Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: The Government needs to prove what it said about co-governance wasn't just hot air

If anyone on a council at the moment can't understand why so many of us ratepayers are so hostile towards them, sometimes bordering on hatred, can I just suggest they take a look at what's going on with these agreements with iwi? That might actually give them a bit of an idea.

If you haven't followed this, Chris Bishop is planning to replace the Resource Management Act shortly and his replacement law will not allow councils to sign any more of these agreements.

Ryan Bridge: How much are political parties willing to borrow after a disaster?

Welcome to New Zealand... land of earthquakes, stormy weather and absolute natural beauty.

Another reminder overnight of how shaky these isles can be.

Hope everyone's alright this morning. It's always a bit hard to get back to sleep after a decent jolt and it sounds like you had one.

Breaking Views Update: Week of 12.7.26

Friday July 17, 2026 

News:
Māori Outcomes Fund - Auckland City Council.
The Māori Outcomes Fund invests in projects or activities that help strengthen Māori identity and wellbeing in Tāmaki Makaurau. It supports projects that contribute to the goals of Tāmaki Ora – Auckland Council’s strategy to improve outcomes for Māori.

Mike's Minute: The beat-up of the week

The beltway beat-up of the week goes to the seemingly ongoing fascination over the missing paperwork and the Prime Minister's office when it came to a meeting between Z Energy and their concerns over Mike Smith's court case involving polluters and climate cost.

Ian Miller: The lockdown disaster must not be forgiven

We’re now rapidly approaching the six-year anniversary of “15 Days to Slow the Spread.”

That policy has to have been one of the most disastrous in world history, created by “experts” who took all established pre-pandemic planning documents and tossed them out the window at the first opportunity.

Peter Dunne: The Kiwi Political Paradox

New Zealanders have an often-contradictory view about what they expect in their politicians.

At one level, they are frequently dismissive of those they regard as "career" politicians with no real life-experience. They barely tolerate the way they do things because they are just the "games politicians play." They deride all politicians for their perceived caution and tendency to see most situations through their own particular political prisms.

Nathan Smith: In Defence Of AI Cheating

Good news everybody! Another piece of the tired 20th century may finally be on its deathbed. The university system is in terminal decline and I couldn’t be happier.

The news comes from a family member who teaches about artificial intelligence at one of the universities. In perhaps the juiciest of ironies, professors have given up trying to detect if the students are using AI to write essays and pass tests. You would think that professors of AI would be able to outrun their students, but you would be wrong. It’s over. The students have defeated the teachers.

Dr Oliver Hartwich: Drowning in €3.5 trillion of debt, France faces a new revolution

When France celebrates its national holiday today, it will look much the same as always. There will be the usual aircraft flyover and the cavalry parading past the president.

The only visible difference will be the absence of fireworks. Paris held them last night instead, leaving July 14 for commemorations of the 10th anniversary of the Nice terrorist attack.

Kerre Woodham: Do celebrities and self-made millionaires make for good parliamentarians?

Stop the press, the media has a new darling. Chlöe Swarbrick and the Opportunity Party can have a breather this week, a bit of downtime, because there's only one show in town and it's Paul Henry. The self-made millionaire, the former broadcaster, has thrown his hat into the political ring again. He wants to become a polly, and not just any old polly. He has no interest in sitting on the back benches, cooling his heels, learning the ropes. He is not there to shag spiders.

David Farrar: Was Trevor quoting Jacinda?

In May I blogged a report from a meeting in Wairarapa which quoted former Speaker Trevor Mallard that the parliamentary protest was funded by Russia. I regarded the claim as risible.

Someone with ties to the former Government told me that Trevor wasn’t just hallucinating, but that in fact the then PMs Office had been telling people that they thought the protests were foreign funded. There was zero proof of this, but it seems it was a fervent belief by senior Government figures. There was even some reference to a report from DPMC that backed this up.

Rodney Hide: Death by Government

Last year in New Zealand 486 people had their lives ended under the End of Life Choice Act. Of those, 459 received a lethal injection administered directly by an approved medical professional -- not self-administration or an oral drug. A doctor or nurse practitioner delivered the fatal dose.

To be an approved provider requires specific training and registration. There are currently only 121 practitioners on the SCENZ Group (Support and Consultation for End of Life in New Zealand) lists -- roughly one in every thousand qualified doctors and nurses. The full list is not public. Your own GP or nurse may or may not be approved. If you want the service, you can call the national line (0800 223 852 toll free) and be connected to someone who is.

Thursday July 16, 2026 

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Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: There's already a good punishment for councillors who misbehave

All right - given the level of hostility we have at the moment towards local body councillors and councils, I suspect there'll be plenty of support for the idea I'm about to tell you about. But I would caution against getting too excited because it's a terrible idea.

Mike's Minute: Why I like Paul Henry in politics

Paul Henry and I go back a long way. Decades in fact.

He used to read news on a show of mine. I can't say I saw politics in his future, but then I can't say I could have ruled it out either.

Yvonne Van Dongen: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

Ranginui: Call of the Ice - a review

Anyone not rolling around clutching their sides laughing or miming sick noises into a bag will not like this review since I did both while watching this blatant piece of propaganda. Even my friend, a dedicated LWWW*, thought it was tosh.

To be honest, if that wasn’t your reaction, you either have no sense of humour or you have been utterly captured by the Māori wonderfulness brigade.

Ani O'Brien: Was this Corrections case settled to avoid a precedent Crown Law & Human Rights Commission did not want?

A quick response to the latest assault on human rights by trans activists in our public sector

Note: it is my editorial policy to use pronouns that relate to the biological sex of the person.

I am fuming. It is 2026 and the rest of the world is unwinding the destructive and nonsensical policies of the trans madness era, and here in New Zealand they are continuing to be embedded.

DTNZ: ‘Freedom’ launches - New political movement calls for historic shift to direct democracy

After 14 years of advocating for New Zealanders’ rights and “people power”, the NZ Outdoors & Freedom Party is entering a new era and has streamlined its name to a single, sharp, and unmistakable name: ‘freedom’.

The rebrand marks a strategic pivot toward a fundamental “paradigm upgrade” for New Zealand’s political system: the transition from a traditional parliamentary model to a system of Direct Democracy.

Aaron Gilbert: NZ’s retirement debate - Will tinkering today spell more trouble tomorrow?

For generations of New Zealanders, a lifetime of work has come with the promise of a secure and happy retirement.

Today, however, that notion of golden years spent in relative comfort is slipping out of reach for a growing number of struggling retirees. Without a serious policy rethink, younger New Zealanders may face an even tougher reality when their time to leave the workforce comes.

Despite these challenges, policies tabled this election year amount to little more than tinkering around the edges.

David Harvey: What Should We Do About Bad Arguments

A Reply to Simon Wilson

I thought when Simon Wilson stopped writing his weekly column for the Herald on Tuesdays that he might fade from my consciousness. Not so. He now writes a fortnightly column for the Listener and ironically his articles feature on the page opposite mine. Even more ironically, his page is often positioned to the right of the fold, mine to the left. Go figure.

Major General John G. Howard: Adrift - A Trading Nation, an Ageing Navy and the 2027 Frigate Decision

New Zealand's two main warships will reach the end of their working lives within about a decade, and Cabinet must decide by 2027 what should replace them. The choice will shape the country's ability to help keep its trade routes open for a generation.

A new research note, Adrift: A Trading Nation, an Ageing Navy and the 2027 Frigate Decision, by Major General (Retired) John Howard, a Senior Fellow at the Initiative, argues the decision deserves more scrutiny than it has had.