Breaking Views Update: Week of 19.7.26

Saturday July 25, 2026 

News:
Reappointments to Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori Board strengthens continuity and leadership - Potaka
Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka has confirmed the reappointment of Dr Jeremy Tātere MacLeod as Deputy Chair and Jennifer Te Atamira Ward-Lealand CNZM as a Board member of Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori.

The appointments are for a three-year term commencing on 2 September 2026 and provide continuity for Te Taura Whiri as it continues its work to revitalise and promote te reo Māori.

Andy Oakley: TVNZ's Racism and Lies Exposed Again - (A must watch)

Tame's treaty tricks and other bollocks

Just released: the latest episode of Andy Oakley Investigates.

Once again, our state-funded broadcaster TVNZ is in the spotlight — and not in a good way. In this short video, I break down the latest example of the racism they continue to platform and promote.

Simon O'Connor: Muddled multiculturalism

After travelling through Morocco and Portugal, and attending conferences in London, I found myself asking a simple question: can a nation remain coherent if it no longer believes in its own culture?

Multiculturalism has failed. In fact, multiculturalism will – by definition – always fail. A society cannot indefinitely sustain competing cultural norms on fundamental questions of law, rights, and social order.

Mike's Minute: If you're an MP, avoid the dumb brigade

Under normal circumstances, if I was a Prime Minister, I'd avoid the dumb brigade.

In general terms they preside in music radio and/or on podcast platforms.

It is the arena of numbnut behaviour, it's always a trap.

Ryan Bridge: Is our data safe with AI?

The more you read about these AI hacks, the less you want to know about them.

Basically, the short story is that there was an AI bot out there that went full Terminator. It hacked into another system, another AI system, without being told to do so, acting entirely of its own volition.

David Harvey: Stanford's Crusade

Policy, Passion and Restricting Access to Social Media

Introduction

The Herald’s front page for 22 July 2026 left nothing to interpretation: “I’m standing up for kids against insidious tech,” Erica Stanford declared. The timing was convenient. The article arrived hard on the heels of the paper’s own “Under the Influence” series — an unashamed, unapologetic piece of advocacy about how social media is said to be harming our youth.

Gary Judd KC: More Misconduct by Stuart Nash

Realpolitik in operation: Nash ceases to be NZF candidate

My article of May 26, 2026, Stuart Nash, Cabinet Confidentiality, and Winston Peters’ Standards Has Misconduct Stopped Mattering: or is it another case of amnesia? ended this way:

Kerre Woodham: Stuart Nash – indiscreet and hopeless

Dear oh dear oh dear oh dear. You do have to wonder whether Stuart Nash is employable in this country. He might have to head over to Oz and join forces with Tory Whanau – they can set up their own consultancy on what not to do if you want a job in the public eye. For those who don't know, and I can't imagine there's anyone in the country who doesn't, but let's recap:

Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: The amalgamation plans are descending into chaos

If you're a fan, like I am, of scrapping as many councils as possible because of how poorly the numpties on those councils are running the place, you're about to learn, as I am, that just because you and I like an idea doesn't mean everyone else does.

David Farrar: What a change in attendance

This is the latest data. Regular attendance dropped 16 percentage points or 25% from 2017 to 2023. A disaster. Since 2023 it has increased 17 percentage points or 37%. In real terms there are 157,000 more students now regularly attending school.

David Farrar: The lunacy exposed

Readers should click on the tweet below and read it in full. 

Friday July 24, 2026 

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Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: Why would New Zealand First make Stuart Nash resign?

Right, is it just me, or is there anyone else out there who thinks it's mighty rich of New Zealand First to force Stuart Nash to resign, given the candidates and MPs they have defended for some of the most outrageous things they have said?

Barrie Davis: Crown Counsel, the Tribunal and the Treaty

There has recently been a significant increase in the influence of Rangatiratanga in national and local government and it seems that will continue. The present understanding of Rangatiratanga is based on a partnership with the Crown and hence our representative Parliament. The Waitangi Tribunal claim that partnership was agreed by the Treaty of Waitangi 1840, which has prompted me to take a closer look at the relevant Tribunal report, Wai 1040.

Mike's Minute: We aren't prepared to pay the climate price

Almost on cue, the Climate Commission has entered this week's climate debate and told us we are at risk of missing our targets.

This isn't to do with Golden Bay Cement specifically. It's generally about the fact that we have mucked about with rules and promises and things slowed down to a point they have decided we need to "crack on".

Gravedodger: Why has the near Monopoly failed?

Because National has decided to tax cement production to the point it is uneconomic to make, while sending billions to god only knows where via Paris!

Aaand Christopher Luxsout still holds to the now so widely demolished fallacy the world can slow and stop gradual cyclical warming of the third rock from the sun where a nuclear reactor is generating heat. Dear old Luxout will cripple New Zealand then watch in wonderment while Peters and CHipkins set about continuing to divide and impoverish this Nation.

Peter Williams: Swarbrick and her unchallenged claims

If we don't reach climate targets it doesn't matter

Chloe Swarbrick makes ridiculous and outrageous statements, most of which go unchallenged by a sympathetic media.

Here’s the latest nonsense.

Lindsay Mitchell: Christians electioneering

A report from the Chief Executive of the NZ Council of Christian Social Services has made some headlines this morning. It's called Kua Mahue/ Left Behind: Poverty in Aotearoa in 2026

Erica Stanford: Calmer, quieter classrooms - as walls go up

Nearly 200 schools have begun the process of replacing open-plan classrooms with enclosed learning spaces to create quieter, calmer spaces more suited for learning, Education Minister Erica Stanford announced today.

“When I began visiting schools, teachers consistently told me how difficult it was to teach in open-plan classrooms, and parents also raised strong concerns.

Kerre Woodham: It's up to you to make sure you can vote

The changes to the way we vote. Voters will no longer be able to rock up on election day and register to vote thanks to a law change made last year, and Chris Hipkins isn't happy. The Labour Leader says the Electoral Commission isn't doing enough to make sure New Zealanders are enrolled to vote, and he's concerned that people will turn up on Election Day and find that their votes won't be counted because they're not on the electoral roll. In the past, they could see all the flags, think, “Oh, what's that all about?", wander into a voting station, “Oh, I'm not on the... Oh, I'd quite like to vote, I'm not on the roll." “No worries," the nice people at the voting stations would say. “We'll sign you up." So they'd be signed up, they'd be able to vote, and their vote would then be counted as a special vote.