Heather du Plessis-Allan: Kids shouldn't be exempt from citizen's arrests

If you listen to parenting experts, you'll hear the same thing time and time again about raising kids properly. 

They need love, but just as importantly, they need boundaries. 

They need to be told no, they need to be disciplined, and they need to learn what they can and can't do. 

Centrist: Seymour says critics of Regulatory Standards Bill offer heat, not answers

Opponents dominated the opening day of public hearings into the Regulatory Standards Bill, but ACT leader David Seymour says little constructive criticism was offered.

Just a lot of political theatre.

Breaking Views Update: Week of 6.7.25

Wednesday July 9, 2025 

News:
Whakapapa Decisions: Whānau Centric Campaign Drives Māori Representation In School Board Elections
The Mātauranga Iwi Leaders Group (MILG) has launched Whakapapa Decisions: a national campaign designed to increase Māori participation in the upcoming school board elections through nominations, voting, and whānau-led engagement.

DTNZ: China buying up mines globally – FT

Beijing is reportedly racing to lock in critical mineral supplies as the West restricts Chinese investments.

Chinese companies are buying more mines abroad than they have in over a decade to secure key raw materials as Western countries restrict their investments, the Financial Times has reported.

Tim Donner: President Trump Reaches the Heights of Power

He may never command the stage more than right now.

The pinnacle of success for any American president is to gain control of the agenda for both the nation and the world. And after almost six months in office, and especially the last two weeks, President Donald J. Trump has come as close to achieving that goal as any president in a lifetime.

Peter Williams: Hipkins should appear at the Covid-19 Inquiry

Written responses are not enough

We should be thankful for small mercies.

Chris Hipkins says he’s preparing a written response to the Covid Phase 2 inquiry. He seems decidedly unenthusiastic about appearing in person.

Here’s the problem. We don’t know what questions Hipkins has been asked by the Commissioners.

Matua Kahurangi: Why did Māori start killing their children at alarming rates in the 1990s?

Between 1978 and 1987, Māori and non‑Māori children were dying at almost the same rate - around 1 child per 100,000 was murdered. Then suddenly, something snapped. By the 1990s, the Māori child-homicide rate more than doubled, while the non‑Māori rate actually dropped. So what the hell happened?

Kerre Woodham: Is it any wonder the Govt's interfering with the judiciary?

I've steered clear of much of the sentencing changes proposed by the Government because it's a topic that we do canvas often. The Government campaigned on toughening up on crime and on criminals, and so far they seem to be delivering, so you know, leave them to it. But Paul Goldsmith's proposal that the government could introduce more minimum or mandatory sentences for crimes, meaning less power for the judges and more for the government, couldn't come at a better time as far as I'm concerned.

John Robertson: Carbon Corruption - A Racial Land Grab Hidden Behind Pine Trees

So here we are — in 2025 — being told that if you own land in New Zealand, you’d better check your ancestry before you plant too many trees.

 
That’s not a joke. That’s policy.

David Farrar: A story the media ignored

The Taxpayers’ Union revealed:

The Taxpayers’ Union can reveal that Te Wharekura o Tauranga Moana is set to take staff to Tahiti this Friday and refuses to answer basic questions to justify the spend.

Taxpayers’ Union Executive Director Jordan Williams said:

Tuesday July 8, 2025 

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Dr Muriel Newman On Taupō Council’s Co-Governance Deal With Iwi

Duncan Garner talks to Dr Muriel Newman on The Platform about Taupō Council’s co-governance deal with iwi.


Click to view

Rob Paterson: Ethnicity Anomalies

Many people are making valid protests about Waitangi claimants with very slight Maori bloodlines (ethnicity) and are looking for a formula on how to address this anomaly. Well here’s the solution; it’s called the Ethnicity Equalisation Scheme (EES).

Kerre Woodham: Are the banks paying their fair share of tax?

To start the morning, I wondered about looking at the fairness - or otherwise - of the corporate tax rate.

The Finance Minister, according to a New Zealand Herald story, has quietly asked Inland Revenue to look at the appropriateness of the tax settings being applied to banks. Nicola Willis confirmed to the Herald a wide range of options is being considered to ensure the major banks are paying their fair share of tax.

Heather's Minute: We need more minimum sentences

On the Government considering minimum sentences, I would have no problem with this.

I realise the judiciary aren't going to love it because it's tying their hands.

But frankly, that is the point.

Caleb Anderson: Public Policy and the Most Unholy of Trinities

I did most of my postgraduate study through what you might call conservative institutions of learning in the United States. I still have connections with these institutions.

I received this survey from Hillsdale College this week, and felt it was highly relevant in light of recent evidence of persistent radicalization of our education system.

Our Education Minister's recent comments in defence of the wording of the Education Training and Amendment Bill give additional cause for concern.

Alastair Frizzell: The New Snow White is Not All Bad

Sitting in cattle class on an A380 flying back from Sydney to Christchurch I skipped through the entertainment and landed on the new Disney remake of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Reviews of the film have been less than 100 percent positive. The Rotten Tomatoes score is 39%.

Before you read this article I have to declare my hand, I am an old pale stale male, of ex farming occupation with no credentials to foist a film review onto you. The above, however never stopped me from offering my opinion on most topics.

Richard Eldred: This Is How Mass Migration Will Change Britain Beyond Recognition

In the Telegraph, Matthew Goodwin warns that mass immigration is reshaping Britain beyond recognition, with white Britons set to become a minority by 2063. Here’s an excerpt:

Matua Kahurangi: Tattooing a 13-year-old’s face isn’t culture

It’s child abuse

A 13-year-old girl from Invercargill, a student at Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Arowhenua, has just received a moko kauae. For those who don’t know, that’s a traditional facial tattoo worn on the chin of Māori women. It once held deep cultural meaning. It was something earned. Reserved for wāhine of mana: elders, leaders, knowledge holders. Now we’re slapping it on kids who haven’t even sat their NCEA exams.

Ani O'Brien: Why do Māori have to rely on deceased kidney donors?

Systemic racism or an inconveniently multifaceted set of problems requiring uncomfortable conversations

It is a fact that the life expectancy of Māori is lower than New Zealanders of European descent. It is also a fact that the life expectancy of New Zealanders of European descent is lower than that of Asian New Zealanders.