Pee Kay: Positive Discrimination?

Few would dispute that the government’s fundamental duty is to safeguard our individual rights, specifically freedom of speech, association, and movement, alongside the right to vote and equal access to public services.

Then the question must be asked; Is the government a proactive defender of our individual rights, or a silent witness to their decay? There is little evidence to suggest that the preservation of these rights occupies any significant space in current policy discussions.

Ryan Bridge: Things are about to get a whole lot more expensive

I have good news and bad news for you this morning.

The good news, I was out shopping on the weekend, which means I didn't actually buy anything but drove halfway across town looking for a bed-head, couldn't find one that fit, and went home empty-handed.

Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: Here's the real issue impacting local councils

So I was in Christchurch giving a speech to part of Local Government New Zealand - the South Island arm - so the room was full of mayors and councillors from across the South Island.

One of the topics up for discussion was what councils around the country need to do, or could do, to win back public approval. I have to be honest: I left that room - and you know my views on councils - feeling just a little bit sorry for the councillors and mayors I met.

Matt Ridley: We owe our prosperity to 2 men from Glasgow

Hi rational optimist. A special treat for you today: a new Matt Ridley essay that traces mankind’s prosperity back to 2 Scottish men from 1776. Enjoy.

A quarter of a millennium ago, the world was changed by two men from Glasgow. In the spring of 1776, Adam Smith, a former professor of philosophy at Glasgow University, published “The Wealth of Nations,” his extraordinary book about how prosperity is mostly a spontaneous phenomenon deriving from the human habit of exchange and specialisation.

John Raine: Petrol head musings on the shape of our vehicle fleet

No Climate Alarm but a Time Limit on Fossil Fuels

Amid mounting evidence that we are not facing anthropogenic climate doom [1], there has been some relaxation in the push to legislate fossil-fuel powered vehicles off the roads over the next 10 years [2]. But let’s not kid ourselves that fossil fuels are an unlimited resource on human time scales. Their replacement in the Earth’s crust requires geological events over tens of millions of years.

Breaking Views Update: Week of 3.5.26

Monday May 4, 2026 

News:
'As damaging as the Treaty Principles Bill': Proposed changes to Treaty clauses revealed
Documents filed with the Waitangi Tribunal have revealed the proposed changes which would set government obligations to the Treaty to no higher standard than to simply "take into account" across nine Acts.

Clive Bibby: Don’t be afraid to put your hand up

The one thing that helps nations overcome times of real uncertainty and threat to a way of life is the moment when all citizens over the legal age of majority realise that they have a part to play in how we collectively solve the problems we face. 

These times are almost always when the nation’s survival is under economic, pandemic or military threats from a source beyond our borders.

Kerre Woodham: The road toll still needs reducing

You'll have heard it in our news, since Monday the 20th of April, 18 people have been killed in 14 separate crashes on our roads. As of this morning, 12 more lives have been lost on New Zealand roads so far this year compared to the same point last year. To give some context though, our road tolls today are nothing like the bad old days. Back in 1973, long before many of you were born, when we had a much smaller population and fewer cars on the road, the road toll was around 850 deaths. And you can only imagine the injuries involved in those as well. In 1975 seatbelts in cars became compulsory and the road toll began to decline. It was around about 625 in 1975 – that was considered cause for celebration. And over time, it's come down to fewer than 300 deaths on the road thanks to seatbelts, thanks to better engineering of cars, thanks to improved medical outcomes and rigorous enforcement of traffic rules.

Dr Michael Johnston: Setting schools up to succeed in vocational education

Is it better to be a policy analyst or a plumber?

In the minds of many New Zealanders, university degrees carry greater status than industry qualifications. But many tradespeople earn as much, or more, than an average university graduate. Many tradies also go on to start highly successful businesses.

Dr Oliver Hartwich: Is the Public Service Really Fine?

It is hard to convince anyone they need to change when they think nothing is broken. The story of the emperor’s new clothes captures it. The whole court agreed the emperor was splendidly dressed. A child had to say he was naked.

Kerre Woodham: Funding cancer prevention is a no-brainer

You know it's an election year, don't you? You know it's an election year when Winston's fermenting merry mischief, when the leader of the opposition is happy to put himself up for an hour of questions on talkback, and when lobby groups are releasing their election wish lists.

 Sunday May 3, 2026 

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David Farrar: Labour’s do nothing agenda

Henry Cooke points out:

At this point in 2023, National had launched its income tax policy, its FamilyBoost childcare policy, its renewable electricity generation policy, its policy on interest deductibility for rentals, its brightline test policy, some of its Overseas Investment Act plans, its boot camp and gang patch policies, its youth welfare policies, its “Local Water Done Well” repeal of Three Waters, and a whole bevy of other promised reversals or initiatives.

Ani O'Brien: A week is a long time: 2 May 2026

Sherman is suspended from Parliament for 5 days

The Maiki Sherman saga has now expanded well beyond the original “faggot” incident. The TVNZ Political Editor is alleged to have used a homophobic slur toward Lloyd Burr at a ministerial event in 2025, an incident confirmed by Finance Minister Nicola Willis, who said she heard “offensive language” and shut the event down. The story, which had circulated privately for months, became public this week when I wrote about it on this Substack. This has triggered scrutiny not just of the incident itself, but of how it was handled and essentially covered up. The fact that TVNZ issued legal threats to another media outlet who was investigating the matter, raises massive concerns.

Mike's Minute: Here's what the Parliamentary briefing on food plant closures will show

The Primary Production Select Committee is going to have a look into, well, primary production. Namely, the Hawke’s Bay scenario of Heinz and McCain's, both of whom have announced closures and job losses.

A briefing is different to an inquiry, just in case you are thinking the committee is going to come up with something tangible.

Bob Edlin: You would read more with Seymour – about anti-money laundering legislation, at least

ACT leader David Seymour and news media editors obviously have strongly differing ideas of which happenings should be headlined.

On RNZ’s Midday Report yesterday, Seymour played down the dispute between the PM and New Zealand First leader Winston Peters over the release of emails which flushed into the open the urge by Christopher Luxon to support the United States after it and Israel had attacked Iran.

Net Zero Watch Samizdat: Net Zero is taking us for a spin

UK

Miliband bans tumble dryers

The sale of traditional tumble dryers is to be stamped out in a net-zero drive that will push consumers toward more expensive machines that take longer to dry clothes.

Graham Adams: Hikoi threat over Treaty clauses review

Fighting talk from a TVNZ journalist.

The government’s review of Treaty clauses in legislation has mightily displeased one of the resident Māori activists at 1News. A column by Te Aniwa Hurihanganui that accompanied her televised news segment last week is titled “Govt risks another colossal hikoi if it weakens Treaty obligations”.

Mike's Minute: I like the cut of Anna Breman's gib

We can thank the new Reserve Bank Governor for ending the week on a high note.

New charter details were announced yesterday.

Charters and Reserve Banks were once as dry as old dust but these days I think we have a new understanding of the importance of their role.

Saturday May 2, 2026 

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