NZCPR Newsletter: Voter Sentiment

New Zealand heads toward the 2026 election facing three interconnected difficulties that are shaping voter sentiment: a deepening cost‑of‑living crisis, a perception of political instability within the governing coalition, and unresolved attacks on our constitutional integrity through co‑governance.

Anglo Saxon: New Zealand Local Government Democracy In Decline

In this episode of the Anglo Saxon show the Far North Council controversy. What's really going in local body government . How is this happening and what needs to be done to fix it. Cameron Luxton responds to questions about his bill and the other methods that the left are using to misappropriate public assets and resources.

Click to view

Ryan Bridge: Winston was always going to turn on Luxon

This was always going to happen - the closer you get to the election, the more your friends become your enemies under MMP.

Winston's office released OIA docs showing Luxon's people wanted to go further in supporting Trump's war in Iran.

Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: TVNZ crossed a line with their handling of Maiki Sherman

From the commentary I’m seeing online, it’s clear there is a perception that no one reported on the Maiki Sherman revelation because the media were protecting one of their own.

I can tell you that perception is true. It’s not imagined - it is true.

Geoff Parker: ANZAC Day Is About Service — Not Cultural Drift

ANZAC Day exists for a clear purpose: to honour those who served and those who died in war. It is not a general cultural showcase, nor a platform for modern identity signalling.

The historical record matters.

Pee Kay: The more things change, the more they stay the same!

Once again we find we been badly let down by National. Chris Luxon’s assurances to reign in co-governance were nothing but hollow promises!

The Democracy Action newsletter from earlier this month proves voters have been treated as “suckers” by Luxon/National because they are allowing local bodies to firmly embed co-governance into new water management structures!

“…will ensure that drinking water, stormwater and wastewater remain in local control.” was nothing but political duplicity and political double speak!

John McLean: Who's The Racist-est?

Would the real racist please stand up

On 20 April, New Zealand First Government Minister Shane Jones warned of a potential “butter chicken tsunami” coming to New Zealand.

Butter chicken curry (Murgh Makhani) was invented in the 1950s at Delhi’s Moti Mahal restaurant, by a couple of Punjabi chefs. But Matua Jones wasn’t referring to a tidal wave carrying curry to New Zealand. Jones was referring to the prospect of a figurative tide of ethnic Indians emigrating from India to New Zealand as a result of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) about to be entered into between New Zealand and India. The FTA will provide for increased immigration from India.

Dr Bryce Edwards: Democracy Briefing - Sleepwalking into the worst crisis since Covid

“Thought Covid was bad? If New Zealand runs out of diesel, Covid will look like the rehearsal.” That line from Matthew Hooton in the Herald this morning lands like a slap. Not because it’s designed to alarm, but because Hooton is making a precise argument, not a rhetorical one. During the pandemic, the circulatory system of the economy kept pumping. He explains today that trucks still delivered to supermarkets, harvesters still picked crops, milk tankers still collected from farms, and ambulances still ran. None of that is guaranteed now.

David Harvey: The Art of Not Deciding

Why New Zealand — a small, connected, relatively wealthy democracy — consistently fails to move from idea to action, and what that paralysis is really protecting.

There is a particular kind of meeting that haunts New Zealand’s public and private sectors alike. Everyone is present. The problem is well understood. A solution has been proposed. And then, with great efficiency, the meeting produces not a decision but a process: a working group, a further review, a consultation round. The project does not die. It simply becomes harder to find.

Dr Michael Johnston: Universities’ approach to Treaty at odds with academic freedom

New Zealand’s university leaders seem restless. In recent months, Massey, Victoria, Canterbury and Auckland Universities have all advertised for new Vice Chancellors (VCs).

Along with the things one might expect in a VC, like an outstanding academic record and experience in senior management, the jobs ads all emphasise Treaty of Waitangi considerations. The Massey ad says that ‘Te Tiriti principles are central to its governance and operations.’ Canterbury University wants its new VC to ‘embed Te Tiriti principles across all aspects of university life.’ The University of Auckland claims that ‘a commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi is fundamental to its future direction.’

Peter Williams: Is this the age of Substack?

If mainstream media won’t report on their own then others will have to

The most significant aspect of the Maiki Sherman affair is that it became public because a Substack writer made it so.

David Seymour made his distaste for the year-long media silence on the matter very obvious by calling April 28th “Ani O’Brien Day.” This was in honour of the woman who wrote an online expose about how the TVNZ Political Editor had homophobically insulted another political reporter, her one time TV3 colleague Lloyd Burr, now at Stuff, at a function in the Finance Minister’s office in May last year.

Kerre Woodham: The matter of New Zealand's shrinking working population

The headline in the Herald read “New Zealand population bombshell” – but is the news really that much of a bombshell? We know we have an ageing population. We know that we're not replacing ourselves with babies. And we know that there's going to be a real crunch when it comes to finding sufficient workers in the next 20 odd years.

 Wednesday April 29, 2026 

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Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: It's strange where people's minds went on the Donald Trump assassination attempt

I’ll tell you what I found most surprising about the assassination attempt on Donald Trump at the weekend: the number of people who do not believe it really happened or that it was a genuine attempt at all.

There are a remarkable number of people who believe the incident was staged and who are openly discussing that belief, including claims that Trump was not actually shot through the ear a couple of months ago.

Ryan Bridge: Why are young women doing the job of cops?

Did you hear the story about these three young flatmates who hunted down their own burglars, busted them and took back their stuff?

Sarah, Anna and Charlotte... all in their 20s... got home from work in Christchurch, and some mug, or mugs, had broken in and stolen their stuff.

Douglas Murray: The Attempt on Trump’s Life and Political Violence in America

Douglas Murray, journalist and author, joins School of War host Aaron MacLean to discuss the assassination attempt that both witnessed in person at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday. Was there a lapse in appropriate security? Is political violence being normalized? Can it be contained? WATCH BELOW.

David Farrar: Saving billions through fewer WOFs

The Government announced:

“Compared to other countries, New Zealand has very frequent inspections for light vehicles. Modern light vehicles are significantly safer and more reliable, but our rules haven’t kept pace, imposing unnecessary costs on motorists. Other countries including Ireland, Germany, Japan, and Australia inspect every one to two years or at ownership change and achieve comparable or better safety outcomes,” Mr Bishop says.

John McLean: Is Anzac Day For Honouring The War Dead Or Advancing An "indigenous" Agenda?

My earliest memory of Anzac Day is as a child standing on Wellington's Lambton Quay watching the parade pass - first some army jeeps with about a dozen very old men in them - too old to march. These were the Boer War veterans. Next came a mass of grey-haired men - a few with walking sticks and the odd wooden leg or so but all of them in jackets and ties and wearing their colourful medals. These were the First World War men.

Then an even larger group of much younger men - again all in jackets and ties and with medals and banners proclaiming Alamein, Crete, Italy and, of course, a handful of Battle of Britain fighter pilots. Then a much smaller bunch of much younger looking Korean War vets brought up the rear together with Wrens and bands and other things to impress my young mind.

Ani O'Brien: Unreported for nearly a year - media misconduct in Parliament

Inside the Press Gallery: power, silence, and the accountability gap in New Zealand media

On the evening of 13 May 2025, Finance Minister Nicola Willis hosted a pre-Budget drinks event in her parliamentary office. The event appears, in official records, as “EVENT: Press Gallery… Parliament… Invited Guests” at 6pm in her ministerial diary. It was intended to be a fairly standard engagement. These gatherings are a familiar ritual; relatively informal, off-camera, and populated by the country’s most senior political journalists alongside ministers and staff. They exist in the grey space between professional obligation and social familiarity and are a mechanism through which relationships are built and managed.

Mike's Minute: It's not as bad in business as you think

Here's a small myth-busting exercise for you – things aren't as bad as you might think.

Business sales from small and medium businesses are up and by quite a lot. They're up 21% in fact.

Why would you buy a business at a time like this?

Pee Kay: When Failures became Outages

And who is to blame?

Our wallets took another hit this month as power prices increased by roughly 5%, that, an added painful addition to the 12% increase we experienced in 2025. While most households faced increases between 4% and 12%, we should also spare a thought for Northland households, who are grappling with a 21% price hike while the rest of the country looks for someone to blame!

Naturally, consumers are asking; Why are we being subjected to these relentless price hikes, and who is responsible? Is there a single entity at fault, or is this a systemic failure?

Dave Patterson: Iran Is Out of Time

President Donald Trump has run out of patience with Iran. In an abrupt turn, the US president canceled a planned trip to Islamabad, Pakistan, by Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to meet with an Iranian negotiating team to attempt to find an end to the Iran conflict. It has become clear that Tehran is using the meetings to simply string the US along, and now Trump has had enough. So, as things stand, the US controls the Arabian Gulf, and Iran does not.

Guy C Charlton, Tim Fadgen: A landmark US court ruling on birthright citizenship is coming. What does NZ law say?

The US Supreme Court is poised to deliver its much anticipated and debated decision on the question of birthright citizenship.

At the centre of the case (known as Trump v. Barbara) is an executive order signed by President Donald Trump on his first day of office in 2025, barring citizenship for children born to parents illegally in the United States or on long-term visas.

David Farrar: The PM getting some mongrel

I’ve been impressed with what I would call the PM getting some mongrel in the last few weeks, as his leadership came under attack. Let’s look at what he did.

  Tuesday April 28, 2026 

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Ryan Bridge: The India FTA is up to businesses now

Judging by the coverage out of New Delhi overnight, the Indian press appears optimistic about the trade deal with New Zealand.

As optimistic as our government and industry, and as of last week Labour, are about it here.

Barrie Davis: Indiana Jones Cries Fowl

Dear Perzen Patel,

I read your piece “NZ Indians have been silent on the butter chicken row. So I’m speaking up” in the Sunday Star-Times today (here). If the Indians have not mentioned it, I can see a good reason why.

Caleb Anderson: Dare to be a Daniel

The words below will be familiar to those who grew up in Christian homes. Whether you view Daniel in truth, or in archetype, his story bore/bears witness to the willingness of some to stand for principles in spite of the cost.

Clive Bibby: United We Stand and Fall

I doubt there is an event anywhere in the world that unites the peoples of a country more than our Anzac Remembrance Day.

And this commemoration doesn’t stop at our shore - it stretches across the ditch embracing our nearest neighbour Australia who fought alongside us in two World Wars hence the name ANZAC - Australia New Zealand Army Corp.

Dave Patterson: Technology Theft - How American Tech Keeps Showing up in China

On Wednesday, April 22, the US Senate Committee on the Judiciary heard testimony on the topic “Stealth Stealing: China’s Ongoing Theft of US Innovation.” Witnesses included Mark Cohen, Senior Fellow at the University of Akron Law School's Intellectual Property Institute; Tom Lyons, Co-Founder of the 2430 Group; and Helen Toner, Interim Executive Director of the Center for Security and Emerging Technology at Georgetown University. The issues included blatant theft of US technology and intellectual property, as well as intense competition with China for dominance in the field of artificial intelligence. And this theft by the CCP is nothing new.

Rodney Hide: New Zealand’s Rot Starts in Empty Pews

Christianity didn’t just arrive in New Zealand—it built the place. Missionaries planted the first permanent settlement in 1814, translated the Treaty, ran the early schools and hospitals, and gave us a moral framework of personal responsibility, stable families and covenantal duty. For a century and a half it was the cultural default. Then the 1960s secular wave hit. By the 2023 Census only 32.3 per cent called themselves Christian; 51.6 per cent claimed no religion. The collapse is not coincidence. It is the root of the social decay now choking the country.

Peter Williams: Luxon lacks courage

Backing out of interviews is poor form

Any politician who refuses to front on a particular media outlet essentially because he or she is afraid of being made to look foolish is, frankly, a coward and not competent to be in a position of responsibility.

It’s into that category that we must now place the current Prime Minister. We know that Jacinda Ardern was already a certified member.

Pee Kay: An Open Letter To The Prime Minister

“Prime Minister, the country is running out of time — and you are running out of excuses.”

“Enough. New Zealand cannot survive more soft leadership. “

Colinxy: The Success Rate of Rehabilitation of Criminals

New Zealand Labour’s crime policy is built on a simple premise: rehabilitation works, and therefore the best way to reduce crime is to focus on treatment, programmes, and reducing reoffending. Labour rejects the “tough on crime” approach and frames rehabilitation as the humane, evidence‑based alternative.

Dr Eric Crampton: We are only hurting ourselves

Every year, respiratory syncytial virus, RSV, sends over a thousand infants to hospital.

Six years ago, Kiwis volunteered to be part of a large international study testing whether vaccinating pregnant women for RSV would protect their newborns.

Dr Oliver Hartwich: The art of the contradiction

On Tuesday morning, President Trump told CNBC he did not want to extend the ceasefire with Iran. Yet on Tuesday afternoon, he extended it.

Contradiction is the art of the deal. So it is no wonder that the entire war has been conducted this way.

On 28 February, the United States and Israel struck Iran. At first, the President said the operation would take four weeks or less. Then four to five weeks. Then “whatever it takes.”

David Farrar: After 20 years, a hydro dam gets consented

The Government announced:

A fast-tracked renewable energy project on the West Coast will strengthen regional electricity supply and improve resilience, Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop and Regional Development Minister Shane Jones say.

In August 2025, Westpower Limited lodged a substantive application to build and operate a 23MW hydro scheme in the Waitaha Valley, about 38km south of Hokitika. The project includes a weir and a 1.5km tunnel to a two-turbine powerhouse.

 Monday April 27, 2026 

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Geoff Parker: Stability Doesn’t Come From Ambiguity

The claim that adjusting Treaty clause wording will create decades of instability gets the problem backwards.

New Zealand’s ongoing tension over Treaty principles isn’t caused by too little legal weight—it’s caused by inconsistency and ambiguity across laws. Different statutes use different phrases (“recognise,” “have regard to,” “give effect to”), creating uncertainty about what the Treaty actually requires in practice.

That lack of clarity is exactly what drives litigation, not resolves it.

Damien Grant: Chris Bishop has emerged as the main pretender to a shaky crown.....

Chris Bishop has emerged as the main pretender to a shaky crown. How shall we assess his performance?

“Will no one rid me of this turbulent bishop?" cried King Henry the Second, yelling to the ceiling in frustration at the antics of the archbishop of Canterbury, the soon-to-be-murdered Thomas Becket. It is, if you forgive the literary fudge alert readers will have noticed, a sentiment our Prime Minister may be feeling as his premiership is undermined by the persistent stories that the current Hutt South MP has been counting the numbers. It is also a lesson in being clear with your retinue on your intentions.

Centrist: Will National rule out Labour?

• NZ First has ruled out Labour, but the bigger question may be whether National would do the same.

• A National-Labour deal sounds unlikely, but cross-party arrangements have happened before in wartime.

• Both major parties may see their own minor-party partners as harder to manage.

• Centre-right voters may need to pressure MPs now: will you rule out Labour?

The bigger question

Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: Why has the Government pulled SailGP's funding?

I’ve tried very hard to understand the Government’s decision to essentially cancel SailGP in Auckland next year and I just can’t.

I cannot understand what has gone on here because, as I understand it, this has come down to a few hundred thousand dollars.

Professor Alexander Gillespie: Anzac then and now: as trans‑Tasman defence relations get closer, NZ must be on guard

Anzac Day 2026 arrives in tumultuous times: unresolved conflict in the Middle East, the erosion of the old international order, the famous Doomsday Clock set closer to midnight than ever before.

Without doubt, this brings New Zealand’s defence relationship with its closest neighbour (and only formal ally) Australia into sharp focus.

Peter Williams: Anzac Day Address 2026

NOTE: I was asked to be the guest speaker at the Cromwell Anzac Day service. This address is similar to one I gave at the small Southland community of Waikaka in 2023

As a recently arrived Central Otago resident – albeit with a long personal and family history in Otago and Southland – it’s a privilege to deliver the first ANZAC Day address outside this brand new and soon to be officially named Cromwell Memorial Events Centre.

Major General John G. Howard, MNZM (Ret): Buying readiness or buying time?

The Government's 2025 Defence Capability Plan allocates $12 billion over the next four years—the biggest outlay in generations and long overdue. The challenge is that the defence acquisition machinery was built for a slower, steadier world and has not been rebuilt for this one.
Buying new kit often takes longer than a government lasts. The chain of sign-offs required often takes years. A single big purchase can outlast the government that started it.

Guest Post: The Numbers do not Lie

A guest post from Owen Jennings on Kiwiblog:

Everyone seems to have an opinion on Christopher Luxon’s future. Why not? He is Prime Minster, after all. He has to be open to scrutiny.

But, is what we are encountering the normal, hurly burly of politics and strong media coverage? Or is there some other force at play? Some homework, using Artificial Intelligence, suggests there is and it’s something that should concern every New Zealand voter.

Rodney Hide: Hosking’s “Impeccable Sources” - Pure Prebble Theatre, Zero

Mike Hosking’s claim of “impeccable sources” naming five National MPs as leakers is straight out of the Richard Prebble playbook. The veteran ACT leader was a master of the device: “usually reliable sources,” “reliable sources inform me,” “my sources tell me.” It sounded insider-ish, carried a ring of truth, and kept the story pumping for another news cycle.

Kerre Woodham: Unacceptable behaviour is unacceptable behaviour

Remember back in February, the Government announced it was proposing to give police officers the power to issue move on orders to deal with, as it's described, disorderly behaviour in public places. What they mean is antisocial homeless people who are startling the horses, putting people off coming into the city, creating all sorts of disgusting messes for business owners to clean up.

 Sunday April 26, 2026 

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Net Zero Watch Samizdat: Defiant Miliband Doubles Down

UK

Miliband: I need to go further and faster

Ed Miliband rejected warnings he is going “too far and too fast” and instead vowed to speed up the construction of renewables across the country. This will include a “massive” expansion of net zero infrastructure on the public estate, as well as allowing large electricity substations to be built without planning applications.

Dr Oliver Hartwich: The Wellington State Sector Chiefs Who Undermine Their Ministers & Democracy

On The Platform, Michael Laws chats to NZ Initiative’s Dr Oliver Hartwich on the Wellington state sector chiefs who undermine their Ministers and democracy.

Click to view

Ani O'Brien: A week is a long time: 25 April 2026

Lest we forget 🇳🇿 🇦🇺

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning

We will remember them.

Nats versus the Media: Luxon draws a line

Rodney Hide: The Maori Electorates - Racist Relic That Must Go

The Maori electorates are a 19th-century anachronism that should have been abolished twice—first when universal suffrage arrived in 1893, and again when MMP was adopted in 1996. They are racist by design, divisive by operation, and the breeding ground for the ethnic grievance industry now dominating our politics.

Created in 1867 as a temporary bridge for Maori men excluded by the property qualification, the seats lost all justification the moment every adult New Zealander gained the vote on equal terms.

Melanie Phillips: The dawn of a new world order

An increasingly hostile American public has little idea of the necessity and importance of the war against Iran

Most people in America are against the war with Iran, as they are in Britain, too.

Very few, however, actually understand why this war is as necessary as it is unavoidably complex.

Kerre Woodham: Investing in young Kiwis' ability to grow their wealth seems like a good plan

I like David Seymour's idea of teaching children the basics of money management by giving them $500 each. He floated the idea during a speech at a business event in Christchurch. The way it would work: the roughly 60,000 Year 11 s in this country would be given $500 in a controlled investment account with a structured pathway into real investing, possibly supported by investment platforms Sharesies or Blackbull. In term one, they choose a term deposit, a safe investment, but one that introduces the basic idea of storing capital so it can be used by someone else to produce, earning a return for the investor. In term two, they invest in a managed fund. This introduces the idea of risk. In term three, they invest in New Zealand equities, which introduces the idea of companies, and in term four, they're able to invest in assets from around the world, and all of a sudden, they learn about exchange rates and how much they matter.

Bob Edlin: Fast-track is hastening infrastructural work.....

Fast-track is hastening infrastructural work but (when it comes to te reo) it is keeping snail pace with Te Kāwanatanga

It is called Fast-track and it is in the business of providing a permanent approvals regime for a range of infrastructure, housing and development projects with significant regional or national benefits.

David Farrar: Disgusting racism

RNZ reports:

Auckland mayor Wayne Brown referred to an RNZ staff member of Indian descent as “a Muslim terrorist” and commented on his beard as the man escorted him into the building for an interview.

Brown said the comments were a “fumbled attempt at humour”.

David Farrar: Winston rules out Labour

This is significant, with Peters ruling out Labour, not just Hipkins. It reinforces the only route to power for Labour is with Te Pati Maori.