Most people look at politics. Very few actually see it.

Tēnā koe. I’m Dr. Claire Robinson @Spinprofessor. I’ve worked in government, higher education, diplomacy and the creative industries, and for over 25 years have researched how political power is bought, sold and designed in New Zealand. I’ve written for The Guardian and provided political commentary for New Zealand television and radio.

Over the past four years I’ve been navigating the complexities of the vocational education sector, the creative, culture, recreation and technology industries and statutory entity governance as Te Tumu o Toi | CEO of the Toi Mai Workforce Development Council. In this role I was expected to act in a politically neutral manner at all times. I loved my job, my staff and the mahi we were established to do. Our great work can be accessed here for a little while longer: toimai.nz

On 31 December 2025, the government I was serving so faithfully disestablished my organisation at great disruption to industry and huge expense to the taxpayer.

I am now returning to political analysis and commentary, ‘sensemaking’ the tenth election since I began my PhD in political science in 1999. It is already looking to be one of the most high stakes election years in decades! My columns will be accessible on this website. Click subscribe at the very bottom of this page to receive my columns direct to your inbox.

I’m also polishing off the first draft of my latest project: A Stolen Sovereignty: The Untold Story of Parliament and Māori. It’s a ‘book’ exposing how the New Zealand parliament unlawfully assumed control over Māori — without their consent — by tracing the ‘heist’ and 160 years of subsequent political spin concealing it, right up to the present day. The book challenges the widely accepted but inaccurate narrative that Māori ceded legal independence and political autonomy in the Treaty of Waitangi, exposes a political history that has been both concealed and fabricated, and encourages a more honest political conversation about what a legitimate, treaty-based future could look like for both Māori and non-Māori New Zealanders.

I’m going to be trying something new this year, and will be dropping it in serialized form on this site to test for interest before publishing it. The first section will be coming out any day.