Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: Is Labour really in it to win it here?

Yeah, so it's not good for Labour in the latest Taxpayers' Union-Curia poll.

They've now fallen to 26 percent, which is below the 27 percent they got at the last election.

Now, this is not a surprise to me, and it shouldn't be a surprise to you, because we've been saying consistently on this show all year that Labour was going to come down in the polls once the policy started being released.

Breaking Views Update: Week of 6.9.26

Tuesday September 8, 2026 

News:
Why is National not releasing reports on race-based issues?
You do wonder if National have an agenda pre-election over race-based issues.

The Waitangi Tribunal review is on Tama Potaka's desk and has been for a while.

Pee Kay: November 7th, 2026

Why This Election is No Longer Business as Usual. This could be democracy’s “last chance saloon!”

New Zealand is standing on the edge of a constitutional cliff having been quietly herded there by powerful activists, ill-intentioned politicians and a worrying large herd of apathetic “sheeple”. We, the voting public, are being actively duped into believing this November’s election is just business as usual.

It isn’t.

Geoff Parker: The River Is A Legal Person — But Who Makes The Law?

Hemopereki Simon's article about the Whanganui River makes one thing very clear: for him, giving the river legal personhood does not go nearly far enough.

That is because his argument is not really about the river. It is about who should have political and legal authority in New Zealand.

Ryan Bridge: Standing still is not a strategy

We've got another report from another ratings agency, Moody's.

They've taken a look at our credit, they've taken a look at our economy, much the same as the S & P one we spoke about last week.

But here's a few things this country cannot afford to forget.

Colinxy: Why Liberalism Keeps Getting Crushed Between the Two Collectivisms

Liberalism — the philosophy of individual rights, limited government, free speech, and voluntary association — should, in theory, be the natural victor in any ideological contest. It produces prosperity, stability, and personal freedom. It avoids the utopian fantasies that lead to mass graves. It is the only system that treats people as individuals rather than as units of a collective.

And yet, historically, liberalism is the ideology that gets crushed first.

Why?

David Harvey: Opportunist Levelling

The Methods Change With Time

The Levellers were a radical political movement active in England during the mid-1640s to 1649, emerging from the Parliamentarian side of the Civil War. They were most influential among London artisans, tradesmen, and rank-and-file soldiers of the New Model Army.

Brendan O'Neill: The media’s sinister crusade against Reform

The status quo elites are weaponising ‘sleaze’ to try to kill off populism.

Two truths stare us in the face following the latest Reform UK scandal. First, Reform needs to up its game. It can’t keep shuffling slack-jawed into media stings. And second, the media really are hell-bent on nobbling this insurgent party. ‘Scandal’ is clearly their cudgel of choice for kneecapping populism. Between the amateurishness at Reform and the animus of a panicked press class, democracy really has its work cut out.

DTNZ: Milei vows to ‘recover’ Falklands

Argentine President Javier Milei has intensified Buenos Aires’ long-running claim to the Falkland Islands, declaring the British Overseas Territory to be Argentine and warning that his government will act against companies involved in a major offshore oil development.

In a nationally televised address, Milei opened with an unequivocal assertion of sovereignty over the islands, known in Argentina as Las Malvinas.

Bob Edlin: Local government academic chides Hastings council (hurrah!).....

....for its censorial hushing of code-of-conduct investigations

West Australia-based Dr Andy Asquith – it seems – has become the go-to expert on local government, when journalists check out the dubious goings-on of local authorities.

He has been referenced in media reports this week dealing with a byelection in Porirua, the Tauranga City Council’s regulatory conflict of interest, and the Hastings District Council’s egregious urge to hush its code-of-conduct investigations.

David Farrar: Petrol tax should be higher, not lower

Henry Cooke writes:

This week showcased the unfortunately strong case for depoliticising political decisions.

First, a group of politicians in Cabinet made a regrettable call that some of them were clearly regretting as they made it – delaying fuel tax hikes, yet again.

Monday September 7, 2026 

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Damien Grant: Tamatha Paul calls English ‘a bastard language’ - She’s missing the point

English is a bastard language, claims Tamatha Paul. She declared, with a confidence devoid of comprehension: “It’s a bastardisation of Greek, Old Norse, Latin…”

Seems disrespectful. Let’s break this down.

Taxpayers' Union-Curia Poll: September 2026

Labour slumps, Opportunity falls out in latest Taxpayers’ Union-Curia Poll 

Our September Taxpayers’ Union–Curia Poll has landed, and it is a pretty brutal set of numbers for Labour.

Ryan Bridge: The war in Iran isn't going anywhere

Told you when this whole thing kicked off that it wouldn't end tomorrow, and it hasn't.

This is the war between the US and Iran. It is still going on.

The biggest problem was always going to be the Strait of Hormuz, and the Strait of Hormuz is not open.

David Lillis: Holding Chief Executives and Boards to Account

An Article in Stuff

An article in Stuff of 4 September makes compelling reading (Penfold, 2026). So, one Chief Executive has gone, following a suspension. I will refrain from comment here, as I know former and/or current staff at the relevant place of work and I must be discreet. Simply, the public should note that an investigation will examine allegations of bullying, sexual and other harassment and retaliation; a culture of fear and retribution that suppressed staff from raising concerns; the handling of complaints; confidentiality and privacy practices; the use of non-disclosure agreements; and the adequacy of oversight of board and management.

Centrist: Janet Dickson ruling shows New Zealand’s regulator reforms fall short

Janet Dickson faces losing her licence over a compulsory tikanga course, while Alberta limits regulators’ power to impose ideological training.

Professional bodies are supposed to regulate professions, not politics

The Real Estate Agents Disciplinary Tribunal has upheld the registrar’s refusal to exempt Janet Dickson from Te Kākano, a compulsory 90-minute course covering Māori language and development, the Treaty of Waitangi and Māori land.

The Real Estate Authority had already signalled that it intended to cancel her licence. Dickson now appears likely to lose the right to work in real estate after 30 years. There is no allegation that she acted incompetently or dishonestly in a property transaction, or harmed a client.

Dr Benno Blaschke: When a line on a map makes housing dearer

Imagine two paddocks at the edge of a city. They have the same soil and access to the same roads and pipes.

Then town planners allow homes on one side, but not the other. The first can be worth many times more. Nothing physical has changed. The rule has.

Families pay through dearer sections, mortgages and rents.

Dr Oliver Hartwich: Hobbiton or space nation? NZ can’t seem to decide

New Zealand is barely a military power. It has had no combat aircraft for 25 years, and its ageing frigates need replacing. Lifting defence spending to 2 per cent of GDP passes for ambition. The country comes across as a real-world Hobbiton: peaceful, friendly and not very capable.

Yet one capability puts New Zealand in the club of superpowers, and it is the last one anyone would expect. Last year, only the United States and China saw more rockets leave their soil. New Zealand, with 17 launches, matched Russia.

Craig Rucker: Nepal’s tragic flood was nature, not climate

When natural disaster strikes, climate charlatans pounce.

Over 1,200 people are dead, and over 4,000 are missing after a glacier collapsed, sending flash floods into Nepal and Tibet.

Climate scientist Dr. Michael Mann (of Climategate fame) wrote in the UK Guardian that Nepal’s flood reveals “the apocalyptic future that lies in store if we fail to take dramatic climate action.”