Geoff Parker: Margaret Mutu and the Case Against Equal Citizenship

Why ancestry-based governance undermines democracy

In a recent appearance on Q+A, Margaret Mutu advanced arguments implying that Māori never ceded sovereignty, that New Zealand is fundamentally a Māori country, and that democratic structures should be reshaped to reflect Māori authority.

It is a powerful narrative. It is also one that collapses under constitutional scrutiny.

Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: When will the Christchurch Cathedral get repaired?

Tell me if I’m wrong, but it seems to me that every single year the Anglican Church in this country delays repairing the Christchurch Cathedral, the public cares a little less about seeing it restored. And yet again, the Anglicans are asking for money to fix the thing.

Breaking Views Update: Week of 22.2.26

Saturday February 28, 2026 

News:
Protest and partnership: The paradox of Māori charter schools under Seymour
Against that backdrop, it may seem difficult to reconcile why Seymour has strongly backed and approved funding for a significant number of kaupapa Māori charter schools.

In the past week alone, he has announced two new kaupapa Māori charter schools, bringing the total number of Māori-focused charter schools to seven of the 20 approved nationwide, more than a third, with more expected.

Vance Ginn: Capitalism’s Coalition Is Cracking — And That Should Worry Us

Free-market capitalism still delivers the goods. But its political coalition is fracturing — and that should worry anyone who cares about prosperity and freedom.

Recent Gallup polling on Americans’ views of capitalism and socialism shows that just 54 percent now view capitalism favorably, the lowest Gallup has recorded. Views of socialism remain much lower at 39 percent, but the direction matters. Support for capitalism has fallen notably over time, especially among independents and younger Americans.

DTNZ: Power bills set to rise as network costs push prices higher

Meridian Energy says household electricity bills could increase by up to seven percent this year, driven largely by rising lines and transmission charges rather than wholesale energy costs.

The company reported a half-year profit of $227 million after a loss the previous year, with chief executive Mike Roan stating that regulated infrastructure costs set by the Commerce Commission were higher than expected and would continue flowing through to consumers over coming years.

Roger Partridge: A President unbound - Trump’s second term and the erosion of constitutional constraint

On 5 February 2026, Donald Trump stood before the National Prayer Breakfast. The room was full of the faithful – pastors, politicians, and conservative leaders who had long believed that America’s renewal required a strong hand. Trump was asked about accusations that he had weaponised the Department of Justice against political opponents. His reply was disarmingly candid. “I don’t,” he said, “but wouldn’t I have a right to?”

The audience laughed. Some applauded.

Nick Clark: The RMA reform we were promised is not the reform we got

New Zealand has been trying to fix its resource management system for the better part of three decades. The Resource Management Act has been amended virtually every year since 1991 and reviewed several times during that period. Yet reform has consistently failed.

The RMA has defeated its own purpose. It aimed to deliver sustainable management. Instead, it delivered a housing crisis, $1.3 billion a year in infrastructure consenting costs, 1,175 different zoning categories, and declines in freshwater quality and indigenous biodiversity - the environmental outcomes most directly within the planning system's control.

Peter Williams: Make New Zealand Healthy Again

New Zealand is spending record sums on healthcare while growing sicker by the year. What if the real solution isn’t more hospitals and doctors — but fewer sick people?

As the old sage Confucius is supposed to have observed around 500 BC, “A healthy man wants a thousand things; a sick man wants only one.”

Two and a half millennia later, that observation feels uncomfortably current. We are living longer, but we are not necessarily living healthier. New Zealand’s average life expectancy has risen by roughly 18 years over the last century—from about 65 years in 1926 to around 83 today.

Kerre Woodham: Volunteers deserve trauma counselling cover

I can't even believe we're having to discuss this, but we are. It seems absolutely ludicrous that drunk drivers who say, kill their passengers, maim their passengers, smash their own selves up after crashing their vehicles —hopefully not into innocent victims, but sometimes it will be— are able to claim ACC, but the volunteer firefighters and the first responders who are volunteers who respond to the crash and have to deal with the horror of the aftermath, quite often they will know the people involved if it happens in a small community. If they're the ones that have to unwrap a kid from a drive shaft, they are not able to claim ACC for trauma counselling or PTSD. What they do is considered a leisure activity.

Bob Edlin: After calling to dump the royal family......Maxwell might muse on the Maori monarchy

After calling to dump the royal family, because of Andrew’s transgressions, Maxwell might muse on the Maori monarchy

We learn today how Stuff columnist Joel Maxwell gets his laughs. He has written:

David Farrar: Violent crime continue to plummet

This should be the major news story of the week, or month. The massive increase in violent crime under Labour has not just reversed, but has dropped to another low according to the latest crime data.

Friday February 27, 2026 

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Caleb Anderson: This thing we call education

By the end of the term of the previous (Labour) government, education in New Zealand had reached crisis point. Erica Stanford deserves praise for some much necessary curriculum reforms, but she is only half way there, if that.

In this opinion piece I am speaking only about curriculum reform, not about education reform more generally, which has its own set of problems.

Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: Was David Seymour right about Air New Zealand going 'woke'?

So David Seymour’s right about Air New Zealand - but he’s also wrong about Air New Zealand.

Before we get to why, let me bring you up to speed on what’s happened with the airline today, because the news is not good.

Pee Kay: English Language Bill is “bullsh*t”

So says Chloe!

The government has introduced a bill to make English an official language, to ridicule from the opposition, and a fierce defence from Winston Peters.

The legislation would see English be recognised as an official language alongside Te Reo Māori and New Zealand Sign Language.

Just two pages long, the legislation states that English has long been a de facto official language, but not set out in legislation.

Corey DeAngelis: The Atlantic’s Critique of Homeschooling Ignores the Real Education Crisis

The Atlantic recently ran a story headlined “He Was Homeschooled for Years, and Fell So Far Behind.” It profiles Stefan Merrill Block, who was homeschooled in his early years and later struggled to catch up once he entered traditional schooling. But one rough experience doesn’t invalidate an entire movement that is delivering superior results for millions of families across the country.

Peter Dunne: Chris Hipkins' State Of The Nation Speech

There has been much criticism that Labour leader Chris Hipkins' so-called state of the nation speech to Auckland business leaders this week was a missed opportunity. According to these critics, Hipkins should have used the occasion to spell out some major policy details to kick-start his party's election campaign.

Dr Oliver Hartwich: EU is ignoring economics 101 - those who spend must also pay

European integration has always been a tug of war. On one side stand the enthusiasts. They treat every crisis as a chance to deepen the union, pool sovereignty, take another step towards a federal Europe. On the other stand the sceptics. They worry that centralisation undermines democracy and economic sense.

Peter Williams: Let the Experts Decide Bendigo’s Future

Today, February 25 is a significant day for Bendigo — Bendigo in Central Otago that is.

Like its Australian namesake, this district was built on gold. In Victoria, large-scale mining never entirely stopped; the Fosterville Gold Mine continues to operate as one of that state’s major producers. In Central Otago, by contrast, the last meaningful gold operations wound down in 1942.

Now the question is whether Bendigo, Otago returns to the industry that created it.

Bob Edlin: Extremists will be irked.....

Extremists will be irked, but Govt has put Law Commission’s transgender report into the “no need for urgency” basket

Someone once raised questions that drew PoO’s attention to trans extremists being illogical.

If you can change your sex then why not change your race or species? Why is one possible, but not the others?