Mike's Minute: Stop wanting the Govt to fix everything

Poor old Australia is finding out governments can't fix everything.

We often want governments to fix everything because we collectively aren't up to fixing it ourselves.

On the social media ban for teens, Australia was the pioneer. A chunk of the world followed but Australia, to a degree, was hailed a hero, and yet Albanese has exploded with frustration a few short months after introducing their laws because they don’t work.

Here's the twofold problem:

DTNZ: Wishart taking media to court over lazy climate reporting

Veteran journalist Ian Wishart is crowdfunding legal action against TVNZ, RNZ, TV3 and the Broadcasting Standards Authority, accusing them of “churnalism”, copying climate press releases without their own fact-checking.

Wishart, editor of Investigate Magazine, has set up a Givealittle Page to raise $35,000 for two High Court challenges. He said trust in the mainstream media is at an all-time low, and regulators like the BSA – which is now being disbanded – have contributed to a lack of standards in reporting. A recent Curia poll taken by RCR, showed 51% of people now trust the independent media more.

Ivan Barnett: Te Arawhiti issues the policy templates

Te Arawhiti is the Māori Crown relations agency in New Zealand.

Te Arawhiti issues the policy templates, the Treaty‑principles definitions, and the partnership expectations that now shape the entire public service. These frameworks are already embedded across government departments, councils, and regulatory agencies. They influence how officials interpret the RMA, how councils conduct consultation, and how infrastructure projects are assessed. They operate quietly, without public mandate, and without meaningful parliamentary oversight.

Ryan Bridge: MPs need to stop doing stuff for social media likes

There's a perception out there that some of the younger MPs either don't know what they're doing in Parliament or are just doing stuff to get likes on social media.

I'm going to be so real right now with you – some of it's actually true.

Ashley Church: TOP is a Trojan horse for the left

Why a vote for The Opportunities Party is simply a vote for the Greens and Labour

The idea of a genuinely centrist political party that draws intelligently from both the left and the right is attractive.

Such a party could combine environmental responsibility with economic realism. It could appeal to younger voters concerned about housing, climate, infrastructure and the future without requiring them to buy into the full ideological programme of Labour or the Greens.

Kerre Woodham: Tradies are the 'Belle of the Ball' in election year

Nobody loves a tradie more than a politician in election year. Labour announced it would reset the apprenticeship boost scheme back to two years from 2028 if come the glorious day they became the next government. Labour leader Chris Hipkins announced the election policy to the party faithful at Labour's congress as they call it in election year in Wellington over the weekend.

There are so many young New Zealanders who would love to get into the trades and are just desperate for the opportunity to do that. And we've got a lot of feedback from those employers who would love to take on an apprentice but they just need a bit more financial support to be able to do that.

Bob Edlin: What the Treaty industry is costing us.....

The Waitangi Tribunal and those urgent claims – what the Treaty industry is costing us

Readers were short-changed by a 1News report which said the Government has spent well over $4 million defending legal challenges by Māori since taking office, “with the number of urgent inquiries by the Waitangi Tribunal soaring to record highs”.

The report said:

David Farrar: We can’t let the public know their neighbour is a vicious child killer and rapist

Radio NZ reports:

If the man who has spent more than 35 years in jail for one of New Zealand’s most notorious crimes is released from prison he will likely live unrecognised, according to a new ruling from the Parole Board

The board has ruled that current photos of Paul Joseph Dally, who raped and murdered 13-year-old Karla Cardno in May 1989, cannot be published.

David Farrar: What is wrong in Waitaki?

Radio NZ reported:

Stunned Waitaki District ratepayers facing rates increases of up to 45 percent are calling for a government probe of council’s finances, with some worried people will lose their homes.

The council has been seeking feedback on three possible rates rises of 19 percent, 27 percent or 45 percent as it tries to plug a projected $14 million operating deficit for the next financial year.

Tuesday June 30, 2026 

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