33 years later the electoral system is now back at the centre of political debate. First, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon proposed another referendum, then Te Pāti Māori opened a new debate on tactical voting and the way MMP treats overhang seats.

My Newsroom article explores whether reverting to FPP would also see a reversion to single-party governments.

RNZ interview: What can we expect from the UK's new prime minister?

I joined Jesse Mulligan on RNZ Afternoons to discuss Andy Burnham’s remarkable rise from Mayor of Greater Manchester to UK Prime Minister, why Labour MPs had lost confidence in Keir Starmer, and the political appeal Burnham has built outside London.

We also talked about “Manchesterism”: Burnham’s emphasis on devolution and stronger local control, his experience transforming public transport in Greater Manchester through the Bee Network, and his proposal for a “No. 10 North”. We finished by looking at his first Cabinet appointments and what they might tell us about the direction of the new government

https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/afternoons/audio/2019044253/what-can-we-expect-from-the-uk-s-new-prime-minister

RNZ Interview: Is MMP still fit for purpose?

I joined Emile Donovan on RNZ Afternoons to discuss whether MMP is still fit for purpose, 30 years after New Zealand’s first election under the system.

We talked about the alternatives to MMP, whether smaller parties exercise disproportionate influence, why reducing the number of list MPs would affect proportionality, and what New Zealand’s experience under first past the post tells us about the reasons for reform. I also argued that changing the electoral system would not necessarily recreate the old two-party politics of the past, particularly as party systems are becoming more fragmented in other democracies as well.

https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/afternoons/audio/2019041232/politics-is-mmp-still-fit-for-purpose

RNZ Interview: Resignation of Keir Starmer

I joined Emile Donovan on RNZ Afternoons to discuss the political turmoil that has left the UK facing its seventh prime minister in a decade, and why Keir Starmer’s large parliamentary majority proved much more fragile than it first appeared.

We discussed Andy Burnham’s emergence as the likely successor, the appeal of his record and political identity in Greater Manchester, and the challenge of translating “Manchesterism” into governing a G7 country. We also looked at the rise of Reform UK, the growing fragmentation of British politics, and whether first past the post remains sustainable in an increasingly multi-party system.

https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/afternoons/audio/2019040444/seventh-pm-in-ten-years-what-on-earth-is-going-on-in-the-uk

Has the UK just chosen its next PM: the view from Makerfield

In June 2026 I found myself in Lancaster while the Makerfield by-election was taking place. I took a road trip to some of the towns in the constituency and filed this report for Newsroom: https://newsroom.co.nz/2026/06/22/the-9231-voters-who-may-have-chosen-uks-next-pm-and-why-it-matters-to-nz/

Australia’s 2026 Budget widens capital gains tax: What does it mean for NZ?

With New Zealand heading into a 2026 election where Labour’s proposed capital gains tax proposed (narrowly focused on investment property) is sure to be a major issue of debate, I look at what Australia’s change to increase the reach of its capital gains tax across asset classes might mean for New Zealand.

Read the full article on Newsroom: https://newsroom.co.nz/2026/05/13/australian-budget-widens-capital-gains-tax-what-does-it-mean-for-nz/

RNZ Interview: UK’s 2026 local and devolved elections

I joined Jesse Mulligan on RNZ Afternoons to discuss the significance of the UK local and devolved elections as an early test of the national political mood.

We looked at the rise of Reform UK on the populist right and the Greens on the left, the continuing weakness of the Conservatives, and the pressure poor results could place on Keir Starmer’s Labour government. We also discussed whether the growth of these parties might pull Labour and the Conservatives away from the centre as they try to recover lost support.

https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/afternoons/audio/2019034212/explainer-why-we-should-be-keeping-an-eye-on-the-uk-election

Just because information has been released under the OIA doesn’t mean we can find it

Following an announcement from the New Zealand Government that it was reviewing the administrative burden of Official Information Act requests, I argued that the real issue is how information is released and made accessible https://newsroom.co.nz/2026/04/10/its-official-that-doesnt-mean-its-discoverable/

RNZ Interview: Is New Zealand ready for AI in the 2026 election?

I joined Emile Donovan on RNZ Nights to discuss the use of generative AI in election campaigning, following my Newsroom article AI politicking isn’t coming – it’s already here, and proving hard to regulate.

We discussed the emergence of AI-generated political attack ads, the difficulty of regulating rapidly changing technology through existing electoral law, and what New Zealand might learn from overseas approaches to transparency, disclosure and accountability. The broader question was whether New Zealand’s electoral framework is ready for AI-generated political content in the 2026 election campaign

https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/nights/audio/2019023263/are-we-ready-for-ai-this-election-year

AI politicking isn’t coming – it’s already here, and proving hard to regulate

Artificial intelligence is already shaping election campaigns. Europe’s experience shows that heavy regulation alone has limits, but doing nothing is not a viable response. In this piece for Newsroom https://newsroom.co.nz/2026/02/13/ai-politicking-isnt-coming-its-already-here-and-proving-hard-to-regulate/ I discuss the early findings of my research with Dr Nicky Gillibrand subsequently published and discussed further at: https://www.marcusganley.com/content/use-of-artificial-intelligence-in-european-union-elections-lessons-for-new-zealand

I also discussed this research with Emile Donovan on RNZ Nights https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/nights/audio/2019023263/are-we-ready-for-ai-this-election-year

Time, not urgency, is New Zealand Parliament’s big issue

Time, not urgency, is Parliament’s real problem. That’s the core argument of my latest piece in Newsroom on parliamentary urgency: https://newsroom.co.nz/2025/12/11/how-parliamentary-urgency-can-be-a-good-thing/

Like most commentators on the NZ Parliament, I criticise the use of urgency to bypass select committee scrutiny. This should be rare and reserved for genuinely urgent situations. Where it happens, there should be automatic post-enactment scrutiny.
But most of the time the House is sitting under urgency, it’s not done to skip select committees at all. Instead, it removes stand-downs between stages and allows extended sitting hours. In the Australian Senate this is called "proceeding without formality" something that happens almost without exception.
The deeper issue is that the NZ Parliament simply doesn’t have enough time for serious legislative scrutiny given the volume of legislation it considers, so urgency gets used as a workaround.
If we want less urgency, we need to do more than just criticise its use. Parliament either needs to sit more, or change its procedures so there is more time for debate. One idea I’ve been suggesting for a while is taking a lesson from the Australian House of Representatives and the UK House of Commons, and allowing committee of the whole debates to run in parallel with the House itself.
The other option is to pass much less legislation. That doesn’t seem to be an option any government, past, present, or in the foreseeable future, has shown much interest in.

NZ should keep info highway open, not charge tolls

This article for Newsroom explored the Australian government’s proposed changes to its Freedom of Information Act that would allow agencies to reject more requests and introduce a new fee for applying for information.

I conclude that NZ’s Official Information Act is overdue for review and the effort should go into building capacity, not creating new barriers. https://newsroom.co.nz/2025/09/19/nz-should-keep-information-highway-open-not-charge-tolls/

Comparative legislative speed in the Aotearoa New Zealand and Australian (Federal) parliaments

This is a working paper first presented at the ICON-S conference in Madrid on 8 July 2024.

This paper begins by discussing the importance of legislative speed, examining its impact on deliberation and public engagement. The rationale for selecting Australia as a comparator for New Zealand is then explored, highlighting key similarities and differences between the two legislative systems. The analysis proceeds with a detailed examination of legislative speed in Australia, illustrated through recent examples. This is followed by an exploration of legislative speed in New Zealand, including an analysis of the time taken for bills to progress through various stages. The paper then delves into the explanations for the differences in legislative speed between the two countries, focusing on procedural conventions, public engagement expectations, and mechanisms for expediting legislation. The concluding section summarizes the findings, discusses their implications for legislative efficiency and public engagement, and suggests areas for further research.

RNZ report: A timeline of trans-Tasman political chaos

An article on RNZ’s website discussing section 44 of the Australian constitution https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/politics/337315/a-timeline-of-trans-tasman-political-chaos

Stop confusing fiscal and economic success

In 2013 Australian business leaders and conservative politicians were pointing to New Zealand as an example of good economic management. In this article for Crikey.com.au I suggested we needed to look deeper.

https://www.crikey.com.au/2013/12/05/stop-cheering-the-nz-government-for-good-economic-management/

David Farrar: The seventh Labour Government (2012 NZ Herald column)

In a 2012 NZ Herald column looking ahead to a future Labour government, David Farrar included me among a group of younger Labour figures he thought might eventually enter Parliament.

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/david-farrar-the-seventh-labour-government/PVWH6T6GP633FSERT63ITS2BSA/

The time the Sunday Star-Times elected me to Wellington City Council

I ran for Wellington City Council in the Lambton Ward in 2010.

In its post-election coverage, the Sunday Star-Times reported that former mayor Sir Michael Fowler had fallen 500 votes short of “the lowest-polling successful candidate in the Lambton ward, Labour’s Marcus Ganley”.

There was only one problem: I had not been elected.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/sunday-star-times/4216144/Capital-in-limbo

The role of New Zealand Parliament in the Treaty of Waitangi settlement process

In this paper presented to the Australasian Political Studies Association Annual Conference, 24 September 2001, Parliament House, Brisbane I analyse the role of New Zealand Parliament and its select committee system in the Treaty of Waitangi settlement process.