Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: What will this election do for New Zealand First?

Now we’ve got to talk about Winston.

If you hadn’t noticed yet - or maybe you didn’t believe it - take a look at Winston Peters’ State of the Nation speech yesterday and you’ll see the proof that this election is shaping up to be New Zealand First’s election.

Ryan Bridge: Don't expect a lolly scramble from the Government

Anyone expecting a lolly scramble from the government today is going to be disappointed.

At best, one or two old Werther's Originals.

As we’ve been talking about for the last few weeks, this government can’t, politically, splash cash when oil’s forcing inflation up.

Matua Kahurangi: National slips, NZ First rises - voters are sending a message

The latest polling is grim for Christopher Luxon and the New Zealand National Party. Support is slipping again, and what was meant to be a steady alternative is starting to look uncertain and out of touch.

Breaking Views Update: Week of 22.3.26

Tuesday March 24, 2026 

News:
New face joins Invercargill City Council
A new face will soon join Invercargill City Council, with Waihōpai Rūnaka officially appointing Mike Bain as its mana whenua representative for the triennium.

Colinxy: Religious Cults and No Exit - Why Leaving Defines Control

The Test of Freedom

The simplest test of whether a movement is a religion or a cult is this: can you leave freely?

• A true religion allows dissent, departure, and freedom of conscience.

• A cult binds its members with fear, coercion, and punishment, making exit nearly impossible.

Dr Bryce Edwards: Democracy Briefing - Who really runs the South Island?

The Press newspaper in Christchurch has just published its “Power List” — a ranking of the fifty most influential people in the South Island. It’s a series of articles that updates the list they published two years. The 2026 edition, compiled primarily by senior journalist Philip Matthews, is worth reading closely. Not just for the names, but for what the list reveals about where power actually sits in Te Waipounamu, and how much of it has drifted away from anyone who ever faced an election.

Pee Kay: Because the Universe is Ruthless and Demands Balance…

Everything in nature, the economy and society seeks balance. When something reaches an extreme, it self-corrects, usually in a furious and violent way. The natural world has a built-in system for self-correction, a correction is inevitable!

But here is the part we often overlook. The pendulum doesn’t gently reset. It swings back with a furious, violent overcorrection, often spilling buckets of blood in the process.

Simon Brown: MCNZ Consultation Draft Statements

on Cultural Competence, Cultural Safety, and Hauora Maori

Introduction:

As a retired medical research scientist with nearly 30 years of experience working in close collaboration with consultant clinicians and teaching clinical training fellows, I wish to provide feedback on the Medical Council’s draft statements. While my career was spent overseas at the intersection of research and clinical practice (Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Queen’s Medical Centre, Queen’s Medical Research Institute) after graduating from Otago (Chemistry), I have observed first-hand the dedication of medics to patient-centred care based on medical need and evidence.

Lindsay Mitchell: Latest benefit numbers - beware the spin

Await some spin regarding falling beneficiary numbers.

But be skeptical.

After two months of data problems, MSD has managed to produce monthly statistics for February 2026.

Colinxy: Popping the “Māori Are Oppressed by Colonisation” Bubble

For decades, the political class and its media courtiers have repeated a single, soothing explanation for every negative statistic involving Māori: colonisation did it. No matter the indicator—prison rates, unemployment, income, health, education—the answer is always the same. History is the culprit, the Treaty is the solution, and the taxpayer is the ATM.

It’s a tidy story. It’s also wrong.

William McGimpsey: The importance of criticising your radicals

The idea of not criticising those to your right has gained traction in online circles recently. The idea has arisen in response to a real problem: for decades mainstream conservatives have disavowed those to their right in order to win the approval of the Left. This has had the effect of dividing, moderating and weakening the Right, and moving the Overton Window leftward over time. I first encountered versions of this idea being articulated on the Right by people in the orbit of Australia’s National Socialist Network. Now Millennial Woes has written an essay outlining and endorsing the idea (albeit in more nuanced form).

Dr Jake Scott: Malaysia’s Resurgence

The Asian nation is becoming a global player.

In the last month, the small nation of Malaysia has risen in the views of global investors. Drawn by the country’s political stability and economic growth, investors increasingly consider Malaysia a safe method for diversification in the Pacific region amid a softening US dollar and a tumultuous global economy. In 2025 alone, investors poured over $5 billion into local currency debt—the highest in the region—leading to the Malaysian currency, the Ringgit, reaching its highest point since 2018.

Monday March 23, 2026 

                    ⇩

Wendy Geus: Seymour must demand Luxon 'incinerate' te mana o te wai or appears to support it

Whilst the Middle East crisis rightfully leads the headlines, race based issues bubbling away continue to be ignored by the media and Luxon, as his trusty mouth pieces implement plans quietly behind the scenes whilst noone's looking.

Seymour's Treaty Principle's bill would have eliminated all this. His flawless and indefatigable fight for his Bill fell on the public's confused ears due to an activist media fighting for the other side, corrupt select committee feedback practices and appalling indifference and opposition from NZ First and National.

Caleb Anderson: The Unlearning of Education: How NZ Schools Lost Their Way

For decades, New Zealand boasted an education system that was world class—a place where foundational knowledge, critical thinking, and academic rigour, were paramount considerations.

Walking through a school today, however, it is hard not to feel a profound sense of loss. We have witnessed in real time the slow, methodical, deliberate, and calculated erosion of traditional academic standards. These have been replaced by a "child-centred" philosophy that, in practice, seems to focus on everything except the core disciplines of reading, writing, and mathematics.

Ryan Bridge: Watch out Luxon, Winston's coming for you

Winston's driving a dump truck through Luxon's political strategy.

Luxon‘s strategy is to let his ministers do the talking.

He says his strength is picking his team.

Chris Lynch: Peters vows to ‘break up power companies’ and blasts ‘woke agenda’

New Zealand First leader Winston Peters has used his State of the Nation address in Tauranga to lay out a hard edged election pitch, promising to restructure the electricity market, reject global influence, and take direct aim at Labour, the Greens, unions and what he called a growing “woke agenda”.

Speaking at the Atrium Conference Centre on Sunday afternoon, Peters said New Zealand was facing a period of global instability not seen in generations.

Melanie Phillips: Why the nation of Churchill is no more

The “special relationship” between Britain and America is currently on life support. US President Donald Trump is furious with the British Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, for refusing to join the US and Israel in the war against Iran.

He is furious with others in the west too for similarly refusing even to help defend the Straits of Hormuz, the “chokehold” waterway which the Iranian regime is currently threatening to attack. As a result, traffic through the Straits has dwindled to a handful of tankers and the price of oil has soared.

Dr Eric Crampton: We need to learn how to make liveable cities

Too many of the world’s urban planners grew up playing the city-planning game SimCity. You may have played it too. It’s fun, but it’s a terrible guide both to urban planning and to how cities work. It rewards micromanaging the wrong parts of cities.

Alain Bertaud did not grow up playing SimCity.

Bertaud is one of the world’s most influential urban planners.

Dr Benno Blascke: The fire exit leads back into the building

Recently, during a select committee hearing on an infrastructure funding amendment bill, an MP asked for examples of infrastructure financed without government borrowing.

“Sure,” our chief economist Eric Crampton replied. “The Ngaio Town Hall, a lovely community effort.” Polite smiles.

I added: “The Auckland Harbour Bridge, one of our biggest projects.” Some nodding.