Breaking Views Update: Week of 11.1.26

Friday January 16, 2026 

News:
A new home for hauora and whānau
A former Stoke rest home has been transformed into a central hub for Māori health and well-being, with Te Piki Oranga opening its new hauora (health) facility on Nayland Rd on Monday.

Walter Donway: China’s Rare Earth ‘Monopoly’ — and Why Markets Will Break It

With its recent announcement of a trade deal with China, the White House intended to reassure markets, manufacturers, and the military that China would not sever the supply lines of “rare earths” to the United States. Among other concessions, Beijing committed itself to avoid restricting exports of rare earth elements and related critical minerals essential to advanced manufacturing, clean “green” energy, and modern weapons systems. The agreement was described as a win for American economic strength and national security. But the very need for such a promise reveals an uncomfortable truth: the United States, long the world’s leading industrial power, has become dependent on the goodwill of a strategic rival for materials central to its economy and its defense.

Brendan O'Neill: The Orwellian madness of letting boys on to girls’ sports teams

The US Supreme Court must make the right decision and keep males out of female sports.

If any kid in the future asks me how nuts things were in the 21st century, I’ll tell them Sharron Davies once had to go to Washington, DC to explain what a woman is. Yes, a British Olympian, one of our national treasures, had to fly 3,700 miles to remind the world that people with penises are men. There she was, on the steps of the US Supreme Court, telling a crowd that people who’ve been through male puberty – ie, blokes – should not play in women’s sports. What a time to be alive!

Bruce Cotterill: Bondi terror, soft policing and why NZ needs a new security plan

This week’s column was half-drafted when it happened. I had intended a positive summary of the events of the year. After all, it was the first year in a while in which we made some political and economic progress.

But then Sunday night happened.

My kids both live in Australia. Bondi to be exact. And as we all know, someone else’s war just came to our part of the world.

Best of 2025: Heather du Plessis-Allan - Does buying NZ-made ever work?

First of all, can I start by offering an apology to TVNZ? I gave them a bit of grief last night for starting the news bulletin with the peaches, but it turns out I was wrong and they were right.

This has sparked a flurry of debate over whether we prefer our Wattie's peaches from Hawke's Bay or whether we don't really care if it comes from China or not.

Best of 2025: Ryan Bridge - My prediction for the 2026 election

Like it or not, next year's big dance in politics will ultimately be decided by the few, not the many.

Most MMP elections have been. Minnows hold the keys to the kingdom.

Bob Edlin: Sanctions, Trumpism and tariffs......

Sanctions, Trumpism and tariffs: the Russian ruble has risen while the US dollar takes a tumble

The PoO team was reminded of the sorts of things that influence world currencies by a headline in Waikanae Watch today which informed us:

Matua Kahurangi: Clearing the air on the race baiting accusations

Over the last few months on X, I have been accused more times than I can count of “race baiting”. It is usually thrown out as a shutdown tactic rather than a genuine attempt to engage with what I am actually saying. So I want to slow things down for a moment and be very clear about where I am coming from.

John Riddell: Subsidies for renewable electricity generation increase our electricity bills

An Open Letter to the Prime Minister.

Dear Prime Minister,

I am writing you this as an open letter as last year, on the 5th of December at the Federated Farmers meeting at Mystery Creek I had the pleasure of hearing your speech. It was a good speech and while I don't agree with all your positions, that isn't the reason I am writing this.

In the Q and A afterwards, I asked you a question about the cost of the Net Zero policies on the average New Zealander. As an example, I mentioned how subsidies for renewable electricity generation increase our electricity bills. You immediately told me that they are not subsidised.

This is the reason for my letter.

David Farrar: Malpass on the India FTA

Luke Malpass writes:

When Christopher Luxon promised in a TVNZ debate in 2023 that he would get a trade deal within his first term of government, it seemed fantastical. Trade talks with India had more or less been shelved for a decade. …

Andrew Moran: US Economy Chugging on Along Into 2026

The US economy appears to be firing on all cylinders: incredible economic growth, accelerating productivity, stabilized inflation, and an ultra-bullish stock market. The one wrinkle? The US labor market is not breaking the stratosphere like one of Elon Musk’s rockets. This brings us to the recent release of the latest jobs report, which was fine, but not on the Make America Great Again level.

Thursday January 15, 2026 

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Peter Bassett: Knocking on Doors, Pretending Not to Notice the Stairwell Is on Fire

Chlöe Swarbrick wants the Greens out knocking on doors.

Not metaphorically. Literally. Imagine her pounding the streets of Auckland Central, her home electorate — clipboard in hand, optimism applied like a hi-vis vest.

Ani O'Brien: Moral sermons of the modern celebrity

The virtuous imposed authority of the insulated elite

The stories that take Hollywood by storm are often tales of the ‘little guy’ triumphing over the bolshy, ethically compromised, rich dude. They are tales of struggle and overcoming the cultural forces that seek to hold the people back. Film and television often capture what is so ugly about an elite class that looks down upon the masses, preaching to them, scolding, sneering. And it is truly a quirk of our world that the very people who bring these characters to life are so blissfully unaware of who they are when they take their costumes off.

Dylan A Mordaunt: NZ’s health data hack needs a proper diagnosis – and a transparent treatment plan

Two cyber hacks have highlighted the vulnerability of New Zealand’s digital health systems – and the vast volumes of patient data we rely on them to protect.

Following the hacking of Manage My Health – compromising the records of about 127,000 patients – and an earlier breach at Canopy Health, a concerned public is asking how this happened and who is to blame.

The most urgent question, however, is whether it can happen again.

Colinxy: Democide - The Rational Fear of Government

Defining Democide

Democide is the systematic murder of citizens by their own government. It is not confined to the actions of a ruler or cabinet but extends to every arm of State power — bureaucracies, medical systems, militaries, and police forces. History makes one truth unmistakable: a person is far more likely to be killed by their own government than by serial killers, mass murderers, or even foreign invaders. The State, when unchecked, becomes the most efficient executioner of all.

William McGimpsey: Liberal Democracy's Fatal Flaw

Neutrality, Managerialism, and the Collapse of Political Community

Introduction – 2001: A Space Odyssey and the logic of breakdown

One of my favourite films is 2001: A Space Odyssey. The central drama (though by no means the only interesting or important part) is the conflict between the ship’s AI computer, the HAL9000, and the crew of the Discovery spacecraft. HAL murders the entire crew except for Ship Commander David Bowman, who manages, heroically, to deactivate HAL.

The relevant question here is why HAL murdered the crew.

Simon O'Connor: Persia persists

Some reflections on the protests in Iran, and exploring the reasons why the usual activists, mainstream media, and others are disturbingly silent despite a nation's desire to be free.

Iran has a wonderful, deep, and rich history. Persia, as it was once known, has enriched the world from the great poetry of Rumi to Avicenna’s work in medicine and philosophy. Persians are a distinct ethnic, linguistic, and cultural group and often, mistakenly, thought of as Arab. Persian’s speak Farsi, whereas Arabs speak, well, Arabic!

Bob Edlin: NZ traders look likely to be hit by flak.....

NZ traders look likely to be hit by flak as Trump plays the tariff card to put Iran’s Ayatollah and his cronies in their place

Uh, oh. It looks like New Zealand traders might become collateral damage as US president Donald Trump’s flexes his muscle against Ayatollah Khamenei, who has been Iran’s supreme leader since 1989, and his theocratic cronies.

Besides threatening to launch military strikes, Trump has said countries that engage in trade with Iran will face a 25 per cent tariff on any business done with the US.

David Farrar: NZDF portrayal is concerning

From a press release:

Independent investigative reporters Penny Marie and Rachel Scott have released a new video and accompanying Substack articles revealing NZ Defence Force (NZDF) training materials that depict “Christian extremists” as the opposing force on a map clearly modelled on New Zealand’s South Island.