Nau mai haere mai.

There will be plenty of talk about crime and punishment as this election year unfolds. But it’s probably less likely we’ll hear much about criminal activity of the white-collar variety. That’s a strange state of affairs, given how much it costs the country every year.

As Lisa Marriott writes today, there is one particular kind of white-collar crime that deserves special attention, despite the apparent lack of political interest: cartels. These arrangements between companies not to compete can significantly distort markets and disadvantage consumers, and they definitely happen here.

But there’s an odd anomaly in the law that allows leniency and immunity for cartel participants who assist in a successful prosecution – not a luxury enjoyed by any other kind of criminal. Encouraging whistleblowing may be a good thing, Marriott argues, but surely not to the extent they benefit from such criminal activity while their cartel colleagues suffer the consequences.

There’s more to read here and on our homepage, including James Mehigan’s timely and fascinating explainer about how New Zealand and Australia could become republics but still remain in the Commonwealth. In fact, member countries don’t even need to have been part of the former British Empire!

Until next week, mā te wā.