Ryan Bridge: Are local elections a flop?

At what point do you say this local government election's a failure, a flop, not worth the paper it's written on?

I think we're fast approaching that point now.

Even in Auckland. Our biggest City. Super-City. With the most responsibility. The biggest burden to shoulder after amalgamation.

Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: Does the flotilla stunt really help the people of Gaza?

I reckon we shouldn't panic too much on behalf of those three New Zealand citizens who've been intercepted by the Israeli military and the flotilla.

Obviously, we want international law to be followed, but it's pretty clear that these guys knew what they were getting themselves into and did it anyway.

Ryan Bridge: We need to break away from coalition governments

Yesterday was MMP in action.

It was exhibit A of a coalition government.

Without a single party with a clear mandate, you end up with piecemeal positions. You get a report done then you cherry pick which options are palatable to everybody and effective for nobody.

Ani O'Brien: Civil war in Te Pāti Māori as the Kapa-Kingis come out swinging

The revolution is eating itself. Te Pāti Māori, the so-called uncompromising voice of Māori sovereignty, is turning inward, and the implosion is happening in real time. The movement that lectured Parliament about tikanga and collective leadership can’t seem to practise either. The façade of unity has cracked and beneath it lies a mess of ego, dysfunction, and factions.

Over the past 48 hours, the fractures have gone from rumour to reality. Two key developments have confirmed that the whare of Te Pāti Māori is visibly crumbling. These developments being Toitū Te Tiriti’s public split from Te Pāti Māori and open dissent coming from within the party’s own caucus.

Breaking Views Update: Week of 28.9.25

Friday October 3, 2025 

News:
'Dictatorship Model' - Te Pāti Māori slammed by hīkoi leader
Te Pāti Māori have been accused of operating a "dictatorship model" as Toitū Te Tiriti, one of its closest allies, cuts ties with the party.

The comments came from the organisation's spokesperson Eru Kapa-Kingi who said the movement is taking steps to no longer be politically aligned with Te Pāti Māori.

Mike's Minute: The problem with the Govt's passion projects

Forget the detail of the power reforms, because we dealt with them yesterday, let's deal to the politics of it and a habit the Government has that is hurting them.

There is a pattern.

John Robertson: Burn the Treaty Course, Torch the Rituals, Make Schools Secular

Preschool, primary, intermediate, college, university. That’s the education chain. At least, it should be. But in New Zealand it’s not education anymore — it’s indoctrination with a feather cloak. From the first day to the final year of university, kids are marched through spiritual rituals dressed up as “culture.” Karakia before morning tea, haka and nose-rubbing ceremonies on demand, atua in the curriculum, wairua in the textbooks — religion shoved down their throats without consent.

Chris Lynch: Paid parking coming to West Coast hotspots in Summer trial

The Department of Conservation has confirmed the pricing for paid car parking at popular West Coast sites as part of a summer pilot program.

The car parks at Dolomite Point in Punakaiki and Franz Josef will introduce fees starting in December 2025.

Dr Oliver Hartwich: Treasury warning never grows old – unlike boomers

Last week, Treasury released yet another warning about New Zealand’s fiscal future. It was the same message they have been delivering for twenty years: population ageing will create spending pressures that the current tax base cannot support.

According to Treasury’s Long-term Fiscal Statement, New Zealand is on track to reach a net debt of 200 percent of GDP by 2065. Unless there are any significant policy changes, that is.

Kerre Woodham: A massive press conference to tell us very little

Well, a great deal of expectation and excitement. We all gathered around the wireless to listen to the 8am announcement about reform of our electricity and power sector and, wow, a lot of hullabaloo and hype over a meh kind of announcement.

Bob Edlin: Can you recall what the Maori Health Authority was meant to do?....

Can you recall what the Maori Health Authority was meant to do? The Treaty should come first in your considerations

PoO’s attention was drawn to a headline on the Scimex website which told us: Groups endorsed a Māori Health Authority because it would honour te Tiriti.

That means they endorsed it for ideological reasons.

Bob Edlin: The deal that an ACT MP says shows how Kainga Ora scammed themselves

An iwi has made a profit of around $2 million by flipping Wellington’s Dixon Street flats for just over $3 million less than three weeks after buying the block from Kāinga Ora for $1.04 million.

OneRoof reports that Taranaki Whānui Limited resold the flats after buying it for much less than the market valuation from the state housing agency.

The purchaser, the Wellington Company, plans to develop 117 apartments at the site, preserving its historic status.

David Farrar: Spending referenda are the way to go

A release:

The Local Government Business Forum has today released a report calling for binding referendums on major council spending projects, giving ratepayers a way of saying yes to projects that they support.

“Council rates increased an average of 12% last year and are estimated to rise another 9% this year. It is little wonder there have been loud calls for the government to step in and cap rates increases,” said the Local Government Business Forum’s secretary, and report author, Nick Clark.

Thursday October 2, 2025 

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Ryan Bridge: We need more than agriculture to be successful

There’s nothing quite like watching a well-thought-out strategy come together and work.

And hats off to South Korea this morning — they’re absolutely smashing it when it comes to tourism.

The government set a goal: 30 million visitors a year by 2030.

Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: Here's what's so disappointing about the energy announcement

If you were looking forward to today to learn how the Government would rescue the country from the energy crisis we face, you are already disappointed by now because you've looked at it and you've seen there's nothing here.

There is nothing here that is going to stop us going through what we are going through right now. For months and months every winter for the last two winters we've seen the closing down of mills, extremely high power bills, and a shortage of gas - and all of that's going to continue.

Ani O'Brien: The Energy Gamble - New Zealand needs stability, not partisanship

Who is failing New Zealand worse? Labour or National?

New Zealand’s energy system is teetering on a knife-edge. Households are paying record-high power prices, industries are losing faith in supply security, and investors are quietly shelving projects because they don’t like unnecessary insecurity and fear rising costs. Today, the Government has unveiled its response to the Frontier Economics review of the electricity market which is a 270-page report warning that, without bold action, dry-year risk could “drive industry out of New Zealand.”

Mike's Minute: Real estate deals shouldn't be race-based

The Dixon Street building debacle surely allows us to ask some questions of the Treaty process.

If you missed it, Dixon St Apartments sold for a million dollars to local Māori under their Treaty deal – the Treaty deal had a first right of refusal clause.

Brendan O'Neill, Trump’s peace plan is the Western left’s worst nightmare

By turning the screws on Hamas, Trump has exposed who’s really responsible for this dreadful war.

Has the prospect of peace ever been greeted with such gloom? No sooner had President Trump unveiled his peace plan for Israel-Gaza than the opinion-forming classes were frantically sowing cynicism. The possibility that the ghastly war in Gaza will be brought to a close gave rise not to optimism but to sarcasm, suspicion, even an eerie grumpiness unbecoming of a deal that might save thousands of lives. From the BBC to Sky News to the Israelophobic swamp of social media, the cry went up: ‘It’ll never work.’

David Farrar: Hipkins wants to ban gas exploration despite gas shortage

The Herald reports:

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has written to Labour leader Chris Hipkins urging him to commit his party to supporting offshore exploration for natural gas for at least the next 10 years, in an effort to achieve a “credible, bipartisan approach”.

But Hipkins has called it a “political stunt rather than a genuine attempt at building bipartisan consensus”.

Rob Paterson: Re-evaluating the Treaty of Waitangi - Unpacking the Myths and Realities

One Sovereignty, One Nation: The True Story and History of New Zealand

In recent discussions surrounding Māori rights and the Treaty of Waitangi, it’s crucial to separate reality from myth.

The narrative surrounding Māori claims, particularly in terms of sovereignty, partnership, and historical grievances, is often shaped by misunderstanding and misrepresentation. The truth, however, lies in examining the Treaty as it was signed in 1840, understanding the legal context of Māori claims, and rejecting the notion of separatism in favour of a unified New Zealand.

Matua Kahurangi: When will National stop insulting our intelligence?

There’s no money going into your back pocket, just slogans.

Was sitting at my desk the other day when a National Party tweet slid across my feed. This time, they were promising that New Zealand’s exports will double by 2034. The reward for us mere mortals, they claim, will be “more jobs, higher incomes, and more money in your back pocket.”

Kerre Woodham: An overreaction that caused more pain in the long run

At last, a triumph of common sense over well-meaning legislation designed to protect every life, everywhere, no matter how much the cost. The “every sperm is sacred” approach to lawmaking has been in place for about eight years, where every life matters, no matter the cost to business, to taxpayers, to everybody else.

Bob Edlin: The Palestine decision

 

Polls suggest PoO reader who protested to the PM about Palestine decision has substantial Kiwi voter support

A PoO reader – riled by the Government’s decision not to recognise the state of Palestine – sent messages to the Prime Minister, to Foreign Minister Winston Peters and to his local MP.

He reckons they need to know that voters strongly disagree with their position.

David Farrar: Praise for Brooke

Lloyd Burr writes:

The first question I asked Brooke van Velden after she unveiled her Holidays Act overhaul on Tuesday was: What’s the catch?

Because what the workplace relations and safety minister had just announced seemed too good to be true from a supposed right-wing, business-loving, worker-hating, union-squashing party politician. …

Wednesday October 1, 2025 

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Steven Gaskell: The Backdoor to Co-Governance - How the Local Government Commission Is Quietly Re-Wiring Democracy

Most New Zealanders have never heard of Brendan Duffy, Bonita Bigham, or Dr Sue Bidrose. And that, dear reader, is exactly the problem.

While the rest of us are busy working, paying rates, and hoping the council might one day fill in a pothole, these three unelected mandarins sit on the Local Government Commission a body most people couldn’t describe if their lives depended on it. Yet this little-known trio has an oversized say in how your town, city, and ultimately your democracy are going to look in the very near future.

Judy Gill: Are Our Schools Teaching NZ Values — Or The UN Agenda?

New Zealand’s education system has shifted far beyond teaching reading, writing, and arithmetic. Increasingly, it mirrors the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), embedding international agendas into the classroom. The result is that our children are being shaped by global policy frameworks rather than by the values of a free and secular society.

Three themes dominate: the climate apocalypse, Te Tiriti principles, and Te Ao Māori spirituality. Each aligns neatly with UN education targets.

Clive Bibby: Investing in our best ideas and people who can make it happen

How often do we hear of cases where businesses that have served communities well for decades suddenly struggle to keep the doors open under a more socialist based economy.

Or ideas for structural change that are ignored by the local authorities simply because they are incapable of sharing the vision - frightened would be a more apt description.

Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: We need to talk about how the Reserve Bank stuffed up

Now, we need to talk about the Reserve Bank's excuses for how it completely stuffed up its job and let inflation get away on it during Covid.

We spoke about this on the show yesterday, it's done the review and it says, quote, - "in hindsight, an earlier and more aggressive tightening might have reduced inflation sooner."

Ryan Bridge: We need long term thinking for our health system

Health has always been a portfolio MPs never want a bar of.

You never win. Endless fights with the unions. People waiting for surgery. Constant pressure to keep up with technology. And it’s deeply personal for those who don’t get the care they need - it’s literally life-and-death stuff.

So if the numbers Simeon Brown is putting out are to be believed—and I’ve no reason to doubt them—then he deserves some credit.

Mike's Minute: Some more woke-enforced nonsense reversed

In a move you could have seen coming from the moment it was first announced, or if you couldn’t see it coming you hoped it would come, Auckland University has decided its Waipapa Taumata Rau course will now be optional instead of compulsory.

For a generation who have been appallingly let down over the Covid period by Government and education decisions, the Auckland University desire to force you into Māori courses seemed not just ill advised, but cruel.

Ani O'Brien: Winston is right; virtue signalling is not effective foreign policy

In response to Audrey Young's NZ Herald article: 'How Winston Peters could have gone further on Palestine'

Audrey Young’s piece in today’s New Zealand Herald is typical of the partisan posturing we have come to expect from the New Zealand media class in relation to the conflict in Israel/Palestine (and other issues). She assumes an artificial high ground from which she announces New Zealand must instantly repent for failing to join the “morally correct” grand gesture of recognising Palestinian statehood. She treats statehood recognition as an absolutely unassailable right, a meaningful virtue signal, delivered in the name of justice. But New Zealand’s role is not to play moral extras on the world stage. It is to navigate realpolitik, international law, and the messy realities of a fraught conflict and represent our people in measured and responsible ways.

Philip Crump: Trump and Netanyahu announce details of US peace plan for Gaza

After the theatrics of the UN, Trump announces an ambitious peace plan for Gaza.

At 7:30am this morning, one week before the second anniversary of October 7, President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu began a press conference at the White House to announce a plan for “peace in the Middle East” including a reconstruction and governance plan for Gaza and an expansion of Trump’s first term Abraham Accords.

The 20 point plan, which has had input from many nations, is focused on ending the war, returning the hostages and setting the conditions for enduring security for the Palestinians and Israel.

Matua Kahurangi: Jacinda Ardern

The price of power and the weight of public hatred

Jacinda Ardern has been back in the spotlight over the last couple of weeks. The release of the documentary Prime Minister and a children’s book titled Mum’s Busy Work have brought her name back into headlines. The title itself is almost ironic. The phrase “busywork” is defined as tasks that keep someone occupied but hold little real value. Perhaps unintentionally, the name echoes how many already view Ardern’s leadership.

Bob Edlin: Govt under fire for getting it wrong on Palestine......

Govt under fire for getting it wrong on Palestine – but by Benny Gantz’s measure, NZ might have got it right

After Foreign Minister Winston Peters told the United Nations that New Zealand would not recognise Palestinian statehood, reactions were predictable.

The Scoop website recorded these press statements and reports –

Dark Jester: Māori Need Better Role Models

Growing up, the only famous black people I knew about were hiphop artists, basketballers and movie and TV stars. When I thought of black people, Oprah Winfrey, Kanye West and Chris Rock came to mind. When I thought of black people in politics, of course Obama came to mind.

Ele Ludemann: Common sense on earthquake risk

The government is applying common sense to building regulations on earthquake risk:

The earthquake-prone building system will be refocused to reduce repair costs and reinvigorate communities, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says.

“While well intentioned, the current system for assessing and managing seismic risk in buildings places an overwhelming financial burden on building owners.

David Farrar: Kainga Ora scams themselves

The Herald reports:

Iwi flipped Wellington’s Dixon Street flats for just over $3 million, less than three weeks after buying the block from Kāinga Ora for almost a third of the price.

Good on the iwi – they made $2 million. Bad on Kainga Ora for being stupid.

Tuesday September 30, 2025 

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David Farrar: Trump’s 20 point plan to end the Gaza War

The plan is here. In summary it is:

1. Gaza will be a deradicalised terror-free zone that does not pose a threat . to its neighbours.

2. Gaza will be redeveloped for the benefit of the people of Gaza.

Brian Gill: New Zealand museums need neutral organisational viewpoints and stronger science

Publicly-owned museums enjoy public support—tax-payer (or rate-payer) funding and high visitation—only while they are trusted and respected. To preserve trust, museums must be politically neutral. Institutions such as museums and universities can maintain a degree of political neutrality by being a forum for ideas and discussion, rather than a protagonist in debates.

Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: Winston Peters made the brave choice this weekend

Can I just come to the defence of Winston Peters for a minute?

Winston has been labelled a coward for the position that he took on Palestine on Saturday, which I do not think is fair because it appears to me that what he's done is actually the opposite of cowardice.

John Robertson: New Zealand’s Laws Are Enforcing Spiritual Privilege...

New Zealand’s Laws Are Enforcing Spiritual Privilege — And Nobody’s Talking About It 

Open a law, a bill, or a policy in this country, and one thing jumps out: Māori spiritual beliefs, wrapped in the language of culture, are written directly into legislation. Tikanga. Karakia. Haka. Hongi. All mandatory. All elevated above skepticism. And the public is supposed to act like it’s normal. It’s not normal. It’s state-sanctioned ritual.

Matua Kahurangi: Priests chain themselves to Erica Stanfords office in political stunt

Three Anglican priests have chained themselves to the electorate office of Immigration Minister Erica Stanford in Browns Bay today, demanding New Zealand recognise Palestinian statehood.

The clerics described the action as an act of “Christian witness” and claimed they were standing in solidarity with the people of Gaza. They cited Jesus’s teachings on feeding the hungry and healing the sick as justification for their protest.

Toby Young: Why the Right Must Take the High Ground When it Comes to Free Speech

This is the text of the annual oration I gave at the Robert Menzies Institute in Melbourne, Australia on Wednesday, September 24th.

I’d like to thank the Robert Menzies Institute for inviting me to speak to you tonight and for giving my wife and me an opportunity to spend a few days in this wonderful city – and thanks to Angie Scanlon for letting us stay in her house.

Several British people we’ve bumped into have said Australia is like a version of England in which everything works, and that’s particularly true of Melbourne. Many of our cities look a bit like Melbourne might after a nuclear apocalypse. In fact, if anyone knows George Miller, tell him he could save a lot of money by setting the next Mad Max movie in Middlesbrough. He won’t have to spend a penny on set design.

Chris Lynch: Deputy Prime Minister launches scathing attack on Environment Canterbury.....

“They’re just pissing off everybody” Deputy Prime Minister launches scathing attack on Environment Canterbury

Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour has launched a fierce attack on Environment Canterbury, describing the regional council as “dictatorial” and calling for urgent change.

Seymour said after recent visits to Canterbury he became convinced reform of ECAN was unavoidable.

Bruce Cotterill: GDP slump exposes deeper cracks in economy and government response

When the latest quarterly GDP result came out last week, many of the accompanying commentaries expressed surprise that it could be so bad.

The June quarter result came in with a negative result of 0.9%. That means that the economy shrank during the quarter. Most economists had predicted 0.4%. The result was double the most pessimistic projections.

Make no mistake. Shrinkage of 0.9% in three months is a disaster. Especially for a small economy with a growing population whose No 1 export is currently enjoying a booming market and a weak dollar.

JC: Winston’s Home Truths at the United Nations

Winston Peters’ address to the United Nations is to be applauded. Following on from President Trump’s home truths, he delivered a few of his own. His speech, of course, has not gone down well with the homeland fantasists on the left. Labour’s Peeni Henare called it “embarrassing” while the Green’s co-leader, Marama Davidson, said it was “cowardly”; Typical for those on the left who refuse to recognise or can’t cope with the realities of today’s world.

Kerre Woodham: What will come from our decision not to recognise Palestine?

The state of Palestine is recognised as a sovereign nation by 157 UN member states, and that represents 81% of members. New Zealand is not one of them. Not yet. Like Singapore, like Japan, Germany, South Korea, most Pacific states. New Zealand says, oh, sure, we support recognition, just not yet.

David Farrar: Monetary policy needs mates

The NZ Initiative has a research note out on how fiscal policy needs to work with monetary policy. They comment:

This analysis does not dispute that the RBNZ’s high interest rates were the proximate cause of the downturn. However, it argues the Bank had little choice. It was confronted with the insidious threat of inflation expectations breaking free from their anchor, a development that would risk a return to the deficit-spending stagflation of the 1970s and early 1980s. After all, following December 2023 changes, the Monetary Policy Committee’s single operational objective is price stability – 1-3 percent, with a focus on the 2 percent midpoint.

Mike's minute: NZ's Palestine call was logical and sensible

If you watched Winston Peters speech in New York late Saturday morning you can see why he did so well last week in the Herald's boardroom feedback.

For the bloke who has been the epitome of aggro and grumpiness, in his better moments he is as good a foreign minister as this country has ever had.

 Monday September 29, 2025 

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Ryan Bridge: Putin's game of chicken

Putin’s playing a game of chicken with the Europeans and Europeans are the chickens.

NATO’s so far done nothing but talk about these fighter jets and drones.

Take your pick of experts and former military bosses chiming on the why over the weekend, and you’ll get 10 different answers.