Ian Wishart: Open Letter to NZ Media on Green MP Benjamin Doyle

Since Friday, social media has been burning up with discussion of the Benjamin Doyle child images scandal.

For those not reading social media, you’ve probably missed it because only two media outlets had published anything on it by Monday morning – the Centrist on Saturday and The Platform.

Mike's Minute: The supermarket announcement was a dud

Talk about teasing me on a Sunday morning.

At 10am we are told Nicola Willis is giving us the good word on supermarkets.

She doesn’t like the industry - she's been telling us this for a year and a half.

Ross Meurant: For Justice To Be Served

Gina Lollobrigida once said: “We are all born to die, the difference is the intensity with which we choose to live.”

Machiavelli said: “Fortune (luck) rules only half a man’s life; The other half being their will.”

Born equal as we may be, it’s how one performs as one wanders through this odyssey called life, that determines our fate.

Clive Bibby: Luxon’s last hurrah or a defining moment of his leadership

It is interesting to note how events in New Zealand politics over the years have either saved the bacon of a leader under pressure or simply added to the reason’s for his or her inevitable downfall.

For example, Muldoon was able to manipulate the 1981 Springbok Tour in a way that extended his administration’s time on the Treasury benches by another 3 years. 

Mark Angelides: America Agrees - Trump Is on the Right Track

Beyond the headlines, even the Fourth Estate sees the writing on the wall.

“What happened to their so-called mandate?” This question was asked in the most rhetorical of terms by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) in response to President Trump asking Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) to stay in her House seat. It would be a good question for a president struggling with personal approval ratings and backlash to his policy platform. However, the numbers show neither of these conditions is true for the current commander-in-chief. Rather, they suggest Democratic leadership is having difficulty coming to terms with an ascendant Republican presidency.

Ramesh Thakur: Who Will Hold Politically Biased Judges to Account?

As the firewalls of resistance to populist advance crumble one by one under assault from enraged voters, the final frontier of elite resistance is the courts. The legal clerisy as part of the ruling elite is the last line of defence for safeguarding victories already won by social justice warriors in their long march through the institutions.

Julian Mann: Is Labour Bending to US Pressure on Free Speech?

Labour’s General Election victory last July filled me with pessimism about the future of free speech in the UK. But has there been a change in the Government’s attitude to free speech as a result of US pressure? An unlikely statement from Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson this week suggests this may be the case.

Brendan O'Neill: It was the woke elites who ‘purged’ America’s museums, not Donald Trump

This month’s Doublespeak Award goes to the BBC. President Trump is spearheading a ‘purge’ of America’s top museums, it breathlessly reports. The madman in the White House has instructed the Smithsonian Institution to put back all ‘memorials and statues’ that were ‘improperly removed’ from federal property in recent years, the Beeb says. Hold up. Call me a stickler for linguistic accuracy, but isn’t a purge when you tear monuments down, not when you put them back up?

Roger Partridge: Beyond grievance politics - New Zealand’s search for common ground

Trust in New Zealand is fracturing before our eyes. The 2025 Acumen Edelman Trust Barometer reveals a society divided by mistrust. Most alarming is the collapse in media trust. It has plummeted to just 35% – down from 41% three years ago.

But the damage extends beyond the media. For the first time, New Zealand’s trust index has fallen below the global average, dropping to 47% compared with the global index of 56%. Trust in government has fallen to 45%, while business trust stands at 54%.

Ele Ludemann: Bill to restore selection on merit

New Zealand First has a Members’ Bill to remove DEI targets from the public service:

New Zealand First has introduced a Member’s Bill that will ensure employment decisions in the public service are based on merit and not on forced woke ‘Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion’ targets.

“This Bill would put an end to the woke left-wing social engineering and diversity targets in the public sector. New Zealand is a country founded on meritocracy not on some mind-numbingly stupid ideology” says New Zealand First Leader Winston Peters.

David Farrar: Another Council leaves LGNZ

Radio NZ reports:

Western Bay of Plenty District Council is the latest council to leave national advocacy body Local Government New Zealand.

There were claims LGNZ had become “extremely political”, had swung “far left” and lacked professionalism.

Sunday March 30, 2025 

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Tui Vaeau: The Great Maori Education Racket - A State Funded Farce

One could be forgiven for thinking that education in New Zealand is about preparing children for success, arming them with the knowledge and skills to thrive in an unforgiving world. But no, that quaint notion has been tossed aside in favour of racial indulgence on an industrial scale. The latest fawning piece in The Post sings the praises of Maori-medium schooling, an insular, state-funded vanity project that serves no purpose beyond appeasing the usual professional grievance-mongers.

David Farrar: Chief Ombudsman assesses agencies on OIA compliance

The Chief Ombudsman has done proactive investigations of seven agencies in regard to how they deal with OIA requests. This isn’t just about data, but also culture. The key findings for each are:

Lindsay Mitchell: Self-induced poverty

On the back of a reported 96 percent increase in methamphetamine use, NewstalkZB host Mike Hosking asked Labour MP Ginny Andersen, "Who takes meth?"

She replied:

Chris Lynch: Labour distances itself from Green MP’s police comments as National warns of ‘radicalisation’

Labour MP Megan Woods has rejected comments by Green MP Tamatha Paul suggesting a move towards “radical police abolition,” but said it would be a stretch to claim the remarks would damage public confidence in the justice system.

The Green Party has come under heavy criticism in recent days following Paul’s remarks questioning the value of police patrols and calling for a rethink on the role of police in social issues.

Gary Judd KC: It never rains, but it pours

Two days ago, lawyers in the North were sent details of a proposal to commence and end each court sitting day with a karakia. They have been asked for comments. One of the readers of my piece explaining why freedom of thought, conscience, religion and belief is so important in the email, from the courts administration, to me, together with the comments he had sent. I decided I should enter the fray and sent this email.

I endorse [my reader's] response to your request for comments, “New Zealand is a secular country and as such there is no place for a Karakia, or any other sort of prayer, in any State activity.”

Centrist: Tamatha Paul pivots to race after backlash over police comments

Green MP Tamatha Paul is under pressure from across the political spectrum after a recent series of controversial remarks about police presence, public safety, and incarceration—then suggesting criticism of her was racially motivated.

She is quoted in an RNZ article stating: “I’m not surprised that people are upset that a young brown woman is being critical of an institution that has let her and her communities down for a very long time.”

Ele Ludemann: Will MSM highlight this?

Ani O’Brien explains why she tweeted a screen shot of Green MP Benjamin Doyle’s Instagram post:

I tweeted that screenshot from Benjamin Doyle’s alt Instagram today because for months people have been trying to get media to ask questions about it.

Erick Erickson: This is What Losing Looks Likes

The Trump Administration has decided to gut the Voice of America and other American propaganda media outlets like Radio Free Europe. You’ll note the press headline is the Trump Administration is gutting “pro-democracy” voices. These actually are entities whose jobs are to push the American message. Growing up overseas, I had a shortwave radio and I loved picking up these broadcasts.

Dr Oliver Hartwich: RMA reform finally puts growth first

This week, the Government unveiled its blueprint to replace the Resource Management Act. This is not just another policy tweak – it is a game-changer for New Zealand’s economy.

By splitting planning and environmental laws, the reforms directly target the RMA’s growth-strangling red tape that has driven up housing costs, blocked infrastructure, and held back our economic potential for decades.

Saturday March 29, 2025 

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David Farrar: BSA flays Stuff for hatchet job on ASH

The Broadcasting Standards Authority has found Stuff in breach of multiple broadcasting standards for a hatchet job on ASH – Action on Smoking and Health.

Basically what it all goes back to is that ASH is more supportive of reduced harm products (vaping, heated tobacco) on the basis of evidence that these are far less harmful, and do see people substitute them for smoking.

Professor Robert MacCulloch: Why Did Willis Reappoint RBNZ Chair Quigley....

Why Did Willis Reappoint RBNZ Chair Quigley after saying Governor Orr's re-hiring "appalled" her? It was Quigley who hired, and who re-hired, him.

The funny money plot thickens. I've done a mini Watergate investigation but still can't get answers. Is there a cover-up? Governor Orr, who has left the RBNZ in a huff after causing rampant inflation & "engineering" stagnation, was hired in the first place on the strong recommendation of RBNZ Board Chair, Neil Quigley. Then he was re-hired in 2022 for another five year term, again on Quigley's recommendation.

Hon Chris Bishop: Speech to NZ Planning Institute Conference - Resource Management Act

Thank you for inviting me to speak with you today about the new resource management system the Government is introducing, starting this year. I want to acknowledge Hon Rachel Brooking, opposition spokesperson for RMA Reform, as well as Simon Court, my Under-Secretary, who I will invite to speak after me.

I would like to acknowledge the NZPI, David and Andrea, and the many planners here today, as key and influential players as the Government takes action to replace the Resource Management Act.

Breaking Views Update: Week of 23.3.25

Saturday March 29, 2025 

News:
Treaty principles report will exclude thousands of public submissions
The outstanding submissions could be lost from the public record unless Parliament passes a separate resolution to archive them after the fact

Tens of thousands of submissions on the Treaty Principles Bill will not be read by members of the Parliamentary committee considering the high-profile bill, and may never make it into the official record.

DTNZ: Free Speech Union defends teacher under investigation for Facebook comment

A primary school teacher has found herself at the centre of a controversy after expressing her opinion on social media, raising concerns about the balance between free speech and professional conduct.

Craig Rucker: Can the arsenal of democracy defeat the arsenal of autocracy?

American industrial might won the First and Second World Wars and prevented a third.

Could we do it again?

After over a half century of Socialist stagnation, the Chinese Communist Party embraced free market reform. With the brakes off, an economic miracle ensued.

Chris Lynch: Road freight industry welcomes new roadside drug testing law

New legislation enabling random roadside drug testing has been welcomed by Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand, the peak body representing the country’s road freight industry.

The law, which passed its third reading in Parliament today, will empower Police to carry out 50,000 random roadside drug tests per year — a move seen as critical to improving road safety.

David Farrar: $800 million less on consultants

Judith Collins announced:

The Government’s move to cut public sector spending on consultants and contractors is on track to save $800 million over two years – double the initial target, Public Service Minister Judith Collins says.

“We set a two-year target to cut $400 million in spending on consultants and contractors across the public sector by 2024/25,” Ms Collins says.

Mike's Minute: The older worker has never been more valuable

The most uplifting part of the week for me in terms of news was the combination of Winston Peters and his very wise words over diet and work.

The statistics department released the numbers of those who are working beyond 65-years-old. In fact, not just 65, but 70, 80 and 90-years-old.

Friday March 28, 2025 

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Dr Oliver Hartwich: Why Trump's tariffs may not be worth the paper money they're written on - nor ours

Almost two decades ago, I published my first journalistic article. It was a short piece on the nature of money, inspired by Roland Baader, a German economist and student of Nobel laureate Friedrich Hayek.

Even back then, I was concerned about the inherent instability of our global fiat money system – currencies backed by nothing but government promises and public trust.

Ele Ludemann: Don’t let these people into government

Law and order is always an election issue.

Next year the difference between a National-led government and a Labour-Green one will be stark if the Greens’ Police and Justice spokesperson has anything to do with their policy:

David Farrar: There seems to be a pattern

1. Claimed that James Shaw asked her to run for Wellington Central (He didn’t)

2. Claimed that she was paying over half her Councillor salary in rent for one out of five bedrooms in Aro Valley (She wasn’t)

David Farrar: Equality of suffrage seen as bad by Radio NZ

Tauranga MP Sam Uffindell has a simple proposed members’ bill to amend the Bill of Rights Act to have equal suffrage extend to local government.

Equal suffrage is a fundamental human right. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights says:

Graham Hryce: Donald Trump is the furthest thing from the ‘fascist’ his enemies brand him

It’s much easier to invoke inept comparisons than to analyze and combat the systemic decadence and decline of America.

The ubiquitous and ongoing critique of Donald Trump from the so-called social democratic ‘left’ in America – namely that he is a ‘fascist’ – is not only inaccurate, but completely fails to comprehend Trump as a unique modern political phenomenon.

Chris Lynch: Tougher sentencing laws pass, with new protections for victims and retail workers

New legislation aimed at delivering tougher consequences for crime and placing greater focus on victims has passed its final reading in Parliament, with the government saying it marks a turning point in restoring law and order.

The Sentencing (Reform) Amendment Bill introduces several changes designed to strengthen victims’ rights and address growing concerns over retail crime and violence against vulnerable workers.

Linda Mussell: New sentencing laws will drive NZ’s already high imprisonment rates....

New sentencing laws will drive NZ’s already high imprisonment rates – and budgets – even higher

With the government’s Sentencing (Reform) Amendment Bill about to become law within days, New Zealand’s already high incarceration rate will almost certainly climb even higher.

The new legislation essentially limits how much judges can reduce a prison sentence for mitigating factors (such as a guilty plea, young age or mental ability). A regulatory impact statement from the Ministry of Justice estimated it would result in 1,350 more people in prison.

John MacDonald: Roadside drug testing? Great. Will the police cope? Mmmm

I’m sure you’ll tell me if you think I’m stuck in the past, but I reckon that with the police now being expected to do roadside drug tests —as well as everything else— I think we should bring back the old MOT. The old traffic cops.

Officially, it was known as the traffic safety service, but we all knew it as the MOT.

Kerre Woodham: We cannot let people get away with their crimes

Law and order was a major concern of voters going into the 2023 Election – to be fair, it's usually on the minds of voters going into any election campaign, but particularly the last one.

Voters had had a guts full of doing things a different way. Of policing by consent, of giving authority to the gangs and then seeing them take over towns. We had guts full of seeing young kids ram raiding, of seeing neighbourhood crime increase. You saw numerous community Facebook pages showing kids as young as 10 being driven around by older people, breaking into homes, stealing what they could find. People were sick and tired of it, and they were sick and tired too of judges letting young punks walk away from their crimes and their responsibilities. They wanted the authorities to ensure consequences were in place when offenders broke the law.

JC: Winston Speaks the Language of the Right

If you haven’t heard Winston’s State of the Nation speech in Christchurch, I suggest you seek it out. YouTube has it and it is well worth a listen. Before going further I would like to start with a caveat: Winston talks a lot about, and is very critical of, the Labour Party (remember – the party he went into coalition with and gifted us with). It is all too tempting to say ‘well you put them there’. I have said it myself many times. Beyond giving us some perverse sense of satisfaction to utter those words (which it surely does), no useful purpose is served – we are where we are.

David Farrar: So out of touch

Radio NZ reports:

Green MP Tamatha Paul is doubling down on her comments that a “visible police presence” makes people feel “more on edge.” …

The Wellington Central MP said she’d received “nothing but complaints” about police beat patrols.

Thursday March 27, 2025 

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NZCPR Newsletter: The Lifeblood of Progress

Cheap, reliable energy is the lifeblood of progress. Yet as we approach winter, concerns are already being raised about the security of New Zealand’s electricity supplies.

Because of a lack of rain, our hydro-lakes are lower than they should be at this time of year, and there has already been talk of possible blackouts. While wind and solar energy can help, they are notoriously unreliable. A shortage of natural gas to run the Huntly back-up power generator, and a lack of local coal means more reliance on imported coal. 

Peter Dunne: Politics is about the acquisition and retention of power

A common feature under both the old First-Past-The-Post electoral system and MMP today is that New Zealand has never been subject to dramatic, prolonged shifts in political direction.

While various governments over the years have made bold changes, the process has usually been one of gradualism. If one government goes too far in one direction, the next government either mainstreams or moderates that change. Equilibrium is always restored after swings in the political pendulum. What has therefore evolved has been a process of natural correction rather than radical change.

Professor Robert MacCulloch: Blavatnik School of Government

Soviet-born Oligarch gave Oxford's NZ Vice Chancellor Hood $150 million for a new School. He hired a Kiwi Dean to run it, who has now hired NZ's Ardern.

You can't keep Jacinda Ardern down. She's now muscling in on my action, going around universities in the world picking up cushy positions. And she never even had to study, write papers and do the teaching that was required of the rest of us.

Dave Patterson: The F-47 — A Sixth-Generation Air Dominance Jet Fighter

The glory days of fighter aircraft dogfights are not gone — just different. On March 21, President Donald Trump announced from the Oval Office that the US Air Force had selected a winner in the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) sixth-generation jet fighter competition: the Boeing Company’s F-47, which beat out Lockheed. In the future, an adversary will be killed by a missile fired from beyond visual range by a fighter never seen.

Ele Ludemann: Need more electorates

News and commentary on the proposed electorate boundaries has focussed on Wellington losing a seat.

I have yet to see or hear anyone pointing out that there are about twice as many people in each electorate than there was under First Past the Post and nearly half as many more than when MMP was introduced.

Those deciding on how MMP would work made several errors. one was keeping the Maori seats against the recommendation to discard them because MMP would ensure they were no longer needed.

Viv Forbes: The Growing Menace of Trees

Australia is threatened by dangerous trees. They have infested our cities, menace our power lines, invade our grasslands and fuel our worst bushfires.

The meander by Cyclone Alfred through south east Queensland illustrated how bad this danger has become.

Big tall trees smashed power lines and over 450,000 people lost power, some for days; big tall trees crushed cars and closed roads; and in every cyclone big tall trees fall on houses, shops and fences. 

DTNZ: Law firms lose millions in ANZ phone scam

Several Wellington-based law firms have lost over $2 million in a sophisticated phone scam where criminals impersonated ANZ bank staff.

Scammers, pretending to be from the bank’s fraud team, used previously obtained banking information to convince victims to grant remote access to their computer systems and share authentication codes.

Professor Jerry Coyne: Facial surgeons wanted in New Zealand, must be intimately familiar with all things Māori

Here’s an archived link to an ad for a consultant oral maxillofacial surgeon at Dunedin Hospital. The curious thing—well, not so curious given that it’s New Zealand,—is the list of required qualifications. Click to read (a New Zealand dollar is worth about 57¢ in U.S. currency):

Dr Eric Crampton: Behind the curve on construction

New Zealand’s planning processes have been breaking Wright’s Law for too long. Yesterday’s resource management reform announcement goes some way to fixing things.

Wright’s Law isn’t in any statute book and it isn’t in the Gazette of regulations.

Kerre Woodham: What is our obsession with shiny new stadia?

What is this mania for the building of stadia when this country has so many already and very, very few of them are economic assets? The decision over whether to upgrade Eden Park in Auckland or to build a brand spanking new stadium on the waterfront is such an old debate. And before I go on, I will say I've been a guest of Eden Park, but it does take more to buy my opinion than a very nice lamb chop and a glass of non-alcoholic rosé, I promise you.