Michael Laws questions the selective use of Māori words.

Michael Laws questions the selective use of Māori words.

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Michael Reddell: Is compulsory saving the answer?

Economic growth – and the lack of the sustained productivity growth that underpins it – is again briefly in focus. 70 years of relative economic decline still shows no sign of being durably reversed, but the last few years have been particularly tough and there is an election next year, and so the government’s rhetorical focus has turned to growth. Time will tell whether it is supported by any serious policy changes equal to the magnitude of the problem.

Ele Ludemann: Paris Accord could determine election

The government’s commitment to the Paris Accord has garnered opposition from farmers and farming organisations.

Federated Farmers is not supportive:

Alwyn Poole: Singapore and what NZ can learn re Maths Education

In mathematics, the main topic of PISA 2022, Singapore 15-year-olds in score 575 points compared to an average of 472 points in OECD countries.

According to the most recent PISA results, New Zealand students’ average score in mathematics is 479, which is slightly above the OECD average, but represents a significant decline from previous years, with the score dropping 15 points from 2018, indicating a concerning trend in New Zealand’s mathematical performance compared to other developed nations.

DTNZ: Luxon announces “major upgrade” to relationship with Viet Nam

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Vietnamese counterpart, His Excellency Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, have today announced the elevation of the New Zealand-Viet Nam relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

This upgrade was announced during the Prime Minister’s visit to Viet Nam as the two countries mark 50 years of diplomatic relations.

Ramesh Thakur: Judicial Adventurism Can Imperil Democracy

The only period of legal authoritarian rule in India was June 1975–March 1977 following the declaration of an Emergency by Prime Minister (PM) Indira Gandhi. I happened to be back in India, based in New Delhi, doing archival and interview research for my PhD. The experience of the overnight transition from a rambunctious democracy to which argumentative Indians had taken with gusto, to a stifling and oppressive rule by state fiat, was deeply and permanently sobering. It led to my first academic article on returning to Canada, ‘The Fate of India’s Parliamentary Democracy’ (1976).

John McLean: The cock Roche and the Heron

The Public Service Commission has at last released its report on the abuse of New Zealanders’ personal information in connection with Auckland’s Manurewa Marae and the 2023 general election.

The Report has been long awaited and much delayed. It was finalized in early December 2024 (it’s dated 5 December) but Public Service Commissioner Sir Brian Roche – who’d just love to “disappear” the whole assault on New Zealand democracy - didn’t make the Report public until almost three months later, on 18 February 2025.

Chris Lynch: ‘Racism on steroids’

‘Racism on steroids’: Industry veterans slam Pharmacy Council’s forced cultural competency rules as Health Minister demands explanation

Health Minister Simeon Brown says he will demand an explanation from the Pharmacy Council over its competence standards for pharmacists, which have been described as “deeply disturbing.”

Michael Reddell: Why is such rank dishonesty tolerated?

“We were one of the first central banks in the world to be tightening; we were one of the first central banks in the world to be easing”

Those were Adrian Orr’s words last Thursday to Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure Committee at their hearing on the Bank’s latest Monetary Policy Statement. He’d been asked by National MP Dan Bidois what the Bank was doing to learn from too slow tightening a few years back and, perhaps, too slow easing last year. Orr’s words above are at about 23.50 here.

Dr Eric Crampton: Delivering competition shouldn’t come down to a roll of the dice

Everybody knows the dice are loaded. At least according to Canadian policy analyst Leonard Cohen.

Imagine that the government announced a review of the dice.

When you last looked at the dice, it appeared that someone drilled a hole in one side of each of them.

Kerre Woodham: Who actually wants the expanded citizen's arrest powers?

Well, after a spirited discussion yesterday on the potential changes to the laws around citizen’s arrests, the press conference announced the actual changes. They are amending the Crimes Act so that citizens can intervene to stop any crimes act events at any time of the day, requiring that a person making an arrest contact police and follow police instructions. Clarifying that restraint can be used when reasonable when making an arrest and changing the defensive property provisions to the Crimes Act so it's clear that reasonable force may be used.

David Farrar: Abbott vs Trump

Sky News reports:

Tony Abbott has accused Donald Trump of “living in a fantasy land” after the US President launched an extraordinary attack on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Mike’s Minute: We wanted citizen arrest powers. Stop moaning

The trick, and we fail it virtually every time, is not to get bogged down in the minutiae.

There aren't prizes for coming up with dumb scenarios to try and catch the idea out.

Thursday February 27, 2025 

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DTNZ: Four-year Parliamentary Term Bill introduced

The coalition government has introduced legislation to extend the parliamentary term to four years, contingent on the outcome of a binding referendum.

The proposal, supported by National, ACT, and New Zealand First, includes a key condition from ACT: the extension would only take effect if select committees are structured to reflect the proportion of non-Executive MPs.

Dr Muriel Newman: The threats and dangers to the Parliament’s position as the country's ultimate lawmaker.

Leighton Smith chats to Dr Newman about Parliamentary Sovereignty, ownership of the entire NZ coastline and an activist Supreme Court indulging its collective ego.

 

Mike Butler: Treaty settlement total sensitive?

I have put in numerous requests under the Official Information Act and have become accustomed to being avoided, delayed, and obfuscated. I have not been lied to.

But a response last month by the Office of Crown Maori Relations, to an OIA question on how much money has the government paid in total claims since 1975, including the most recent settlements, looks like misinformation.

Bill Thompson: Where to from here - or are we lost?

In recent years mankind has taken up a new religion, a religion led by some scientists who claim that our planet is being lost to Global Warming or Climate Change.

These scientists have given up on the former claim as it appears not to have suited their science. It was probably a figment of their imagination and did not suit their new religion.

Clive Bibby: Recovery is not a dirty word - but does have consequences

It should be no surprise that Central and Local Government are concentrating on recovery - in the case of Central Government, it is a strategy forced upon them after the reckless spending of the previous Labour Government that had put the country into an unsustainable economic straitjacket from which we are struggling to emerge.

Centrist: Waitangi Day - A manufactured cycle of outrage

Waitangi Day is often framed as an annual exercise in outrage

With the most recent Waitangi Day behind us, we believe that the framing of Waitangi Day, often championed by the mainstream media, reveals a rigged narrative. One that is devoid of fair assessment, shaped by activists, and shields Māori and iwi leaders from scrutiny while ensuring dissent is risky. Instead of fostering a productive debate around the Treaty, the media amplifies political confrontation, undermining any opportunity for meaningful dialogue.

Chris Lynch: Global leaders to gather in Christchurch for UN’s Adaptation Futures conference

Christchurch is set to host a major global climate adaptation event, with the Adaptation Futures Conference 2025 (AF2025) bringing together international scientists, scholars, industry leaders, investors, and policymakers this October.

Suze: All Aboard the Trump Train!

Politicians on the left are stunned into silence watching Donald Trump’s juggernaut train mow down everything in its path in the quest to remove Deep State corruption and interference from the American Government and restore democracy, national security and freedom of speech to the people.

Dave Patterson: Make No Mistake - Pentagon Budget Is Making Common Sense

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is putting common sense into the Pentagon budget process, correcting the record about what that means. Many in the media called it an 8% cut in the defense budget, but that was wrong. Since Congress has been talking about as much as a $150 billion increase in defense spending, the notion of a “cut” did not make much sense. The truth is that common sense has prevailed, and Hegseth has explained what is really happening.

Dr Bryce Wilkinsons: The People's Portfolio

This report shows the government owns $571 billion in assets - equivalent to $275,000 for every Kiwi household.

"The returns from these government-owned assets don't even cover the interest costs on the money borrowed to buy them," says Dr Bryce Wilkinson, author of The People's Portfolio: A $571 Billion Question.

Kerre Woodham: Reasonable force and citizen's arrests

Retailers and members of the public will soon have more ability to detain shoplifters and thieves under beefed up citizen's arrest powers. At 2pm today, the government's expected to announce a range of measures aimed at curbing rising retail theft, which have been proposed by a Ministerial Advisory Group formed to address retail crime.

David Farrar: Another Kiwibuild success!

The Herald reports:

A group of 109 never-lived-in new homes in Auckland and Wellington are for sale from the Crown, which was contracted to buy them from private developers, who failed to sell their stock in a tough market.

The housing schemes all have an underwrite via KiwiBuild because previous Governments backed new schemes to boost supply by agreeing to bail developers out if they couldn’t sell.

Professor Robert MacCulloch: Low Productivity in New Zealand

Is Productivity Low in NZ not because of the Government but because our Big Business CEO's and Corporate Boards are so Utterly Useless?

On 24 February 2020, the day before the pandemic blew up across the globe, the NZX 50 index of our stock market, being the companies with the largest share market capitalization, was 12,073. Over five years later, it sits at almost the same level, at 12,350. That amounts to a rise of 0.15% per annum - next to nothing - and after adjusting for inflation, a huge drop. Meanwhile the Dow Jones of America's Biggest Stocks is up around 70%.

Mike's Minute: Power issues - Here we go again

From the “here we go again” file: we are being lined up once more for another winter of shonky power supply.

A deal has been done again with Tiwai to cut production. Oh, the irony in a country that is supposed to be focused on growth, growth, growth.

Mercury is the bearer of the glad tidings that the power price is heading north by an average of 10%.

Wednesday February 26, 2025 

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Chris Penk: Going for Growth: Public Works Act overhaul

The Public Works Act will undergo its most significant reform in nearly 50-years to help unleash an infrastructure boom, Land Information Minister Chris Penk has announced.

“Removing barriers to make it faster and more affordable to build the homes Kiwis need, creating jobs through new projects and providing infrastructure to support better public services is a major part of the Government’s economic growth agenda,” Mr Penk says.

Cam Slater: There is no Luxon Faction

As Christopher Luxon tries to defend his leadership against the pissed off National caucus, he has one major problem beyond his terrible poll numbers.

There is no Luxon faction.

Ele Ludemann: GP College contradicts itself

Health Minister Simeon Brown is consulting on a proposal that will be welcomed by patients:

The Government is looking to extend the term of repeat prescriptions, allowing patients to wait as long as 12 months before seeing a doctor again to get a new prescription.

Currently, the “period of supply” limit is three months in most cases, with six months available for contraceptives or people travelling overseas. . . .

David Farrar: Jacinda’s record on child poverty

Jacinda entered politics to end child poverty. One thing she did (which was good) was to ensure we have annual data to monitor it. There are nine different measures of child poverty. Six of them don’t actually measure poverty – they just measure income inequality (so if your income goes up 5% and the median 6%, you are deemed to have gone into poverty which is nonsense). The useful measures are:

NZCPR Newsletter: The Consequences of Appeasement

New Zealand is now reaping the consequences of the misguided appeasement strategy adopted by successive governments when dealing with the growing demands of radical Maori leaders.

They have bent over backwards apologising and kowtowing to these activists, even though their subversive plan to impose tribal rule represents a major threat to the future stability and security of our democracy.

Sallust: Smug Lefties Most Likely To Think They’re Right And Everyone Else Is Wrong

A polling group called More In Common has found that the “young, highly educated and socially Left-wing”, which the group euphemistically calls Progressive Activists, constitute just 8% of the UK population, but are found in far higher proportions in public-sector bodies and charities. They could have added in the BBC.

DTNZ: Government seeks public input on taxation of charities and not-for-profits

The government has opened a consultation on the taxation of charities and not-for-profits, inviting public feedback on proposed changes aimed at improving fairness, reducing compliance costs, and maintaining tax integrity.

Finance Minister Nicola Willis emphasised the importance of a strong charity and not-for-profit sector while ensuring transparency in tax concessions.

Chris Lynch: Government accelerates residency for primary teachers to combat staffing crisis

The New Zealand Government has announced an expedited residency pathway for primary school teachers to address the ongoing teacher shortage.

Effective from 26 March, eligible primary and intermediate teachers with job offers from accredited employers can apply directly for residency, eliminating the previous two-year work requirement.

Joe Schaeffer: The Wall Street Journal Completes Its ‘Woke’ Transition

Another once-respected American newspaper appears bent on setting its reputation aflame in an attempt to oppose President Donald Trump’s agenda any way it can. Standing out in the case of The Wall Street Journal is the publication’s seamless transition from stuffy numbers-crunching to leftist-style emotional blog blather.

Dr Michael John Schmidt: Martial application.

I began writing an article on Christopher Luxon’s failures: specifically, his inability to gauge the public sentiment that brought the coalition to power and to implement the urgent political and economic changes New Zealand needs. He has failed to address the independent, ‘woke’ and arrogant actions of NZ’s ‘managerial class’, which operates contrary to coalition policies and lacks accountability. Examples are everywhere: from the unchecked replacement of New Zealand with Aotearoa, despite no public vote, to the creation of worthless DEI departments in institutions like the Reserve Bank.

Professor Robert MacCulloch: Does the Feldstein-Horioka Puzzle mean National's Foreign Investment Strategy Won't Raise NZ Productivity?

The NZ Herald's Editor has declared its journalists will be promoted or fired on the basis of factors like how many clicks they get on their articles. Yes, the Herald is now officially "click bait". We're trying to avoid the mistake of writing shallow nonsense at this Blog. So on that note, here's a somewhat techy economics note. It may seem obscure, but could in fact imply that a major part of National's attempt to increase investment in NZ, and thereby raise productivity, will fail. Here goes.

David Farrar: The Stats report is the more damning one

I, like many, focused on the report by the Public Service Commissioner Inquiry when it was released. I’ve only now had time to go through the seperate report to Stats NZ into the misuse of census data, and it is arguably the more damning. Some of their findings include:

Mike's Minute: Are incidents more serious if you're high profile?

On a day of a resignation at a fairly high level, we also have a confession in court from another high profile operator.

The problem with "high profile" is it tends to be high-wire.

More is expected of you because of your role. Or is it?

Tuesday February 25, 2025 

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Chris Lynch: Government announces new eating disorders strategy during awareness week

Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey has announced plans to refresh New Zealand’s national eating disorders strategy, during Eating Disorders Awareness Week.

Doocey said the Government is committed to strengthening support for those affected by eating disorders, with a particular focus on updating the country’s long-standing strategy document, Future Directions for Eating Disorders Services in New Zealand, which has not been refreshed in 16 years.

Roger Partridge: Trump’s War on Constitutional Democracy

For many conservatives, Donald Trump’s return to the presidency brings hope. America’s institutions desperately needed disruption. A bloated federal bureaucracy had grown beyond democratic control. An activist judiciary regularly has legislated from the bench. Congress has proven incapable of restraining runaway spending, threatening the nation’s fiscal future.

Professor Jerry Coyne: “Competency standards” for New Zealand pharmacists released....

“Competency standards” for New Zealand pharmacists released: guess what they emphasize

If you think you’re beleaguered by political correctness in America, just thank your lucky stars that you’re not living in New Zealand. There you are increasingly surrounded by demands that you abide by the 1840 Treaty of Waitangi, but, worse, you can be demonized or fired simply because you think it’s outdated and there needs to be court-mandated interpretation of what it means, or, worse, adopt a New Zealand Constitution.

Philip Crump: Chinese Warships in the Tasman Sea: An Unprecedented Pacific Signal

The presence of three Chinese warships - the cruiser Zunyi, the frigate Hengyang, and the supply ship Weishanhu - conducting live-firing exercises in the Tasman Sea has sparked alarm in New Zealand and Australia.

Positioned roughly 340 nautical miles east of New South Wales, after earlier nearing within 150 nautical miles of Sydney, the Chinese naval task group has disrupted commercial flight paths and drawn intense scrutiny.

Cam Slater: Do National MPs Support Luxon?

Sources inside the National caucus say things are pretty dire for Luxon. Not surprisingly Luxon will tell you he has the full confidence of his caucus. Publicly most of caucus will tell you they do have full confidence in Luxon. But the numbers are being run and MPs are being lobbied by potential replacements.

Ele Ludemann: No benign strategic environment

It’s more than 20 years since then-Prime Minister Helen Clark said we had a benign strategic environment.

Whether that was correct then is debatable, but there should be no debate that it is not correct now.

David Lillis: Further Concerns about the Public Service

Misuse of Census Information?

In the light of recent allegations of wrongdoing at the Manurewa Marae (retention and photocopying of Census forms from the 2023 Census, and possible misuse of confidential information), surely we must refrain from judgement until a thorough investigation determines whether or not the photocopied Census information was in fact misused. Until then, apart from a recent admission that Census forms were indeed photocopied and not otherwise afforded the necessary protections, misuse of Census information is hearsay as far as the general public is concerned.

Centrist: US Embassy pulls funding from NZ education provider

A New Zealand-based group has lost a US Embassy grant after refusing to let American officials vet its course on disinformation for alignment with US foreign policy.

Dark Times Academy, which was set to train Pacific Island journalists, declined requests to hand over course materials and a participant list—moves that co-founder Mandy Henk said would have compromised academic independence and breached New Zealand privacy laws.

Kerre Woodham: It's crunch time for our defence force

As Chinese naval ships are firing live rounds in Pacific waters, sending far reaching ripples of consternation around the Asia Pacific region, Defence Minister Judith Collins hinted that defence would see a significant boost in spending come the next budget, which is a matter of months away.

This was the Defence Minister on with Mike Hosking this morning:

Sir Bob Jones: Revolutionary ideas

The media are having a field day, slamming the quality and delivery of school lunches.

I must be a genius as I’ve come up with a revolutionary solution to this problem.

JD: You Have to Feel Sorry for Tamihere

Guest post on The Good Oil by JD

You have to feel sorry for John Tamihere, with his back to the wall and fighting for his life. Or at least for his multi-million-dollar lifestyle and the millions he controls through the Waipareira Trust and other entities.

And so he does what any of us would do: he plays every card he has in his hand as he pushes back against the Pākehā establishment that is so unfairly trying to ferret out the truth.

Eliora: ‘Someone Filmed This Moment’ – Author Unknown

A hand over of dead hostages and the world looks on.

A Palestinan audience of all ages was seen cheering as the coffins of the Bibas family, Shiri, Kfir and Ariel, and Oded Lifshitz were paraded before them. Palestinians lined the streets and some got onto the stage to watch a celebration of murdered Jewish children.

The last footage filmed of Shiri Bibas and her babies on the day of their kidnapping on October 7, was of them being led away barefooted by their captors. Someone filmed this moment.