Congratulations, in that order, to America on its 250th anniversary, to Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce on their wedding, to those Iranians who suffered under the Ayatollah's rule, and to the All Blacks for beating France.
The Breaking Views blog is administered by the New Zealand Centre for Political Research at NZCPR.com. The views expressed are those of the author alone.
Tuesday, July 7, 2026
Ryan Bridge: Democracy is a privilege billions still don't have
Congratulations, in that order, to America on its 250th anniversary, to Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce on their wedding, to those Iranians who suffered under the Ayatollah's rule, and to the All Blacks for beating France.
Breaking Views Update: Week of 5.7.26
Tuesday July 7, 2026
News:
Horizons Regional Council keeps final say on resource management iwi agreements, backs $10k funding
Final approval for resource management agreements with iwi will stay with Horizons regional councillors, rather than being delegated to staff.
In a marathon sitting over two days, councillors overturned a staff recommendation to delegate authority to staff, instead voting to keep final say on the legally binding Mana Whakahono ā Rohe (MWāR) agreements.
Pee Kay: National… the Enemy Within?
Labour may talk co-governance, but it’s actually National who cements it!
It’s bizarre isn’t it, Labour often absorbs the loudest and most heated public condemnation for its Maori centred policies. For decades, political commentators have labelled Labour as the champion of Maori rights and National as its staunch opponent.
But is that, in fact, true?
David Farrar: An excellent NZ First policy
New Zealand First has today announced that we will be campaigning to change the electoral law to ensure that only citizens have the right to vote.
Currently, any permanent resident who has gone through the normal process, after just two years living in New Zealand, can vote.
Lindsay Mitchell: Residents must retain their right to participate
"In 2024, there were 476,000 resident visa holders to spend at least one day in New Zealand, and 705,000 holders of permanent resident visas."
Mike's Minute: Does Wellington deserve it's reputation?
For a city down in the dumps, with a reputation problem and a previously shocking council, public service issues and any number of surveys talking about negativity, how come Wellington looks so busy?
I was down for dinner Saturday night. The drive from the airport around the Bays was packed. Jervois Quay was packed, bumper to bumper.
Cam Slater: Luxon Chases Nigerian Princes While Kiwis Struggle at Home
This is the same mob that keeps telling us they are delivering for Kiwis. Yet here they are, campaigning on trade deals with places many average New Zealanders could not point to on a map. Luxon and his Trade Spokesperson Todd McClay stood at the Port of Auckland to spruik the plan, talking up the next billion customers and untapped opportunities worth billions.
Bruce Cotterill: Election 2026 - Why more ‘free’ policies could cost New Zealand dearly
The all too familiar faces from Labour and the Greens have been joined by newcomers TOP, with each seemingly intent on outdoing the other with pledges of benevolence.
David Harvey: The Unfinished Pursuit
Introductory
Jonathan Ayling wrote an article in the Herald published on 2 July 2026. He questions whether the promise of the American Dream will survive and that it must renew itself, returning to the truths of its founding.
I have written elsewhere about how it is that Jefferson wrote of his self-evident truths and why there has not been a similar mission statement in New Zealand.
In this article I attempt to answer some of Jonathan’s concerns, suggesting that the American Dream is a work in progress and that the road is still being built. Like all great works there are stumbles on the way.
Matua Kahurangi: Winston Peters announces citizens-only voting policy
Peters made the announcement clear and direct. “We’re making another campaign announcement here today. We’re announcing today that New Zealand First will change the law that only citizens of New Zealand can vote in local and general elections.”
David Farrar: We need transparency over when Iwi are paid not to object
Hobson’s Pledge has always stood firmly for the protection of private property rights. When a major infrastructure project directly impacts local communities or land, it is completely right for legitimate, proportionate claims to be recognised and mitigated.
But what is happening right now with the Port of Tauranga expansion is not a defence of property rights. It is something else entirely.
Monday, July 6, 2026
Damien Grant: The maths behind TOP’s biggest promise falls apart
Sadly; it seems some of you have been telling pollsters you intend to vote for a party that was so moribund they advertised for their current leader by posting in the Situations Vacant section of the internet.
Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: The attention on the Waikato ED case could increase the odds of fixing the problem
I don't know if you recall but basically the same thing happened in 2021 at Middlemore Hospital. It was strange to me how little attention it received at the time, especially given everything else that was going wrong. There were people waiting for ambulances and dying in their doorways.
Spaniard: Tikanga plays third rail in public land changes
His decision-making legitimised Ngai Tahu’s leveraging of lore and law in interpreting the Conservation Act and other legislation, serious conflicts of interest, and dominance of Ngai Tahu tribal rhetoric.
Rodney Hide: Parliament’s Assault on the Family Home
Net Zero Watch Samizdat: Dark Green Money
UK
Ed Miliband’s Dark Green Money Network
An investigation by The Spectator has exposed the Dark Green Money networks behind the ideological capture of Westminster.
This week’s cover piece reveals the monied interests behind a dense ecosystem of funders, think tanks, campaign groups and policy organisations that have helped shape Britain’s net zero debate. Also read this article in the Telegraph on the European Climate Foundation.
Ed Miliband’s Dark Green Money Network
An investigation by The Spectator has exposed the Dark Green Money networks behind the ideological capture of Westminster.
This week’s cover piece reveals the monied interests behind a dense ecosystem of funders, think tanks, campaign groups and policy organisations that have helped shape Britain’s net zero debate. Also read this article in the Telegraph on the European Climate Foundation.
John McLean: Infectious Medical Council Maori Madness
Talking to embedded individuals can provide intriguing insights into elite sentiments on controversial matters.
I recently chewed the fat with one of our neighbors, an English-born doctor idling at the Ministry of Health. When I asked him what the general mood is at that Ministry, his face clouded with anger. He explained that Ministry staff are all furious and terribly distracted over the Minister of Health, baby faced assassin Simeon Brown, firing the chair and deputy-chair of the Medical Council.
Nick Clark: Who decides, and how
My new research note, Head Start Done Right, argues that decisions should be made at the lowest level able to make them well. That approach is called subsidiarity.
Dr Eric Crampton: Wegovy, RSV vaccines among drugs on slow track in NZ
When it comes to medicines, New Zealand has chosen the second path. Rather than recognising authorisations provided by better-resourced overseas drug approval agencies, New Zealand requires local approval for new medicines.
Dr Michael Johnston: Grading your grandmother
According to the university’s handbook for teacher education programmes, teaching graduates must be committed to “social, cultural, and ecological justice.” Decoded, that means attending protests about political causes the activists lecturers find important.
Alwyn Poole: Re pre-school.....
This week Erica Stanford made an announcement to expand a programme to enhance oral language skills in pre-school children. For those it will reach, it appears positive.
The issue is the “those it will reach” part.
From the article:
Mike's Minute: Stop focusing on the trivialities
The Shane Jones story is your latest example. No, he shouldn't have done it, but its $30,000. We have bigger fish to fry.
The "energy in, energy out" equation didn’t stack up, but you can't tell the media that.
Sunday, July 5, 2026
Insights From Social Media: It Must Be So Embarrassing Being Different
I am glad I am not a Maori. It must be awful being a Maori. So embarrassing.
Fancy knowing that you are so dumb you need extra resources for your education, that you are not capable of becoming a nurse without special help such as being allowed to sit your tests again and again till you pass, that you need a special quota system to give you a chance of becoming a doctor or a teacher or a policeman, that you are very good at “cultural” things such as singing and dancing and flax-weaving, but absolutely hopeless at practical things and useless at business!
Ani O'Brien: A week is a long time: 4 July 2026
That Labour was at 25.5% in Roy Morgan’s New Zealand Poll for June 2026?
Did you read about it? See it in the news? Was Chris Hipkins chased through an airport by reporters asking if he would resign? Were Labour MPs asked if they still support him?
Graham Adams: Five years on, the tide turns against ideological censors
It is five years this month since a letter signed by seven Auckland University professors was published in the Listener under the title “In Defence of Science”. They argued that although mātauranga Māori (traditional knowledge) is “critical for the preservation of culture and perpetuation of local practices, and plays key roles in management and policy… it falls far short of what we can define as science itself.”The letter sparked a firestorm. Auckland University’s Vice-chancellor, Dawn Freshwater, wrote that questioning “whether mātauranga Māori can be called science has caused considerable hurt and dismay among our staff, students and alumni”. She emphasised the letter did not represent the university’s views.
Peter C. Earle: The American Revolution Redefined Freedom Itself
Guest Post: If Nothing Changes, Your Daughter Will Be Wearing A Burqa
It was about this time, 11 years ago, when I was in London, news emerged about foreign men and rape gangs across the UK. The horror story of Rotherham was on all the front pages, and I remember thinking, surely this can’t go on. Surely something must be done.
Yet nothing has been done. In fact, it is getting worse because the importation of foreign men has not slowed down, men who have no kinship with the young women in the societies they now call home. Moreover, nothing can be done because the modern police have no idea how such men think about women on a fundamental psychological level. They think they do, but they don’t.
Kerre Woodham: Should security guards have the power to intervene?
Bob Edlin: Why the PPTA needs PoO.....
Too late, the PoO team today realised that time was fast running out to pitch for a $10,000 (plus GST) contract plus expenses. The job is up for grabs for “experienced writers and educators”, a category into which we modestly reckon we comfortably fit.
The challenge would be to develop advice and guidelines on dealing with extremism in the classroom.
David Farrar: Labour Deputy Leader didn’t know the Government doesn’t pay rates
Wayne Brown interviewed Carmel Sepuloni, and asked her why the Government doesn’t pay rates on land and buildings it owns. Her answer was “I didn’t know that this was the case”.
Amazing that such a basic piece of knowledge was unknown to Labour’s proposed Deputy Prime Minister. I think I have known that for 30 or so years. It is very common knowledge.
David Farrar: Laws standing for NZ First in Waitaki
The seat is a very traditional National seat. Last election they got 43% party vote (5% higher than NZ average) and NZF got 7% (1% higher than NZ average) . The majority is over 12,000.
Saturday, July 4, 2026
Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: What real employer would do what the Ministry of Justice did?
The chap's name is Russell Harrison. You might remember him from the Lotto draws. He went on to a job at the Ministry of Justice as a Kaiārahi, a Family Court navigator.
Breaking Views Update: Week of 28.6.26
Saturday July 4, 2026
News:
Papakura High School unveil new waharoa, paying tribute to kaumātua
Papakura High School has unveiled a new waharoa at the entrance to the kura, marking its ongoing commitment to Te Tiriti o Waitangi and kaupapa Māori while honouring respected kaumātua whose legacy continues within the school.
Students, staff, whānau and guests gathered at the school early on Friday morning for the blessing of the newly established waharoa, Te Rangimārie.
Mike's Minute: Where are the rules protecting us from legal menaces?
Mike is back in the news because of his court case against big polluters. His case got upended by the recent Government move to block what they call "tort-based litigation" over climate change.
Dr OIiver Hartwich: What NZ must learn from Germany’s sudden €20 billion military meltdown
John is currently finalising a paper on New Zealand’s frigate replacement. I was reading a draft last week when I heard news from Berlin.
Ani O'Brien: Politicising a Tragedy - PSA takes the gloves off
The death of a man in the waiting room toilets at Waikato Hospital’s emergency department is a tragedy. He went to hospital needing help and died before he could be treated. His family, and the community, deserve to know what happened, whether it was preventable, and what needs to change so it does not happen again. That is the serious version of this conversation. But unfortunately, we are in an election year and serious conversations are not what some of New Zealand’s unions appear to be interested in when a tragedy can be turned into a political opportunity.
Andy Oakley: For Social Cohesion, Should We Scrap the Terms Pākehā and Māori in New Zealand?
Not just discourage them — I mean remove them from legislation, from government documents, from schools, and from official use entirely. For the sake of actual social cohesion, these two words have become more harmful than helpful.
Dr Michael Johnston: Psychology journal controversy shows why professional bodies must stay out of politics
Once an article has been published it becomes part of the permanent research record. Only when there is clear evidence of data fabrication or plagiarism should an article be retracted. Even then, both the article and the reasons for its retraction should remain on the public record.
Kerre Woodham: The school lunch programme's become more trouble than it's worth
Bob Edlin: Luxon is coy about which reports on homelessness he has read.....
Our PM knows and reveals things which – so far as PoO can find – are not recorded in official statistics.
On the other hand, he won’t reveal some things which (PoO is sure) he does or should know.
David Farrar: Tamaki crossed the line
In a video posted on Facebook on Wednesday, the Destiny Church founder accuses Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi of purging Christians in the South Asian nation.
“He [Modi] is currently purging India of all Christians and burning church buildings down,” Tamaki said.
Friday, July 3, 2026
Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: Michael Laws won't be a good get for NZ First
The '90s called and want their man back.
Ryan Bridge: Only hungry children should be feed by the state
David Seymour told me this week they're looking at making changes, potentially tightening things up.
The Leighton Smith Podcast: Dr Muriel Newman on this year's hugely consequential general election
Leighton Smith and Dr Muriel Newman discuss the ongoing constitutional shift toward iwi influence, co-governance and race-based policies. In this election year, New Zealand is arguably facing its biggest challenge to date.
Click to listen - Audio
Peter Williams: Selling food and tyres on the news
Sometimes you just cringe at the content of the television news.
Saturday night was a classic. The New Zealand football team lost, predictably, to Belgium by 5 goals to 1 so ending their World Cup campaign.
Roger Partridge: Britain's Labour government can be a party of growth – but not like this
“It is time for Whitehall to accept that growth cannot be ordered from the top down,” Andy Burnham said in his first major speech since returning to Parliament. “Instead, it can only be nurtured from the bottom up.”
He is right. The man about to enter Downing Street has seen what much of his party denies: prosperity is grown, not decreed, and the hand that tries to direct it from the centre usually throttles it instead. But the premise has a second half Burnham flinches from.
Richard Prebble: Should We Be Forced to Invest in SpaceX?
That is not how he put it.
He announced that employee and employer KiwiSaver contributions will rise to 4 percent each and that KiwiSaver will be compulsory.
Yet that is the practical effect.
David Harvey: Skynet on the Brain
When a senator warns that artificial intelligence could “end humanity,” when a tech executive testifies that we are “building a god we can’t control,” or when a newspaper runs a stock image of a chrome skull with glowing red eyes above a sober article about model evaluation standards, something curious is happening.
Bob Edlin: Maipi-Clarke - "Wording Error"......
Māori Party firebrand Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke, responsible for “The Haka Heard Around The World”, perhaps finds it challenging to communicate when she is not shouting her displeasure at the Government in the House of Representatives.
Centrist reports she has deleted a social media post “after appearing to claim that ‘65%’ of her work involved visiting rangatahi in ‘juvenile centres, correction centres or OT’.”
JD: Let Us First Establish the Basic Facts
Time to stop fawning over TOP as the bright young things of New Zealand politics and take a look at how much of a threat they pose to the peace of mind, financial wellbeing and, by extension, the health of every Kiwi pensioner.
TOP makes several claims including: