Insights From Social Media: A Nation Built by Grit Is Being Run by Fragility

Stuart Bennett Clarke Writes > New Zealand’s success was never an accident. It emerged from a very specific cultural framework — one built on reason, industry, personal responsibility, and an unwavering belief in objective truth. For more than a century, these foundations enabled a small, remote nation to punch far above its weight, producing world-class scientists, engineers, explorers, aviators, and athletes. Today, those foundations have been progressively dismantled and replaced with a new ideology that prioritises feelings over facts and symbolism over substance — and New Zealand is paying the price.

Breaking Views Update: Week of 23.11.25

Wednesday November 26, 2025 

News:
Iwi Chairs Unite to Defend Treaty Protections in Education
The National Iwi Chairs Forum (NICF) is mobilising strongly in response to the Government’s amendment of the Education and Training Act. From a Māori viewpoint, the removal of the legal requirement for kura to “give effect to Te Tiriti” is not a minor technical fix – it’s seen as a direct threat to the Treaty partnership and to how Māori identity and history are taught in schools.

Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: Regional councils have got to go

The Government has announced this afternoon that it is scrapping regional councils - and I reckon you need to put this on your list of some of the best news that you have heard in a long time for turning this country around.

Regional councils have got to go.

Ryan Bridge: Will rate caps actually work?

This rates cap, how's it actually going to work.

I had Luxon on my Herald show yesterday, an announcement's coming in the next few weeks.

But ask any Mayor, not the ones who like disco toilets and golden miles, but the ones who already to the basic stuff and little else. They're cutting their cloth.

Chris Lynch: Government moves to abolish regional councils in landmark local government overhaul

The Government has unveiled plans it says will simplify how cities and regions are run, with proposals that include abolishing elected regional councillors and replacing them with new boards made up of mayors.

Ministers Chris Bishop and Simon Watts said the changes have been designed to cut duplication, reduce costs, and make it easier to plan for growth.

Chris Lynch: Digital overhaul promises faster care and an end to repeated patient histories

The Government has released a ten year plan to modernise New Zealand’s health technology, with Health Minister Simeon Brown saying the changes have been designed to give patients faster access to care and end the need to repeat medical histories at every appointment.

Brown said the health system is being held back by outdated and disconnected technology.

Simon O'Connor: Cold water

Politically, pouring ‘cold water’ onto challenging issues in New Zealand is common place – be it the recent police scandal or instances of foreign interference. It's time to sustain conversations.

Have you noticed how cold water is quickly and figuratively poured over emerging political issues in New Zealand? The latest scandal around some senior police commanders is a good case in point as too the exposure of various instances of foreign interference over recent years.

Kevin: Another One Who Doesn’t Get Freedom of Speech

Anne Salmond.

Newsroom’s series of articles on the Free Speech Union has been illuminating.

Perhaps the most entertaining was David Williams’ account of their AGM in Christchurch, which featured the Wizard of Christchurch, Brian Tamaki and ‘prominent conspiracy influencer’ Chantelle Baker as well as Jordan Williams from the Taxpayers’ Union and Eric Crampton from the New Zealand Initiative.

Note the subtle put down of using the word entertaining.

Ananish Chaudhuri: Rule-breaking by the police and why it matters

A look at how everyday rule-breaking creates the conditions for police scandals and public distrust.

The World Bank has long defined corruption as the abuse of public office for private gain. Transparency International defines it as the abuse of entrusted power for private gain. Many commentators and politicians are shying away from referring to the current scandal engulfing our police as corruption. Regardless of what label we apply to this behaviour, dishonest conduct by powerful people carries broader societal implications.

JD: The Bell Tolls for NZ Investment

Guest post on The Good Oil by JD

The Chloe clanger.

Probably one of the most damaging statements ever made by a
politician fell out of the mouth of Chloë Swarbrick recently in the Herald
Now channel. Paraphrasing, she said that because the Fast Track
legislation was “illegitimate”, the Greens, when in the next government,
will cancel all the mining consents issued under this law.

David Farrar: Coughlan on Te Pati Maori

Thomas Coughlan writes:

The attacks made by National, Act and NZ First, that the party is all theatrics and no substance, and that its MPs never bother spending much time in Parliament, have begun to land – even Labour leader Chris Hipkins this week was explicit that he wanted to see the leadership in Parliament more.

Mike's Minute: Are banks behaving badly or not?

Regular listeners will be aware of my ongoing angst over banks and whether or not they are legit players in our marketplace.

The Reserve Bank this week, in one final stab this year, will most likely cut the cash rate, again, which will leave it at 2.25%.

The Co-operative Bank last week claimed they are the only ones who have fully passed on the cash rate cuts so far.

Tuesday November 25, 2025 

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Graeme Spencer: New Zealand Once Produced World Class Achievers......

New Zealand Once Produced World Class Achievers - Now We Can’t Keep Kids In Class 

It’s remarkable, isn’t it?

New Zealand, somehow produced world-leading scientists, engineers, explorers, aviators, and athletes - all before schools were required to open every lesson with ceremonial chanting and a Treaty compliance checklist.

Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: Why is Air New Zealand chasing their customers away?

Let's talk about Air New Zealand.

Look, if I was Air New Zealand, I would feel pretty beaten up after the weekend's opinion pieces. Bruce Cotterill wrote a piece in one newspaper complaining that if Air New Zealand want to charge as much as they do, then they have to do the job better and be on time more often.

Ryan Bridge: Political wannabe's come from unions

Unions charge like wounded bulls for their services.

And they claim they're in it for the workers.

They care about workers' pay and conditions so much, they're worked their way up the union ranks to help those at the bottom.

Pee Kay: To Educate or To Indoctrinate?

Surely that must be the question headmasters, teachers, education unions and school boards of trustees must have asked themselves upon being notified by the Minister of Education of the government’s decision to remove the requirement for school boards to give effect to the Treaty of Waitangi.

By reading the responses by the New Zealand Principals’ Federation, the NZ Educational Institute (teachers and principals union) and the New Zealand School Boards Association, it is obvious to everyone that, yes, they did ask themselves that question but the answer they arrived at did not fall on the side of “to educate”, no, no!

They very clearly see their role is to INDOCTRINATE!

Damien Grant: The Ponsonby icon that dined out on unpaid tax

Do you remember SPQR? Not the Senate and People of Rome. The flashy restaurant that was the flamboyant heart of Ponsonby Road for three decades.

I’m more Columbus Coffee or Burger Fuel, depending on the time of day. Still, I’d wasted a few afternoons al-fresco dining at SPQR when someone else was picking up the tab, which in theory contained a 15% allocation for GST. Yet it seems the Commissioner didn’t always get his cut.

Lindsay Mitchell: Officials warn: "...some young people may be incentivised to have children to keep access to income support."

This morning NewstalkZB reported officials warning, in a Regulatory Impact Statement about the government's policy to block teenagers accessing Jobseeker benefits from next November, "...some young people may be incentivised to have children to keep access to income support."

This is a distinct possibility given the existing habit of treating children as meal tickets.

Bruce Cotterill: Air New Zealand must fix reliability before loyalty runs out

I’ve been putting off writing this column for a couple of years. I don’t like the idea of knocking a national icon. You don’t mess around with national icons. But at the same time, it’s getting hard to remain silent.

It all started a couple of years ago, in Rotorua. It was 4pm. I had been stuck in a boardroom in our former tourism capital for most of the day. I was then planning to travel to Christchurch for a business meeting over dinner. I had an all-day meeting there the following day. My travel plans required that I fly from Rotorua to Auckland before connecting with a flight to Christchurch.