Dr Eric Crampton: Better urban planning

Oliver asked me to make the case for the government’s resource management legislation. It should be read in conjunction with Nick Clark’s critique below. I share his concerns, and I expect he’d share some of my hopes.

Under a supportive Minister like Hon Bishop or Hon Twyford, the legislation would enable a more liberal approach to housing and development.

John Ogilvie: Protecting Children or Controlling the Narrative?

It’s been six months since the Albanese Government introduced the social media ban for people under the age of 16. This law was sold to the public as a necessary measure to keep children safe from the dangers of social media. They told us that it would usher in a golden age where kids would go no longer be stuck on their devices and would go outside and socialise just like they did in the pre-Internet days. And of course, we were assured that this had nothing to do with protecting the legacy media or controlling the narrative online.

Dr Oliver Hartwich: The revolving door at the end of the Pacific

No country moves people the way New Zealand does.

Nearly three in ten New Zealand residents were born overseas. In our 29-country comparison, only Singapore, Switzerland and Australia have larger shares of foreign-born residents.

David Farrar: Trump does a 12.5% tariff on NZ

Stuff reports:

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says the US decision to impose new 12.5% tariffs on New Zealand products is “extremely disappointing” and will drive up costs for businesses.

US President Donald Trump earlier announced he was going ahead with new double-digit tariffs on dozens of US trading partners just as the clock runs out on stopgap levies he imposed after a stinging defeat at the US Supreme Court.

David Farrar: Hipkins hypocrisy

Stuff reports:

Labour leader Chris Hipkins wasn’t happy when new ACT Party candidate Paul Henry said he’d need to “shoot” Hipkins, during a game of “shoot, shag, marry”.

His other options were Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and NZ First leader Winston Peters, who, given the options, he’d “shag”.

Sunday July 26, 2026 

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Frank Newman: The Commissioner who still doesn't get it

The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment’s advice on the repeal of the RMA and its replacement legislation has been largely ignored by the select committee hearing submissions. And rightly so.

As the incoming National Minister for the Environment in 1990, Simon Upton inherited the foundational Resource Management Bill left behind by Geoffrey Palmer’s outgoing Labour government. Upton took charge of steering the legislation through Parliament. Upton had the opportunity to kill it then. He embraced it instead. While one can assume Upton had the best of intentions, his naivety seeded the legislation’s inherent flaw that inevitably led to its demise. Quite simply, the “enabling” legislation gave radical vested-interest groups a liberty that enabled them to seize control of the process to the detriment of the community as a whole.

Breaking Views Update: Week of 26.7.26

Sunday July 26, 2026 

News:
Cabinet faces ‘no-brainer’ decision on ancient migration waka
The fate of the waka believed to be Rangihoua - a double-hulled ocean-going waka thought to be part of an early migration from Hawaiki centuries ago - is now in the hands of Cabinet.

Described as one of the most significant archaeological discoveries ever made in Aotearoa and the wider Pacific, the waka remains buried in coastal dunes on Rēkohu, the Chatham Islands.

Geoff Parker: From the Lands Case to Treaty Partnership

How a Judicial Observation Became a Constitutional Doctrine

Introduction: How a Legal Interpretation Became a Constitutional Debate

Few court decisions have had a greater impact on New Zealand’s constitutional debate than the 1987 Court of Appeal decision in New Zealand Māori Council v Attorney-General, commonly known as the Lands Case.

John Raine: Can universities recover their mojo in the AI age?

 

The Path of Cultural Re-Engineering 

The 2020s have been a period of cultural change in academia throughout the Western world. In countries such as the USA, Canada, the U.K. and Australia, where universities have been heavily captured by ideological agendas, we have yet to see a much loss of momentum in “progressive” left wing politics on campus.  

Ryan Bridge: Would we send our troops to fight the Houthis?

It's possible our defence force could send personnel to the Middle East to help stop the Houthis.

They're the group in Yemen, backed by Iran, currently firing drones and cruise missiles at Saudi tankers.

Clive Bibby: Separatism by Stealth

As a nation, are we sleep walking to self destruction?

At a time when, relative to most other First World countries, our prospects for future prosperity appear guaranteed, why is it that we seem unable to recognise the obvious roadblocks that could derail our plans for a utopian existence.

Ani O'Brien: A week is a long time: 25 July 2026

If this is the campaign we’re going to have, it’s going to be a very long few months

We’re barely into the election campaign and I’m already exhausted. New Zealand is facing enormous questions about economic growth, energy security, infrastructure, health, the Treaty, the cost of living, and our place in an unstable world. Parties are releasing substantive policy that deserves serious scrutiny. However, this week far too much of the political conversation has revolved around drinking games, innuendo, and outrage cycles that last 24 hours before being replaced by the next one.

Colinxy: Capitalism Isn’t Utopian — And That’s Why It Works

A commenter on Breaking Views left this remark under a repost of one of my articles:

"NZ’s largest malt mill closed today and 230 jobs lost. That’s the right for you, economic destruction.

It’s an emotionally powerful line, and I understand why people reach for it. Business closures are painful. Redundancy is miserable. I’ve been through it myself, and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.

Kerre Woodham: The political circus of this week

Now it's just over three months till the election. It is a really important election. New Zealand is struggling to get back on its feet economically. A lot of Kiwis are hurting, and they've been hurting for a long, long time. And they have to decide between a party that gives them stuff, “Oh look, we've got free stuff for you," or a party that is promised to fix things, “Hey, we're in charge here," but is still in the process of fixing things and hasn't fixed a great deal yet, “Oh, it takes time.” Or even whether they should give their vote to a shiny new party, “Hi, we're from TOP," utterly unproven, has some interesting takes on taxing the rich, but hey, at least it's not National or Labour, stuff National or Labour. I'll go with that nice girl in that shiny party that may well end up taking your land off you, but hey ho, there we go, at least it's not National or Labour.

David R Henderson: Free People, Virtue, and Wisdom

Because it undercuts both civic and economic incentives, socialism fails to create a good society.

Over the years I’ve become friends with a very sharp economist whose views sometimes agree with mine and sometimes differ a lot from mine. His name is Jonathan Lipow. He has an interesting background. Although he grew up in the United States, he was also a member of the Israel Defense Forces. He calls himself a progressive economist and even wrote a book titled Public Policy for Progressives.

John McLean: Unlikely Doctor Te Moke

I’ve just read The Unlikely Doctor, a book about a man who now goes by the name of Timoti Te Moke. The book is written in the first person (“I”), but was in fact written for Te Moke (and the publisher, Allen & Unwin) by a fella named Eugene Bingham. Being a full time medical doctor, Te Moke made it plain, “I ain’t got the time [to write a book]”.

Dave Patterson: Can the US Fight Iran and the Houthis at the Same Time?

The Iran-sponsored Houthis, a Yemeni militant terrorist organization, control much of northern Yemen and remain a persistent problem in the Middle East. Houthis are engaged in regional upheaval using asymmetric attacks, including cruise missiles, drones, anti-ship missiles, and general maritime harassment. On July 20, the Houthis announced a naval blockade against Saudi oil exports from Yanbu, located halfway up the western Saudi Arabian coast along the Red Sea, through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait into the Gulf of Aden. Saudi officials have pledged to protect their shipping. Will the United States get dragged into this conflict? That is the question.

Richard Prebble: The Climate Commission Wants More Government

"New Zealand now at risk of missing all its climate targets," declared the headlines after the Climate Change Commission released its latest monitoring report.

The Commission says New Zealand is no longer on track to meet its 2030 methane target. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon disagrees, saying he is confident the Government will meet its commitments.

Both cannot be right.

Saturday July 25, 2026 

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