John McLean: So Civil....So What?

Why civility shouldn’t be a shield

I naturally face occasional pushback against my criticisms of particular individuals. Sometimes the dissent can even be justifiable! But resistance on the basis that an individual I’m criticizing is “civil” – polite and courteous, exhibiting social graces…“nice” – doesn’t cut it with me.

Please don’t get me wrong. I’ve got nothing per se against civility. All else being equal I favour Western civility over incivility and barbarism. But being civil should not be a free pass or get-out-of-jail card, or provide immunity from justified reproach.

Richard Prebble: What Happens When Climate Policy Works?

I have been approached by a lobbyist representing carbon forestry interests.

His said that the carbon price had fallen. Investors in carbon forestry faced huge losses.

National he claimed favoured fixing a carbon price to restore a valuable stream of Crown revenue from carbon auctions. New Zealand First was sympathetic to the plight of forestry investors.

Phillip Crump: Sinead Boucher Buys an Event

Matthew Hooton’s appointment is not a conventional hire. That is precisely the point.

When news leaked last year that Matthew Hooton was being considered for a seat on the RNZ board, my first reaction was: of course he is. The fit wasn’t quite right but the impulse behind it was entirely him.

So the announcement earlier this week that Matthew would be the next Editor-in-Chief of The Post and the Sunday Star-Times didn’t surprise me. In fact, it was exactly the type of provocation that has been Matthew’s trademark ever since I've known him.

David Farrar: National proposes compulsory KiwiSaver

Chris Luxon has announced National policy to make KiwiSaver compulsory if re-elected.

The Government has already lifted the minimum contribution rate from 3.0% to 3.5%, which 99.5% of default rate savers went with – only 0.5% went back to 3.0%.

David Farrar: Two good appointments for The Post

The Post announced:

Incoming editor-in-chief of The Post and the Sunday Star-Times, Matthew Hooton, has appointed Henry Cooke as political editor and Amelia Wade as Auckland editor.

“Henry Cooke and Amelia Wade are the best New Zealand journalists of their generation and they are only going to get better still,” Hooton said.

Kerre Woodham: I'm not sure about the Oprah-fication of Labour's policies

As the election gets closer, parties are starting to release their policies. And after a slow start, keeping their cards close to their chest, Labour's building up steam. We already had the three free doctors visits for all, now we've got free maternity scans and a promise to scrap the $5 fee on prescriptions and make them universally free. Add that to the free public transport, well, up to a point, $20 in the major cities and $10 everywhere else, and that capital gains tax is going to be working overtime to pay for it all. So far, so Labour. But I'm not really sure about the Oprah-fication of Labour's policies. "You get a doctor's visit, and you get a doctor's visit, and here's one for you too. You get a free bus ride, and here's a free bus ride for you, and one for you as well."

Monday June 22, 2026 

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Damien Grant: If Chris Luxon is proud of our nuclear-free position.....

If Chris Luxon is proud of our nuclear-free position he should not be leading a centre-right political party

During a cold evening in late January 1940 the First Lord of the Admiralty, one Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill, gave a speech on the dire situation on the continent. Chamberlain was still Prime Minister but the MP for Epping gave a sombre assessment on neutral powers seeking refuge in anonymity.

Robert MacCulloch and Leonard Hong: National's Plans for Compulsory KiwiSaver

The National Party’s KiwiSaver announcement is one of the most significant shifts in New Zealand politics and economic policy in a generation.

"We are delighted that the Prime Minister has agreed to implement compulsory KiwiSaver if re-elected in this year’s election."

Ryan Bridge: The Green's wealth tax isn't going to happen

There's no point talking about the latest loony bin tax plan grab from the Greens because it's not going to become anything more than a word doc on their website. It's not going to happen.

An inheritance tax is about the cruellest thing a state can impose on a grieving family. 33% when mum or dad dies. You've got to then take out a loan from the bank, congratulations bank and pay the government. Or sell the shares or property or whatever. Then pay the state. Congratulations state.

Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: Did Andrew Little save Wellington Council?

Tell me something: does what’s just happened with the Golden Mile upgrade in Wellington restore your faith in the possibility that councils can actually be run properly?

Because that thing - I don’t know if you’ve been following it over the years - but the Golden Mile upgrade has been an albatross around the necks of Wellington business owners and ratepayers since probably about 2016.

Breaking Views Update: Week of 21.6.26

Monday June 22, 2026 

News:
Ngāti Whātua artists bring 9-metre sculpture to Auckland’s Tūhono Light Trail
The free two-kilometre Tūhono Light Trail links Queen Street to waterfront in one of the world’s longest indigenous light trails

A rōpū of Ngāti Whātua artists has added new works to the Tūhono Light Trail for Matariki - a two-kilometre immersive art experience that connects Aucklanders with the stories of mana whenua.

Bruce Cotterill: Public sector waste - Public servants must remember who they work for

It’s all in the name they call themselves. Public servants. Their trade union is named the Public Service Association. The ultimate “boss of the bosses” within the complex structure carries the title Public Service Commissioner.

It’s probably not too much of a stretch to suggest that the core purpose of the people who fill these roles is to “serve the public”.

Olivia Pierson: Memorandums and the Midterms

The Memorandum of Understanding with the Iranian regime displays an unwelcome shift that has sent shock waves throughout the world, raising serious questions among those who fully expect aggressive pressure on the brutal regime and unwavering support for Israel.

Trump’s pivot in rhetoric on the stage of the G7 has made heads explode, and I cannot help but wonder if Vice President Vance is the conduit of toxic whispers straight from the mouth of his buddy Tucker Carlson and into the President's ear.

Colinxy: White Babies Are Racist…According to Racists

Every few years, a peculiar claim bubbles up from the activist‑academic complex and spreads through the media like mould on damp plaster: “White babies are racist.”

Sometimes it’s softened to “all babies show racial bias by 6–9 months.” Sometimes it’s framed as a scientific breakthrough. Sometimes it’s used to justify ideological programmes in early childhood education.

But the core message is always the same: Racism is innate, universal, and detectable before a child can crawl.

Net Zero Watch Samizdat: Will Miliband become the Net Zero Chancellor?

UK

Burnham’s Makerfield victory could make Miliband even more dangerous

Burnham said remarkably little about Net Zero during his by-election campaign, but recent reports pubished by his campaign aides suggest his by-election win is unlikely to mean much change on energy. If anything, it raises the prospect of Ed Miliband moving to the Treasury, where he could prove even more influential. As Chancellor, Miliband - who has gone rogue and is no longer speaking to the Prime Minister - would have far greater control over spending and taxation. Rather than abandoning the renewables-first strategy as costs rise, he could seek to shift more of those costs from bills into general taxation and use redistribution to shield households from the political consequences.

Dr Oliver Hartwich: The twenty-dollar week

For months, commentators had one demand of Labour: stop holding your fire and show us some policy.

Last week, Labour obliged. It would cap public transport fares at $20 a week in the big cities, and $10 everywhere else. Two numbers came attached: a cost of $65 million a year, and an average saving of $25 a week.

So, I reached for a calculator, and that is where the trouble started.

Benno Blaschke: Helping government take its foot off the brake

Before anyone builds a house in New Zealand, someone must pay upfront for the pipes and the roads that connect a development to the city. Almost always, that someone is the council.

But a council can only borrow so much: about two to three times what it collects in a year. Once it hits that limit, it can no longer pay, so it uses its planning rules to say no.

David Farrar: The world’s first trillionaire

Elon Musk in now the world’s first trillionaire, with his net work now estimated a US$1.3 trillion.

He did not inherit even 0.000001% of this from his parents. Instead he simply:

David Farrar: Make sure this is in the next coalition agreement

ACT announced:

“New Zealanders shouldn’t have to choose between their career and their right to free speech,” says ACT Public Service spokesperson Todd Stephenson.

“Today ACT is announcing a 2026 election policy to stop professional regulators acting as ideological enforcers. ACT will, if returned to Government, introduce legislation to this end. …