Ani O'Brien: A week is a long time - 16 August 2025

Chipocrisy! Chris Hipkins spreads his legs and runs from accountability

It turns out the “team of five million” is coming together once again… this time to pay Chris Hipkins, Jacinda Ardern, Grant Robertson, and Ayesha Verrall’s legal bill with our hard-earned taxes. The Four Horsepeople of the Covid-pocalypse have all lawyered up and refused to appear at a public Covid Commission hearing, declining to front up and answer hard questions in front of the people they locked down. Their spin is that public testimony would be “performative”… because there is nothing performative about holding daily press conferences in which you declare yourself the “single source of truth”.

The political fallout was predictable. Opposition parties are salivating, Labour looks like it’s hiding skeletons, and the public (still paying the tab for those pandemic decisions) smell cowardice. Social media’s already christened them the Covid Cowards and Chippy’s new nickname appears to be Chipocrisy or Chipocrite. It’s hard to argue with the branding when the people who told us “trust us” are now saying “talk to my lawyer.”


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Just as an aside, Chipkins and The Covid Crew was represented by Linda Clark’s firm Dentons. It isn’t clear if Clark herself was involved. She has been representing former Deputy Police Commissioner Jevon McSkimming so may have been busy. But it is fair to say Clark is Labour’s go-to-gal. When Labour has the reins she is the busiest woman in Wellington. Dentons website says “She has been engaged by Government Ministers (across a range of administrations) to facilitate difficult negotiations.” She also represented Rt Hon Trevor Mallard in his infamous defamation case and Clarke Gayford in a defamation case against a radio station. She is currently on the board of TVNZ.

Christopher Luxon’s most deadly enemy is revealed

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon raised eyebrows this week when he accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of having “lost the plot”, calling Israel’s actions in Gaza “utterly, utterly appalling” and warning that humanitarian aid must be allowed through without obstruction. While the reactions to his uncharacteristic fiery candour have been as split as anything to do with Palestine and Israel, the comment drew a sharp, but almost poetic, response from Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel. She said:

I guess when you don’t really need an army because your most deadly enemy is a possum or a cat, you wouldn’t comprehend the challenges that come with facing Hamas - a jihadist death cult - only a few kms away from your country, that rape, execute, burn alive and starve your people.

Regardless of which side (if any) of the conflict one finds oneself on, this is a timely reality check for us all. In New Zealand, we really have no clue what it is like to have terrorists or enemy soldiers at our door. We should be humbled by this and remember it when we have big opinions about a war thousands of years old on the other side of the world.

Comrade Castro of K Road: The People’s Republic of Me, Myself, and I

Speaking of humbling oneself, and staying on the topic of Israel/Palestine, Chloe Swarbrick wouldn’t recognise a humble pie if it was served to her on a vegan platter. This week, the outspoken middle-class Marxist got the boot from Parliament twice. First, she accused Government MPs of lacking backbone, urging “if we can find six of the 68 Government MPs with a spine, we can stand on the right side of history” and was ejected after she refused to withdraw it. Undeterred, Swarbrick defiantly returned the next day, again declined to apologise, and was ejected a second time. This time she was formally “named” by the Speaker, a more serious disciplinary measure. Her parting words were “Free Palestine”.

A few things to note. First, she accused Government MPs of being spineless for not supporting her particular Member’s Bill that would create sanctions against Israel, it wasn’t because they were refusing to condemn Israel or refuting that Palestine should be a state. Even if one agrees with her on those matters they might not agree with the solution she has proffered via her Bill. This was a self-promotional act. Secondly, Swarbrick, like every member of the House, knows the basic Standing Orders. She knew that a derogatory comment like that about other MPs would likely result in her being asked to “withdraw and apologise”. She also knew that refusing to do so (i.e. defying the Speaker) would result in her being kicked out. It was a deliberate stunt for attention. She got her clip and her headlines and instead of talking about what the New Zealand Government is doing on this foreign policy matter, everyone was talking about Chloe. Just as she likes it.

Foreign buyers ban to be lifted and NZ First are okay with it

Finance Minister Nicola Willis has indicated that Cabinet could green-light letting Active Investor Plus visa holders buy residential property in the coming weeks. This is a sharp turn from the 2018 ban that locked out non-resident buyers. Some see this as a savvy move to attract capital, others will be fuming that homes might be traded for deep-pocketed outsiders.

The Overseas Investment Amendment Act 2018 was passed by the Labour–NZ First–Green coalition government that was in power at the time. However, in early 2024, Winston Peters said that NZ First might be amenable to letting overseas buyers purchase property above a high price threshold, potentially coupled with a targeted tax. In July 2025, Winston Peters indicated he expects an announcement "soon", but he stressed the overall foreign buyers ban would remain in place.

Domestic violence call out ends with victim shot by police

Te Arohanui Pohio, 53, has been named as the woman shot and killed by police in Christchurch late on Wednesday night. Police say they arrived at a domestic violence call to see Pohio running from a house, chased by a man with a knife. Believing her life was in immediate danger, they shot the man, only for Pohio to pick up the weapon and advance toward officers, ignoring repeated pleas to drop it. She was shot moments later and died at the scene. The man remains in hospital, stable but in a critical condition. As with all fatal police shootings, the machinery of post-incident scrutiny is now turning: a critical-incident inquiry, an IPCA investigation, and the inevitable questions from the public. Some are asking why a family harm call required such a heavily armed response, and whether more could have been done to defuse the situation. Police Minister Mark Mitchell has stood firmly behind the officers, stressing the split-second decisions they face in volatile, high-risk situations, and urging patience while the facts are gathered.

Job listings: A party without a leader

The Opportunities Party has put out the political equivalent of a lonely-hearts ad, seeking a new leader: must be charismatic, policy-minded, and presumably willing to captain a dinghy in a political ocean that’s never noticed it’s even there. The recruitment drive is being run by a former Labour minister best remembered for being punted out of Cabinet over a workplace relationship scandal, Iain Lees-Galloway. Wellington’s political world really is terribly small - just ask the leader of the Opposition. Nothing would rattle Labour’s skeletons like having Naughty Iain back in political circles; proof that TOP may not know where it’s headed, but it’s packing some very well-travelled baggage for the journey.

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‘The right to protest’ now comes with a zoning restriction

It’s been a big week for laws that chip away at the edges of dissent. First, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith unveiled a new offence for “disruptive” protests outside people’s homes. Fines or even jail time are on the table for offenders. Goldsmith says the right to protest remains alive and well, insisting this move is more about preventing intimidation than curbing dissent. Yet from a free speech vantage point, it's hard not to pause. While everyone deserves the sanctity of their home, there's a slippery slope argument here. As this law moves forward, clarity and proportionality will be key as free speech advocates will be looking very closely at where the line is being drawn.

Then, the Government quietly extended consultation on sweeping terrorism law reforms after civil-liberties advocates warned the proposals could criminalise even symbolic or peaceful support for banned groups. Critics fear vague definitions will blur the line between legitimate protest and genuine terrorist activity, mirroring the UK’s recent clampdowns. The extra consultation time is welcome, but without sharper limits and stronger safeguards, it’s little more than a polite pause before the hammer drops.

On paper, both measures claim to target intimidation; in practice, they risk blurring the line between genuine threats and political opposition.

Hat tip to Sir Ian Taylor for fact checking the te reo books drama

I hadn’t paid much attention to the furore about Education Minister Erica Stanford allegedly taking a giant eraser to school books and ridding them of te reo words. But it turns out it was a grossly misleading story thrashed out by our scruple-less media. I learned this thanks to a post from Sir Ian on LinkedIn. Here is an abbreviated version:

I woke this morning to news that the Minister of Education, Erica Stanford, was racist. The reason; she had apparently decided to remove reference to Te Reo Māori from all early reading books for children. I have had a number of meetings with Minister Stanford and the one thing I am certain of is that she is not racist…. I have experienced first hand a willingness and openness to listen. My initial reaction to the news she was removing Te Reo from early reading books was one of dismay. I could not equate that decision with the discussions we have had in the past about the cultural importance of our Māori and Polynesian culture… I discovered the books weren't any old books. They were specialised books called "coding books" and it became clear very quickly that coding books are designed to teach one language and one language only…. Chat GPT went on to explain that "early readers need to reflect the sound system and spelling patterns of the target language, not those of another language." I asked Chat GPT for a solution in New Zealand and I got this: "English coding books should be 100% in English. Māori coding books should be 100% in Te Reo. Blending them too early risks undermining the decoding process in both languages." My understanding is that work is under way to write Māori coding books for our schools - and the advice from Māori academics that have been consulted on this matches that of Chat GPT. There should be no English in the Māori coding books…Willow Jean Prime - you should know about coding books and how they work…

Shocking news: New Zealand passports are issued by law, not by ancestry.com

Apparently, the laws of citizenship are now meant to bend to the vibes of distant whakapapa. An All Black’s grandson is shocked (shocked!) to learn that having Māori ancestry doesn’t automatically make you a New Zealand citizen. I am not sure why his grandfather being an All Black is so important to this story, but apparently Stuff says it is. The kids in the article are US born. Perhaps their Dad needs to brush up on how Green Cards work. Unfortunately for the spawn of rugby royalty, passports aren’t issued based on distant heritage or how stirringly you can perform a haka, but on the very boring criteria of where you (or your parents) were born.

I guess some people think national identity is like Pokémon: collect citizenships from all over the world based on your heritage. How many could you get?

This week in: YOU HAVE GOT TO BE SH*TTING ME 🇨🇦

The Toronto International Film Festival decided not to screen The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue, a graphic documentary exposing Hamas’s October 7 massacre, because, apparently, they needed permission from Hamas to use video footage that the terrorists themselves livestreamed during the slaughter. Yes, you read that right. I shudder at the thought of the indignity of trampling on the intellectual property rights of raping and slaughtering terrorists. Thankfully, after a barrage of outrage, TIFF backtracked and promised to put the film back on the schedule. But seriously?

In short - other stuff that happened:

• The Reserve Bank of New Zealand is widely expected to cut the cash rate by 25 basis points to 3% on August 20, amid cooling inflation and a softer labor market.

• More than 700 people have been arrested in the UK under anti-terror laws targeting Palestine Action supporters, triggering alarms about creeping authoritarianism in protest policing.

• Barely making a ripple in mainstream media, a brutal April assault by Sudan's Rapid Support Forces on a Zamzam refugee camp has now been reported on by The Guardian who say more than 1,500 civilians were killed.

• US President Donald Trump is to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska about 7am Saturday (NZ time).

• The Taliban says they will shower Kabul with flowers from helicopters on August 15th to celebrate the fourth anniversary of their return to power in Afghanistan.

• Melania Trump is suing Hunter Biden.

• An illegal immigrant entered a woman’s home without her consent and was detained by civilians only for the British police say that “trespassing is not an arrestable offence.”

• The NZNO Union cancelled a Christchurch strike 45 mins before it started. Health Minister Simeon Brown was furious saying “85 patients lost care they couldn’t rebook”.

• Willow Jean Prime has been asked to report what she knows fight clubs and meth in youth justice facilities after her allegations could not be substantiated. She has not provided any further info.

Stuff I found interesting this week:

I finished reading The Fury. Entertaining and well worth a read, but not as good as The Silent Patient (by the same author).



Ani O'Brien comes from a digital marketing background, she has been heavily involved in women's rights advocacy and is a founding council member of the Free Speech Union. This article was originally published on Ani's Substack Site and is published here with kind permission.