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 write occasionally for The Guardian and provide political commentary for New Zealand television, radio and print media.

For the four years leading up to government’s disestablishment of the workforce development councils on 31 December 2025 I navigated 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.

I have now returned to political commentary, covering the tenth election since I began my PhD in political science in 1999, with the goal of helping people to be better informed about NZ politics so they can make better vote choices.

My columns are accessible on this website. Click subscribe at the bottom of this page to receive info on when they drop, 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. More on this soon.

Ideas for columns welcomed: email me at claire@clairerobinson.nz

Also happy to receive invitations to speak to groups. Contact me at the email above.