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.

Breaking Views Update: Week of 22.2.26

Friday February 27, 2026 

News:
Environment plan funding opens for iwi, hapū and marae
Far North District Council’s Te Hono Team (Māori Development & Māori Relationships) is seeking applications from iwi, hapū and marae requiring funding to develop environmental management plans for their rohe.

An Iwi/Hapū Environmental Management Plan (IHEMP) is a resource management plan developed by a hapū, iwi, or iwi authority. The plans are holistic documents that set out environmental and resource management planning issues, objectives, policies, plans, and/or methods of concern and interest to tāngata whenua in their rohe.

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?

David Farrar: How is Waititi’s hero going?

In July Te Pati Maori co-leader Rawiri Waititi said that Burkina Faso’s leader Ibrahim Traoré was his modern day hero. I thought it would be timely to check in and see how his hero is going.

Al Jazeera reports:

Mike's Minute: The political divide on homelessness

There was a huge reaction to yesterday's Politics Wednesday segment on homelessness and move-on orders.

Labour argues homelessness is up dramatically and there is nowhere for these people to go.

New numbers released today show that simply, in Auckland anyway, is not true.

Thursday February 26, 2026 

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Centrist: Medical Council draft tells doctors to advance Māori equity, dismantle ‘power imbalances’

Documents circulated to doctors this week show the Medical Council is consulting on a new statement requiring practitioners to actively advance “hauora Māori” and address “unfair systems and power imbalances” within the health sector.

Does pursuing race-linked outcome equity cross from professional standards into political doctrine?

Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: Could we pass a transport rule that reflects some common sense?

The Government announced today it wants to shake up the road rules a little - allowing kids under the age of 12 to ride their bikes on the footpath, and letting e-scooters use cycleways.

Now, it might surprise you to learn that both of those things are against the rules. Kids aren’t allowed on footpaths on their bikes unless the wheel diameter is roughly the length of a ruler or smaller, and e-scooters are not allowed in cycle lanes.

Ryan Bridge: Who do we believe on vaping?

There's a big puffy cloud of smoke hanging over the vaping versus cigarettes debate this week.

It's all kicked off because the government's handing out free vapes to smokers to stop them getting what we know could be a death sentence.

David Farrar: Woke Wellington strikes again

The Herald reports:

A bicultural overhaul of Army doctrine that features Māori cosmology at its core has led to a Government revolt, with the NZ Defence Force putting on hold part of the controversial programme.

The NZ Army’s new “general orders” to soldiers uses a pantheon of te ao Māori gods as guiding influences for its strategy “to achieve a bicultural status by enabling the recognition of Māori cultural interests as they are guaranteed within Te Tiriti o Waitangi”.

Colinxy: Magna Carta - What Relevance Does It Have Today?

The Magna Carta, the Great Charter, is often invoked with a kind of reverence, as though it were a timeless constitutional talisman. It undeniably marked a turning point in English history. But what, if anything, does it mean for a modern constitutional democracy on the far side of the world? What relevance does it have in New Zealand today?

Professor John Raine: Climate And Energy Policy Realism Not Virtue Signalling, Please

Saving the Planet with Formula 1 Design Regulations

The 2026 Formula 1 (F1) motor racing season gets under way in Melbourne 6 - 8 March. During pre-season testing in Barcelona and Bahrain, leading drivers such as Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso weren’t holding back with their criticism of the new FIA design regulations.

The sustainable non-fossil fuel is not really an issue, although “sustainable” needs close scrutiny as too often some environmental and emissions costs are externalised. The key change is that the FIA has specified an increase from 120kW to 350kW (close to 50%) electric power, and a reduction from ~550kW to ~400kW from the 1.6 litre turbocharged internal combustion engine. Notably, the battery energy storage capacity of 4 megajoules for 2026 remains unchanged, with this energy to be recovered twice over in braking each lap. Drivers now have become electrical energy managers rather than being 100% focused on driving flat out.

Kerre Woodham: Privacy - can we have our cake and eat it too?

There's been a second major medical platform hack, leaving live patients labelled as dead and people's names changed to Charlie Kirk, the American activist who was shot dead last year – assassinated really. MediMap is widely used across New Zealand. It's often used by the aged care, disability, hospice and community health sectors. It's the second major cyber-attack on medical files and records in recent weeks after Manage My Health was hit at the end of last year, start of this year. Manage My Health's portal systems were compromised over the New Year holiday, putting the data of more than 120,000 users at risk. But it seems the two breaches are vastly different.

Romina Boccia: America Can’t Tariff Its Way Out of This Debt Crisis

"Without tariffs,” the President said on his affordability tour in Georgia, “everybody would be bankrupt, the whole country would be bankrupt.” In court, the Trump administration has made similar sweeping claims, arguing that revoking certain tariff authorities would have “catastrophic consequences” and “lead to financial ruin.”

The Supreme Court has now struck down the administration’s “reciprocal tariffs” imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). This is a major victory for American consumers and businesses who suffered from higher taxes and higher prices that the tariffs imposed.