TVNZ political editor Maiki Sherman has resigned. In a statement on X, Sherman acknowledged that she had used “an offensive comment” toward another journalist at a function in the Finance Minister’s office last year, apologised the following morning, and said those apologies were accepted. She also stated that the remark came in response to “deeply personal and inappropriate remarks” directed at her that evening, while accepting that this did not excuse her own conduct.
There is a tendency in New Zealand’s media class to immediately separate every controversy into two extremes of either total exoneration or total destruction. There is extraordinary eagerness from some to minimise the seriousness of what occurred because Sherman is viewed as ideologically aligned with the “right” people on the left. Had a conservative public figure, someone like Israel Folau perhaps, used a homophobic slur, even in anger or a heated exchange, there is little doubt the same media would treat it as evidence of deep moral rot rather than a regrettable lapse. Likewise, if a journalist had shouted racial slurs at Sherman herself, nobody can seriously believe the public conversation a year later would revolve around forgiveness, context, or whether the incident should simply have remained private.
However, I never called for Sherman to be sacked. I reported on an incident that had already become an open secret within political and media circles and raised legitimate questions about why some stories are aggressively pursued while others are quietly buried. The subsequent collapse of Sherman’s position at TVNZ clearly involved more than this incident alone, including her recent suspension from Parliament following complaints about press gallery conduct.
Personally, I do not think every offensive remark or ugly interaction should automatically cost someone their job. Human beings say terrible things in moments of anger, intoxication, humiliation, or stress. But the uncomfortable fact is that New Zealand’s political-media culture helped build the punitive environment now consuming one of its own. For years, journalists and commentators, including Sherman herself at times, have enthusiastically participated in a culture where politicians and public figures were subjected to career-ending moral scrutiny for comments or conduct often less severe than this. The modern media class has normalised the idea that professional ruin is an acceptable and even righteous outcome for personal failings. It is difficult now to object when that same standard is turned inward.
Election 2026: candidate selections, super and Budget leaks
National has found its candidate for Auckland Central in Candace Kinser whose impressive CV includes more than 20 years’ experience in business leadership and governance across technology, science, and commercial sectors. They also announced Lalit Arya will stand in Ōtāhuhu, and former Bayleys Auckland chief executive Lloyd Budd in Whangārei.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon confirmed National will campaign on raising the age of eligibility for superannuation, describing the current trajectory as “unworkable and unaffordable”. Treasury forecasts show annual superannuation costs are projected to rise from $15.5 billion in 2020 to around $30 billion by the end of the decade.
Meanwhile Winston Peters has revealed the coalition intends to scrap the fees-free tertiary education scheme introduced under the Ardern Government. Peters said the policy would instead be “reshaped and repurposed” toward trades and industries facing labour shortages. Finance Minister Nicola Willis later confirmed Peters had effectively leaked a genuine Budget decision.
Campaign financing data released this week showed National is dominating fundraising with more than $6.2 million in donations during 2025, far ahead of ACT on $2.4 million and Labour on $2.4 million. NZ First has reported $1.36 million.
Citizenship test to be introduced
From late 2027, most citizenship applicants will need to sit an in-person, supervised test consisting of 20 multiple-choice questions and achieve a pass mark of 75%.
The test will cover topics including the Bill of Rights Act, democratic institutions, voting rights, freedom of speech, human rights, criminal offences, and the structure of New Zealand’s government. Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden said the aim was to ensure applicants understood the “responsibilities and privileges” of citizenship and the values underpinning New Zealand society.
ACT leader David Seymour described the move as “an ACT idea a decade in the making”, pointing to his long-running argument that migrants seeking citizenship should explicitly affirm principles such as equal rights regardless of sex, religion or ethnicity, free speech protections, and democratic norms.
The end of the Broadcasting Standards Authority
Media and Communications Minister Paul Goldsmith has announced the Government will disestablish the Broadcasting Standards Authority. The Government says it intends to move toward a self-regulatory model for media oversight, with the expectation that the New Zealand Media Council will become the primary complaints body for journalism.
Paul Goldsmith. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
Goldsmith said the current framework “doesn’t make sense” in a modern media environment. The BSA might go down in history as New Zealand’s worst case of organisational suicide as it seems to have sped up its own demise in attempting a power grab by asserting jurisdiction over the internet despite the legislation they operate under being the Broadcasting Act 1989. I was still a year off being born.
TVNZ’s Trump Derangement Syndrome
The announcement of the impending end to the BSA came just a day before the BSA released a high-profile ruling against TVNZ over a 1News report involving comments made by US President Donald Trump. The Authority upheld complaints that the segment breached accuracy standards after a presenter introduced the story by stating Trump had responded to a national tragedy by saying “I couldn’t care less”. The BSA found this framing was misleading because, in the full context of the interview, Trump was saying he did not care if his forthcoming comments would “get [him] in trouble”.
The Authority said TVNZ had not made “reasonable efforts” to ensure the accuracy of the statement and that the broadcast had the potential to “seriously mislead the public”. It ordered TVNZ to broadcast a corrective statement during its 6pm news bulletin summarising the upheld complaints. TVNZ said it accepted the ruling and would review its scripting processes.
Winston Peters wins Ferry Fight with The Post
There was also a successful complaint by Winston Peters against The Post. The New Zealand Media Council upheld Peters’ complaint after The Post published a story by Andrea Vance claiming the Cook Strait ferry replacement programme project was “$167 million over budget”.
The total programme cost for the ferry replacement project was set at $1.867 billion, while the Crown’s contribution was capped at $1.7 billion, with the remaining funding expected to come from port companies for assets they would own. The Post argued it was reasonable to describe the programme as “over budget” because total projected costs exceeded the Crown’s direct funding allocation. However, the Media Council rejected that, finding there was “no evidence the project was over budget” and ruling that the article and headline inaccurately conflated the Government’s share of the funding with the overall project budget.
The Council observed that the confusion “could have been avoided” if Vance had simply contacted one of the relevant parties to check the figures before publication.
Spotted in Auckland, but not spotted on the party list
Former Greens co-leader James Shaw was spotted out and about in Auckland city with Opportunity Party candidate for Wellington Bays Dr Kayla Kingdon-Bebb this week. I mentioned this to a friend who responded that they had heard that James Shaw was involved in the background of the Opportunity Party and that if they managed to get over the 5% threshold he would pop up on the party list. I put this to the party directly and unfortunately for James Shaw fans a spokesman responded:
However, I never called for Sherman to be sacked. I reported on an incident that had already become an open secret within political and media circles and raised legitimate questions about why some stories are aggressively pursued while others are quietly buried. The subsequent collapse of Sherman’s position at TVNZ clearly involved more than this incident alone, including her recent suspension from Parliament following complaints about press gallery conduct.
Personally, I do not think every offensive remark or ugly interaction should automatically cost someone their job. Human beings say terrible things in moments of anger, intoxication, humiliation, or stress. But the uncomfortable fact is that New Zealand’s political-media culture helped build the punitive environment now consuming one of its own. For years, journalists and commentators, including Sherman herself at times, have enthusiastically participated in a culture where politicians and public figures were subjected to career-ending moral scrutiny for comments or conduct often less severe than this. The modern media class has normalised the idea that professional ruin is an acceptable and even righteous outcome for personal failings. It is difficult now to object when that same standard is turned inward.
Election 2026: candidate selections, super and Budget leaks
National has found its candidate for Auckland Central in Candace Kinser whose impressive CV includes more than 20 years’ experience in business leadership and governance across technology, science, and commercial sectors. They also announced Lalit Arya will stand in Ōtāhuhu, and former Bayleys Auckland chief executive Lloyd Budd in Whangārei.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon confirmed National will campaign on raising the age of eligibility for superannuation, describing the current trajectory as “unworkable and unaffordable”. Treasury forecasts show annual superannuation costs are projected to rise from $15.5 billion in 2020 to around $30 billion by the end of the decade.
Meanwhile Winston Peters has revealed the coalition intends to scrap the fees-free tertiary education scheme introduced under the Ardern Government. Peters said the policy would instead be “reshaped and repurposed” toward trades and industries facing labour shortages. Finance Minister Nicola Willis later confirmed Peters had effectively leaked a genuine Budget decision.
Campaign financing data released this week showed National is dominating fundraising with more than $6.2 million in donations during 2025, far ahead of ACT on $2.4 million and Labour on $2.4 million. NZ First has reported $1.36 million.
Citizenship test to be introduced
From late 2027, most citizenship applicants will need to sit an in-person, supervised test consisting of 20 multiple-choice questions and achieve a pass mark of 75%.
The test will cover topics including the Bill of Rights Act, democratic institutions, voting rights, freedom of speech, human rights, criminal offences, and the structure of New Zealand’s government. Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden said the aim was to ensure applicants understood the “responsibilities and privileges” of citizenship and the values underpinning New Zealand society.
ACT leader David Seymour described the move as “an ACT idea a decade in the making”, pointing to his long-running argument that migrants seeking citizenship should explicitly affirm principles such as equal rights regardless of sex, religion or ethnicity, free speech protections, and democratic norms.
The end of the Broadcasting Standards Authority
Media and Communications Minister Paul Goldsmith has announced the Government will disestablish the Broadcasting Standards Authority. The Government says it intends to move toward a self-regulatory model for media oversight, with the expectation that the New Zealand Media Council will become the primary complaints body for journalism.
Paul Goldsmith. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
Goldsmith said the current framework “doesn’t make sense” in a modern media environment. The BSA might go down in history as New Zealand’s worst case of organisational suicide as it seems to have sped up its own demise in attempting a power grab by asserting jurisdiction over the internet despite the legislation they operate under being the Broadcasting Act 1989. I was still a year off being born.
TVNZ’s Trump Derangement Syndrome
The announcement of the impending end to the BSA came just a day before the BSA released a high-profile ruling against TVNZ over a 1News report involving comments made by US President Donald Trump. The Authority upheld complaints that the segment breached accuracy standards after a presenter introduced the story by stating Trump had responded to a national tragedy by saying “I couldn’t care less”. The BSA found this framing was misleading because, in the full context of the interview, Trump was saying he did not care if his forthcoming comments would “get [him] in trouble”.
The Authority said TVNZ had not made “reasonable efforts” to ensure the accuracy of the statement and that the broadcast had the potential to “seriously mislead the public”. It ordered TVNZ to broadcast a corrective statement during its 6pm news bulletin summarising the upheld complaints. TVNZ said it accepted the ruling and would review its scripting processes.
Winston Peters wins Ferry Fight with The Post
There was also a successful complaint by Winston Peters against The Post. The New Zealand Media Council upheld Peters’ complaint after The Post published a story by Andrea Vance claiming the Cook Strait ferry replacement programme project was “$167 million over budget”.
The total programme cost for the ferry replacement project was set at $1.867 billion, while the Crown’s contribution was capped at $1.7 billion, with the remaining funding expected to come from port companies for assets they would own. The Post argued it was reasonable to describe the programme as “over budget” because total projected costs exceeded the Crown’s direct funding allocation. However, the Media Council rejected that, finding there was “no evidence the project was over budget” and ruling that the article and headline inaccurately conflated the Government’s share of the funding with the overall project budget.
The Council observed that the confusion “could have been avoided” if Vance had simply contacted one of the relevant parties to check the figures before publication.
Spotted in Auckland, but not spotted on the party list
Former Greens co-leader James Shaw was spotted out and about in Auckland city with Opportunity Party candidate for Wellington Bays Dr Kayla Kingdon-Bebb this week. I mentioned this to a friend who responded that they had heard that James Shaw was involved in the background of the Opportunity Party and that if they managed to get over the 5% threshold he would pop up on the party list. I put this to the party directly and unfortunately for James Shaw fans a spokesman responded:
“James has no formal role with Opportunity. He has personal and professional relationships with several people in the party and may have discussed Opportunity with them, but he has not provided direct advice to the party… James Shaw will not stand as an Opportunity candidate this election.”
The Education Wars continue
In education news, new draft curricula released by the Ministry of Education has triggered backlash from subject specialists, with teachers in science, technology, music, history and physical education describing parts of the proposed documents as “unusable”, “unteachable” and structurally incoherent. Multiple submissions also criticised what they saw as a lack of meaningful Treaty and Māori content. Given the education sector and their unions are consistently partisan it is difficult to take feedback of this kind seriously.
Meanwhile, there is also growing frustration among principals over the use of Official Information Act requests directed at schools. Auckland Grammar headmaster Tim O’Connor said schools were increasingly being targeted with “vexatious” OIA requests, including mass-generated requests and politically motivated fishing expeditions that consumed large amounts of staff time and legal resources. In recent times, the OIA (and similar legislation abroad) has been used to reveal contentious content being taught about gender, sex, and sexuality. The Secondary Principals’ Association is now seeking legal advice on whether schools should remain subject to the OIA regime in its current form.
Wayne Brown declares war on minor parties
Wayne Brown spent the week escalating his increasingly overt political commentary around the Government. In an interview on Q+A, Brown argued that the current coalition arrangement is dysfunctional, describing National as a “dog” being wagged by “two tails”
Brown is openly advocating for a grand coalition between National and Labour, arguing the two major parties should effectively govern together in order to marginalise the influence of smaller parties. He suggested the arrangement could even involve rotating the prime ministership between Christopher Luxon and Chris Hipkins every 18 months.
The comments triggered a public back-and-forth with David Seymour, who accused Brown of spending too much time delivering “weekly sound-offs” instead of focusing on Auckland’s rates and council performance. Wayne Brown responded on social media with a jab at Seymour’s long ago appearance on Dancing With the Stars.
Meanwhile, at an Auckland Business Chamber breakfast event this week, Shane Jones was asked about Brown’s recent interventions. Jones noted he had known Brown for many years but remarked that “he has his off days”, before taking a swipe at Auckland voters themselves for electing him.
You can read what I wrote about Grand Coalitions here.
Pressure mounts on Rod Drury
The fallout surrounding Rod Drury escalated again this week, with further allegations published by Stuff and growing pressure spreading to companies connected to the Xero founder.
Former employee Megan Ruddle alleged Drury repeatedly kissed her on the lips over more than two years while she worked for him on his yacht and later at his Queenstown property, describing the contact as unwanted and saying it happened “easily over 50 times”. Ruddle has now made a complaint to police. Her claims follow earlier allegations from two former Xero employees who also alleged unwanted sexual contact. Drury has denied wrongdoing and maintains any relationships were consensual.
The controversy is now affecting Drury’s wider business interests. Startups linked to Drury, including Corro and Atomic.io, have been communicating with investors and shareholders following the allegations. Atomic.io has now announced Drury will step down from its board from June 1, but they insist the move is part of a previously planned transition unrelated to the allegations.
Amongst all of this, Drury has returned his 2026 New Zealander of the Year award.
The Northland Suicide Inquiry
Coroner Tania Tetitaha led an inquiry into the deaths of six Northland young people aged between 12 and 16 who died by suicide between 2018 and 2020: Hamuera Ellis-Erihe, James Patira Murray, Summer Mills-Metcalfe, Martin Loeffen-Romagnoli, Ataria Heta and Maaia Marshall.
The coroner’s findings painted a bleak picture of fragmented services, poor information sharing, chronic under-resourcing and vulnerable young people effectively being “lost” within overlapping systems. Many of the children had histories involving bullying, self-harm, family violence, abuse, social deprivation, school disengagement and repeated contact with multiple agencies, yet no single organisation maintained clear oversight of their care. In one case, a teenager had contact with 17 different agencies during his short life.
One recommendation from the inquiry was the creation of a Kaiārahi role which is effectively a dedicated navigator or mentor responsible for co-ordinating care pathways for high-risk youth and ensuring continuity between agencies and families.
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey has announced a $1.7 million annual package for Northland, including a dedicated Youth Acute Respite Service and three new youth suicide prevention co-ordination roles. The service is intended to provide crisis support outside hospital settings and act as an early intervention “circuit breaker” for vulnerable young people.
🇺🇸 When anti-capitalism meets reality
Events in New York City this week have provided a case study in the economic consequences of aggressively anti-capital rhetoric from the populist left. Socialist mayor Zohran Mamdani has come under fire after posting a social media video filmed outside billionaire hedge fund manager Ken Griffin’s $238 million penthouse to promote a proposed “pied-à-terre” tax targeting wealthy property owners.
Griffin described the video as “creepy and weird”, claimed it had put his family “in harm’s way”, and he announced his company Citadel would expand its operations in Miami rather than New York as a “direct consequence” of Mamdani’s conduct.
Mamdani posted a video highlighting Griffin’s property.
(Kena Betancur/AFP via Getty Images)
Former New York mayor Eric Adams publicly rebuked Mamdani, accusing him of “demonizing success” and warning against driving major employers and taxpayers out of the city. Adams noted that the top 1% of earners contribute a disproportionate share of New York’s tax revenue and argued that attacking investors and business leaders ultimately threatens jobs throughout the wider economy.
Business groups and policy analysts also warned that New York risks accelerating the broader migration pattern of finance and investment activity toward lower-tax, more business-friendly states such as Florida and Texas. The Partnership for New York City estimated Mamdani’s rhetoric and policies could jeopardise thousands of financial sector jobs and hundreds of millions in annual tax revenue.
Former New York mayor Eric Adams publicly rebuked Mamdani, accusing him of “demonizing success” and warning against driving major employers and taxpayers out of the city. Adams noted that the top 1% of earners contribute a disproportionate share of New York’s tax revenue and argued that attacking investors and business leaders ultimately threatens jobs throughout the wider economy.
Business groups and policy analysts also warned that New York risks accelerating the broader migration pattern of finance and investment activity toward lower-tax, more business-friendly states such as Florida and Texas. The Partnership for New York City estimated Mamdani’s rhetoric and policies could jeopardise thousands of financial sector jobs and hundreds of millions in annual tax revenue.
🇬🇧 Reform’s surge terrifies Westminster
Britain’s local elections delivered another major shock to the political establishment this week, with Nigel Farage’s Reform UK surging across England and cementing itself as a serious force in British politics. Reform won more than 1,000 council seats and seized control of councils from both Labour and the Conservatives, making major gains in former Labour heartlands across the Midlands and North. Labour suffered more devastating losses in England and Wales, while the Greens made gains in affluent urban centres such as Hackney and Norwich.
One of the most controversial moments of the campaign came when Reform announced it would prioritise building migrant detention centres in Green-controlled councils and Green-voting constituencies. Reform argued areas advocating more liberal immigration policies should bear the practical consequences of those policies.
Predictably, Britain’s political class reacted as though Reform had proposed public executions despite having argued the hotels are perfectly fine. Reform is increasingly framing politics not simply as left versus right, but as a divide between establishment elites and voters frustrated by the social and economic consequences of mass migration, cost-of-living pressures and institutional decline.
🇺🇸 The ideology behind the Palisades Fire case
Disturbing new details emerged this week in the case against Jonathan Rinderknecht, the man accused of starting the January 2025 blaze that turned into the catastrophic Palisades Fire in Los Angeles. Prosecutors allege Rinderknecht was motivated by deep resentment toward wealthy people and had become fixated on anti-capitalist rhetoric and political assassin Luigi Mangione.
According to court filings, Rinderknecht had searched phrases including “let’s take down all the billionaires”, “reddit lets kill all the billionaires” and “Free Luigi Mangione” in the weeks before the fire. Prosecutors say Uber passengers described him ranting about capitalism, vigilantism and being “pissed off at the world” while driving erratically on New Year’s Eve 2024.
Investigators also allege he told authorities someone might commit arson in Pacific Palisades out of resentment toward “the rich enjoying their money” because “we’re basically being enslaved by them”. Prosecutors further claim he had an ongoing fascination with fire, had filmed fire engines prior to the incident, and repeatedly discussed Mangione as a kind of anti-elite hero.
Prosecutors are effectively alleging a mixture of anti-capitalist grievance politics, class resentment and ideological fascination with political violence. Rinderknecht has pleaded not guilty.
Chart of the week
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In short - other stuff that happened
- 🇿🇦 A South African hotel owner who disappeared after attempting to drive across a flooded river is believed to have been eaten by a 4.5 metre crocodile after police found human remains and a ring believed to belong to him inside the animal’s stomach.
- 🌎 Health authorities across multiple countries are tracing passengers from the Antarctic cruise ship MV Hondius after a suspected hantavirus outbreak linked to a Dutch couple who may have contracted the rat-borne disease in Argentina before boarding the vessel.
- A Christchurch jury has found Donny Moses (29) guilty of rape, unlawful sexual connection and abduction for sex after sexually assaulting an 18 year old woman.
- 🇺🇸 The White House was briefly locked down after a Secret Service officer exchanged gunfire with an armed man near the Washington Monument shortly after Vice-President JD Vance passed through the area in a motorcade. The suspect was shot and taken to hospital after allegedly fleeing from officers and opening fire, a child struck by a bullet during the incident suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
- A deputy principal with name suppression has been found guilty of serious misconduct by the Teachers Disciplinary Tribunal after making vulgar comments about students, including referring to a Year 10 girl as “a bit of a slut” and saying “if it’s old enough to bleed, it’s old enough to breed”. He teacher must provide a copy of the decision to any current or prospective education employers for a period of two years.
- Auckland relief teacher Ankui Gui has had his teaching registration cancelled after the Teachers Disciplinary Tribunal found he engaged in repeated inappropriate physical contact with children at two early childhood centres in 2021, including kissing a 3 year old on the lips and kissing another child’s hand.
- Foundation North has appointed lawyer and Waitangi Tribunal member Philip Crump as its new chair, replacing Michelle Tsui from June 1, while business leader Martin Cleave will become deputy chair. Crump previously worked at Russell McVeagh and Kirkland & Ellis in London and currently also serves on the boards of New Zealand On Air and NZME’s Editorial Advisory Board.
- 🇺🇸 A US federal judge has apologised in court to White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting suspect Cole Allen over his treatment in jail, after learning he had been placed in five-point restraints and held in a “safe cell” while on suicide watch. Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui said he was “fascinated and disturbed” by Allen’s treatment.
- Suspended Heart of the City chief executive Viv Beck is facing further allegations she attempted to influence governance and political oversight appointments. Heart of the City is undertaking a governance review and increased financial oversight following concerns raised by Mayor Wayne Brown.
- 🇺🇸 Rocket Lab reported record quarterly revenue of US$201.3 million for the first quarter of 2026, up 63% on the same period last year, while its order backlog more than doubled to US$2.2 billion following a series of major US military contracts. The Kiwi-founded company also announced new hypersonic weapons and missile defence deals linked to the US Department of Defense.
- 🇬🇧 Former Royal Marines and Parachute Regiment veterans have been deployed to help protect synagogues, Jewish schools and other Jewish community sites across Britain following a sharp rise in antisemitic violence.
- 🇦🇺 Three Australian women linked to Islamic State were arrested after arriving back in Australia from Syria, with one charged with membership of a terrorist organisation and entering a declared conflict zone, while two others are expected to face crimes against humanity charges relating to alleged enslavement of Yazidi women. The women were returned alongside nine children as part of a long-running Australian Federal Police counter-terrorism operation.
- An Auckland primary school principal has had his practising certificate temporarily suspended by the Teaching Council while an investigation into what the Council described as a “sensitive matter” is carried out. The principal is currently on extended leave, with broad suppression orders preventing publication of his identity, the school involved, and details of the allegations or complainants.
- 🇵🇹 Bonnie Tyler has reportedly been placed in an induced coma after undergoing emergency surgery for a perforated intestine at a hospital in Faro, Portugal.
- 🇺🇸 A former JPMorgan vice-president has filed a lawsuit accusing a senior female executive of sexual harassment, coercion and assault, alleging she treated him as a “sex slave” and threatened his career if he refused her advances. The bank and the executive have strongly denied the allegations, while separate reporting has raised questions about the credibility of some of the complainant’s claims, including accusations he falsely claimed his father had died in order to obtain bereavement leave.
- The Broadcasting Standards Authority has declined to uphold a complaint against broadcaster Scotty Stevenson after he joked during a Black Caps test match about cricket fans “casually deleting a bunch of tins” while drinking on the embankment at Bay Oval. The BSA ruled the comments amounted to light-hearted humour rather than genuine advocacy of excessive drinking.
- 🇺🇸 A Texas jury has sentenced former FedEx driver Tanner Horner to death for the 2022 abduction and murder of 7 year old Athena Strand after hearing audio recorded inside his delivery van during the attack. Prosecutors said Horner kidnapped Athena while delivering a Christmas present to her family’s home before sexually assaulting, strangling and killing her.
- Lady Deborah Chambers’s piece on the puberty blockers judicial review is worth reading because it focuses on the constitutional issues now before the courts. She examines the Government’s decision to restrict puberty blockers following the Ministry of Health review and asks how far judges should go in reviewing politically contentious health policy decisions made by elected governments.The article is particularly interesting for its broader argument about the growing “judicialisation” of politics and the tension between courts, ministers and democratic accountability in areas of contested evidence and public debate.
- The New Zealand Initiative has published what looks like a genuinely entertaining piece of satire: The Martian Audit by Oliver Hartwich. I haven’t read it yet, but the premise is interesting with two Martian auditors arriving in New Zealand expecting to assess humanity at its best, only to become trapped in a maze of district plans, consent processes, steering groups and bureaucratic absurdity. The novella is clearly aimed at satirising modern New Zealand governance and the country’s increasingly process-heavy public sector culture. An excerpt says the Martians conclude New Zealand is “not worth conquering” because fighting the Resource Management Act would cost more than building the invasion fleet itself.
- 🇦🇺 Former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott has published a provocative Substack essay responding to the murder of a five year old Aboriginal girl in Alice Springs, arguing that discussions about Indigenous disadvantage are too often shut down in the name of “culture”. Abbott criticises suppression orders, political sensitivities and what he describes as an unwillingness to openly confront issues surrounding violence, alcohol abuse, family dysfunction and child safety in remote Indigenous communities. The piece is confronting and will undoubtedly be controversial, but it taps into a longstanding debate in Australian politics about whether cultural sensitivities and symbolic politics have sometimes inhibited frank discussion about social breakdown and violence in some remote communities. Abbott’s broader argument is that public discourse often oscillates between sentimentalism and silence until tragedies become too large to ignore.
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