Ryan Bridge: The real reason Kiwis are crossing the Tasman

What's the point in us having more affordable property prices for first home buyers if young workers are jetting off to Australia in search of a better tomorrow?

There's a perverse logic to this, but across the Tasman right now, where our flying Kiwis are headed, they're experiencing something of a property boom.

It's the opposite of the stagnant or falling prices we're seeing here, where homes in most regions are now considered, technically at least, affordable.

Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: Hospital food is excessively policed

Well, I don't know what kind of psychosis has taken hold of the bureaucrats at Health New Zealand, but you want to see these rules that they've put out about the food and what food is allowed and what food is banned from the hospital cafeterias. It is ridiculously, ridiculously prescriptive.

So what they've done is they, they, they put out, because they like wasting their time on nonsense, they've put out their new national food and drink policy.
And it's divided food into three categories.

Breaking Views Update: Week of 10.8.25

Saturday August 16, 2025 

News:
Luxon Says Māori Rights Protected Under Trans-Tasman Pact
The pact strengthens cooperation on defence, digital identity, procurement, and climate and minerals projects.

But when asked what safeguards exist for Māori interests, Luxon pointed only to changes in the Resource Management Act.

Alwyn Poole: Key recent events for Education in NZ.

– 1. The proposed changes to our national qualifications system:

• A semi-vacuum at Year 11.
• 4 out of 5 subjects to “pass” Year 12.
• 4 out of 5 subjects to pass Year 13. No clear guidance on University Entrance. The Minister, herself, predicting outcome declines in the early years of the changes.Consultation closing on the proposed NZ English Curriculum that, to me, appears highly restrictive and significantly boring – unless you are already over 60yo. https://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2025/07/two_major_problems_with_the_proposed_nz_english_curriculum.html

John MacDonald: How I feel about armed cops after this week's shootings

When I first heard about the police shooting and killing someone they had actually gone to help, like most people, I wondered how the hell that could happen.

This is the shooting in Bryndwr in Christchurch overnight on Wednesday, which left a woman dead and a man critically injured.

Brendan O'Neill: As Bono now knows, you criticise Hamas at your peril

The mad backlash against U2 confirms pop music is under the spell of Islamo-fascism.

Bono’s getting flak again. What’s he done now? Foisted another U2 album on iPhone users? Donned his expensive shades for yet another gurning selfie with some president or pope? Nope, it’s far worse than that – he criticised Hamas.

Roger Partridge: The death of public sector expertise...........

The death of public sector expertise - How the rise of the generic official hollowed out the state

Something has gone badly wrong in the public service. From energy policy to financial regulation to education, ministers are too often advised by officials lacking the deep technical background their roles demand.

This chronic loss of subject-matter expertise repeatedly surfaced in consultations for The New Zealand Initiative’s forthcoming report on unscrambling the machinery of government. The consequences are predictable: flawed advice, avoidable errors, and expensive U-turns.

Peter Williams: Remember what the R in RNZ is for

If RNZ wanted a warts and all report on its failings and reasons for the catastrophic audience decline in the last five years it certainly received one this week.

The former Head of News for the organisation – a man who’s also had senior or supervisory roles in newsrooms at Newstalk ZB, TVNZ and Newshub – delivered a withering assessment of the state owned broadcaster.

JC: You Can’t Have One and Expect the Other

I just wish, when it comes to the Middle East conflict, politicians around the world would dispense with their holier-than-thou attitudes and start dealing in realities. On a broader level they are arguing against themselves: they spend half their time arguing for a ceasefire and the other half arguing for a Palestinian state. If you achieve the first then you can’t possibly achieve the second.

Ele Ludemann: Family failures

The number of children leaving school with no qualifications is the highest in a decade:

Sixteen percent of last year’s school-leavers had no qualifications, the highest figure in a decade.

It equates to about 10,600 teenagers, and is 0.4 of a percentage point worse than the previous year and about six percentage points higher than the 10-11 percent recorded in the years prior to the start of the pandemic.

Mike's Minute: Central Govt's differing approach to local govt

The battle of duelling responsibilities is unfolding before our eyes and I can't work out whether it all ends in tears.

On one hand you've got the Local Government Minister off to Cabinet with his rates cap plan for councils. The average rate rise is almost 10%.  Inflation isn't.

Friday August 15, 2025 

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Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: Jacinda, Grant, Chippy and Ayesha can't prevent accountability

I think what many of us are experiencing right now, re: Jacinda, Grant, Chippy and Ayesha not fronting publicly for the COVID inquiry is not disappointment, because disappointment requires us to have had a higher expectation of them.

And I don't think that we did, because I think we got the measure of these people a long time ago.

Ryan Bridge: What has Chris Hipkins got to hide over Covid?

Yesterday they wheeled out three excuses for not fronting up and answering questions about why they went so hard on lockdowns and mandates, which they then papered over with $66 billion in spending —second in the world only to the US— thereby helping fuel the inflation we're all now paying the price for taming.

First we heard they wouldn't attend the public hearing and give public evidence because they were worried about how the public might react - that some might use their videos to spread misinformation.

Mike's Minute: Ardern, Hipkins, Robertson - They should be ashamed of themselves

I'm assuming the instigators of the second Covid Inquiry are deeply disappointed in what is unfolding, in terms of accountability.

Inquiry Part 1 was a Labour Government stitch up. It was an exercise in smoke and mirrors.

Inquiry Part 2 is a coalition deal driven by ACT and NZ First, and was designed to look into areas not touched on in Part 1: access to vaccines, lock downs, economic damage, and so on.

Olivia Pierson: New Zealand Betrays Israel, Again

On October 7, 2023, the horrific massacre of Jews took place on their own ancient soil, and 251 men, women and children were carried into captivity to suffer and die in the worst conditions imaginable. The world failed to deliver a proper moral response, which should have been a unified and powerful cry from all civilised nations for the immediate return of every single hostage, or face the wrath of Israel.

Peter Dunne: Political threat

The political commentariat was at its most skittish following the release of two public opinion polls last Monday.

The Taxpayers Union/Curia poll released in the morning projected a hung Parliament, with neither the centre-right nor the centre-left blocs able to claim a majority. That prospect excited much idle speculation for most of the day about what that eventuality could mean.

Dr Eric Crampton: One small step towards better land transport funding

Land transport funding is not in great shape. Minister Bishop’s announcement last week of a shift from petrol excise to road user charges should be the first step toward a much better funding system.

First, the big-picture problem.

Dr Oliver Hartwich: ‘Drowning electorally’ - Luxon’s premiership under pressure

The latest New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union-Curia poll makes for remarkable reading. If an election were held tomorrow, the country might have a hung Parliament.

To make matters worse for Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, his net favourability rating now stands at minus twelve percent, just eighteen months into his premiership. This is what prime ministers usually see after years in office, not in their first term.

Winston Peters: Why Won’t They Front Up?

Jacinda Ardern, Chris Hipkins, Grant Roberston, and Ayesha Verrall have all colluded and decided to decline to give evidence at the Covid-19 Royal Commission public hearings.

These former ministers do not want to sit in a public hearing and answer the hard questions that every New Zealander deserves to know.

Ele Ludemann: Taxing talk

Could Labour be stupid enough to include family homes in a Capital Gains Tax?

Labour’s refusal to rule out taxing the family home is a frightening prospect for ordinary Kiwis, says National MP Chris Bishop.

David Farrar: The Covid cowards

Ardern, Hipkins, Robertson and Verrall should be known in future as the Covid cowards. They made decisions that had devastating effects on the lives of many New Zealanders and they are refusing to answer questions in public from the Royal Commission on it.

Let us recall what some of their actions were:

Thursday August 14, 2025 

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Steven Gaskell: What a day will be like under Maori Council Wards

Local Council Area – Year 2027 And Beyond.

7:30am – Rates Bill Arrives
You open your email and see your quarterly rates have gone up another 14%. The notice lists “cultural consultation services” and “partnership initiatives” as key budget pressures. You sigh and wonder why your driveway is still full of potholes.

Owen Jennings: Driving a stake through the steak

You are in your favourite restaurant. You have narrowed down the choices to two fillet steaks. They are both grassfed from New Zealand.

One is proudly claimed to be from a farm that uses management techniques to help lower methane emissions. That has to be a plus, surely. The other steak makes no such claim. You are almost ready to order when you meekly check – “what are these ‘management techniques’ that lower methane emissions?”

Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: Why has Parliament become such a circus?

I can't blame you if your assessment of Parliament today is that it's become a circus, because what happened today is kind of hard to defend or even explain.

Chlöe was kicked out, Brownlee suspended her for a week and all of the Government parties voted for that punishment - and that includes New Zealand First, before Winston Peters then got up to tell Jerry Brownlee that the punishment wasn't fair, even though he just voted for the punishment.

Ryan Bridge: Labour's getting protest votes

People aren't telling pollsters they'd vote for Labour because they'd actually vote for Labour.

Labour hasn't got any policies - they're an empty vessel.

It's captain is still, according to most recent polling, less popular than the current Prime Minister.

It's a protest vote. They're telling the PM to hurry up and do something else to rescue the economy the last lot, and a trade war, have suppressed.

DTNZ: Collins urges industry to embrace Digital Identity

Digitising Government Minister Judith Collins told the Digital Identity NZ Hui Taumata that the government is pressing ahead with building a secure, user-friendly digital identity system for all New Zealanders, moving away from reliance on physical cards.

Simon O'Connor: Without Question (Time)

What is the best way describe those who believe their views are beyond doubt or question? I have a two word answer.

Imagine being so assured that your views on anything and everything, that you expect everyone to agree with you without compromise.

Imagine being so assured that your perspective is without error, that you need only emotion and theatrics to justify your position. No need for reason, logic, or consideration. Just lots of facial expressions.

Michael Reddell: One more Treasury OIA about RB spending

All the interest in the Orr-departure story – the background, and the subsequent and ongoing efforts to mislead the public by the Board and the temporary Governor – seems to now centre on the Ombudsman. Various people, including me, have appealed the Bank’s OIA obstructionism on specific requests and the Ombudsman seems to be pursuing the issue reasonably expeditiously.

JC: National Is Not Where It Should Be

Poll after poll has National and Labour virtually neck and neck, which should not be the case. Some are reluctant to believe this reflects the true situation. As a snapshot in time – which is all that polls between elections reflect – I think they are believable. There is considerable disquiet in voter land with the performance of National in particular and a lot of this centres around Christopher Luxon.

Lushington Brady: What Will It Take for the NZ Govt to Save Itself?

Is the PM the biggest millstone around the government’s neck?

Opinion polls from New Zealand rarely make news in Australia, unless they’re particularly notable and they particularly appeal to the local legacy media. When Jacinda Ardern was riding high in the polls, it was exactly the sort of stuff to warm an Australian legacy media desperate to console themselves over the durability of the then-coalition government here. Ardern’s plummet from poll grace, on the other hand, was not something they chose to dwell on.

David Farrar: Prime bullsh*t

The Herald reports:

Labour leader Chris Hipkins told his party’s education spokeswoman Willow-Jean Prime she should have responded to attempts the Government was making to brief her on the NCEA change process.

But he doesn’t believe it was unreasonable for Prime to wait to speak with teachers and parents before meeting Education Minister Erica Stanford.

David Farrar: Swarbrick was evicted for refusing to apologise, not for the comment

There has been some poor reporting on the eviction of Chloe Swarbrick from the House. She was not kicked out for saying that Government MPs had no spine. She was kicked out because the Speaker told her she had to withdraw and apologise for saying it, and she refused. It was her decision. Most days MPs get asked by the Speaker to withdraw and apologise for something the Speaker rules is in breach of Standing Orders.

Mike's Minute: Two obvious tips for Chris Hipkins

Chris Hipkins came undone yesterday, twice.

You would hope, given there is literally no pressure on him right now and he basically gets to spend his days bagging the Government, he might want to sharpen up, given next year is a whole different kettle of fish.

Wednesday August 13, 2025 

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Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: Luxon isn't National's biggest problem

I'm happy to report to you that it looks like some of us want to play the old 'should Luxon be rolled' game.

In the wake of the not-so-great polls that came out yesterday, there is a column by Andrea Vance - who I am name-checking because she's good and credible, and not just some junior reporter with an opinion.

Clive Bibby: A snapshot in time - should it mean more than that?

As a history junky, nothing gives me more pleasure than either watching the History Channel on Sky TV or rereading the volumes of books written by those who were there - most of whom are long dead.

Although we have to rely almost exclusively on the testimony of those who were involved in the most poignant moments in history, it is important that we establish the truth of what actually happened on the day.

Barrie Davis: Matauranga Maori is a Myth

The New Zealand Parliament is now receiving advice which is informed by maturanga Maori, New Zealand universities are offering courses on maturanga Maori, and New Zealand corporations are incorporating maturanga Maori in their business practices. What is maturanga Maori and why have our institutions accepted it so readily?

Professor Sir Sidney (Hirini) Moko Mead, a foundation professor of Maori studies at Victoria University and a prolific author, has this year published Matauranga Maori, a book about Maori knowledge. It is a companion volume to his 2003 book Tikanga Maori on Maori practices and values. I will consult his Matauranga Maori to consider the above question.

David Lillis: Our Unbalanced Media

I have written several times before on New Zealand’s unbalanced media (e.g. Lillis, 2024). However, I feel that there is more to be said. Several recent articles in our mainstream media provoked considerable interest because of their left-leaning and anti-Government orientation, and I consider that they must be challenged, if only because very little countermanding material is allowed to appear in our public-funded media. Here I review very briefly a few of them and give my reactions.

Steven Mark Gaskell: A Week in the Glorious People’s Republic of Aotearoa Formerly New Zealand.

A Week in the Glorious People’s Republic of Aotearoa Formerly New Zealand. (If Labour, the Greens, and Te Pāti Māori win in 2026)

Monday — Redistribution Day
The new government kicks off the week by announcing that anyone who still has a job will be required to hand over 80% of their income for “Community Equity Realignment.” Public servants assure workers this is “not a tax” but a “compulsory contribution to collective happiness.” Meanwhile, those who haven’t worked in years receive a new “Universal Kia Ora Benefit” with free Netflix, vape subsidies, and complimentary electric scooters. The Finance Minister warns that GDP may drop “slightly,” but reminds everyone “money is a colonial construct anyway.”

Nick Hanne: Are we free to talk about foreign interference in NZ?.....

Are we free to talk about foreign interference in NZ? It’s worse than I thought

Both have been subject to surveillance by the CCP, although neither has backed down. We cannot in good conscience let this situation continue. I for one refuse to let it happen in my own backyard.

Kerre Woodham: What can we do about rate rises?

Commentators are telling us that the tide is turning, that we've reached the bottom of the cycle. ANZ has lowered its mortgage interest rates, so other banks will surely follow suit, bringing relief to many households. Spring is almost here. And then the rates bill arrives in the mail. Any financial gains are immediately lost, any lift of the spirits plummets.

Professor Ananish Chaudhuri: Trump may be wielding tariffs but he’s not winning the trade war

A recent New York Times article argues that Donald Trump is winning the trade war. “As major economies fall in line to sign agreements that include the highest tariffs in modern history, the president’s vision for global trade is rapidly being realized.”

Ostensibly this is because EU, Japan and other countries have made peace with 15 to 20 percent tariffs. While these tariffs are certainly lower than what was proposed earlier, they are still much higher than the approx. 3 per cent that prevailed prior to this. These tariffs are also at their highest level since the early part of the 20th century.

Ani O'Brien: National has a storytelling problem

If Christopher Luxon can’t learn to set the agenda, the opposition will keep writing the script and it won’t have a happy ending.

The biggest obstacle to National winning a second term isn’t Chris Hipkins. It isn’t the Greens, Te Pāti Māori, nor any kind of breakdown in relationship with its coalition partners. It’s National itself, specifically, its inability to communicate with New Zealanders in a way that fosters trust, engenders hope, and builds confidence.

DTNZ: Rising number of NZ businesses reporting losses as economic pressures mount

Inland Revenue data shows a growing number of New Zealand businesses are recording losses, with 107,450 companies reporting a current loss in the latest tax year, up from 99,500 in 2022.

Dave Patterson: Israel, Gaza, and the US – Is There an End Game?

It seems like a stalemate with no end in sight.

Even those without attention deficit disorder find it challenging to keep all the world’s crises straight. The daunting situation with Israel and Hamas in Gaza, for example, appears to have no resolution in sight. There are a variety of competing solutions at play, most of them by countries with no dog in the hunt. Nonetheless, what is happening in Gaza is the fulcrum about which peace in the Middle East pivots. Solving the conundrum would be an accomplishment for the ages.

Mike's Minute: You need an open mind for the pilot military academy programme

Perhaps the biggest problem with the military-style academy and the ensuing pilot report is not the number of people who re-offended.

Hell, I thought they all would.

But rather it was the fact it was, in the minds of too many, predetermined.

Ele Ludemann: Short memories

A lot of people who responded to the latest Taxpayer Union Curia poll must have very short memories.

They must have forgotten that after the 2017 election, and in spite of then-Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s high rating, National was either more popular or only slightly less popular than Labour in poll after poll.

It was only after Covid struck and National MPs lost their discipline and got panicked into unsuccessful leadership changes that the party’s support dropped.

Tuesday August 12, 2025 

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Steven Gaskell: Emerging Patterns of the Tribal Elite in Political Manipulation

New Zealand prides itself on being a liberal democracy one person, one vote, equal under the law. But a concerning pattern is taking shape in recent years: a growing tendency by elements of the tribal elite and their political allies to challenge the legitimacy of democratic outcomes whenever the results don’t align with their ideological or tribal ambitions.

This isn't a stray incident or emotional overreaction it’s becoming a calculated political strategy.

Judy Gill - The Fallen Pōhutukawa at 47 The Strand, Takapuna: Historical and Cultural Context

Overview

This document consolidates historical evidence, council records, and cultural statements regarding the pōhutukawa tree known as Tree 9A, located at 47 The Strand, Takapuna. The intent is to provide a clear factual account of its history, legal status, and the differing perspectives on its significance.

Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: Should National be worried about these poll numbers?

Let's talk about this political poll.

National is behind Labour. National's on 32, Labour's on 34.

Now, this is not the first time that National has fallen behind Labour since the last election. The first time it happened was November last year. Then it happened again in January, twice. Then it happened again in March, twice.

Insights From Social Media

Wealth tax? - Has it already "crept in" - Rex Anderson

Council rates are rising at an ever-increasing rate because of "failing infrastructure"

I'm not denying that infrastructure is failing.

That has been going on for the last 40 years or so; this is nothing new, caused by successive councils sweeping it under the carpet or putting it in the too-hard basket for the next council to do exactly the same thing!