Breaking Views Update: Week of 5.7.26

Sunday July 5, 2026 

News:
Judge La-Verne King appointed as Principal Family Court Judge, first of Māori descent to hold the role
District Court Judge La-Verne King has been appointed New Zealand’s next Principal Family Court Judge, becoming the head of the country’s Family Court from November.

Attorney-General Chris Bishop announced the appointment on Friday, confirming Judge King will take over following the retirement of Jackie Moran, who has held the role since 2018.

Insights From Social Media: It Must Be So Embarrassing Being Different

NOTE: The following article was published in June 1995, newspaper unknown.

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

Did you know…

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

When the Continental Congress approved the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, its immediate purpose was practical: to justify severing ties with Great Britain and explain to audiences both foreign and domestic why rebellion had become necessary. Yet the document’s historical importance extended far beyond the thirteen colonies. The American declaration not only created a new nation, but helped establish a new political language: a language rooted in natural rights, popular sovereignty, and the legitimacy of political self-determination. It was a language that would reverberate across continents for centuries.

Guest Post: If Nothing Changes, Your Daughter Will Be Wearing A Burqa

A Guest Post by Nathan Smith published on RCR

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?

Security guards will be given the power to detain people and use force under a sweeping ACT Party proposal that makes the very fair point that police are overstretched, and businesses can no longer wait for officers to respond. Some of them would see tectonic plates drift as they waited for the Police to respond to shoplifters who are slowly but surely causing their business to buckle under the pressure and the increased costs.

Bob Edlin: Why the PPTA needs PoO.....

Why the PPTA needs PoO – to help them identify the extremists who need expelling from the classroom

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

NZ First have announced that Michael Laws will stand 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 

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Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: What real employer would do what the Ministry of Justice did?

If you haven't yet caught up on the drama involving the former Lotto presenter and the gold-bar smuggling operation, you need to hear this because it basically involves your taxpayer money.

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?

 I've got a couple of questions around Mike Smith. 

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

We have a new colleague at The New Zealand Initiative. Our latest senior fellow is Major General John Howard, retired. He built this country’s defence intelligence and is the only New Zealander ever given an executive role inside the United States’ Defense Intelligence Agency.

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

New Zealand's largest public sector union increasingly sounds like an opposition party.

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?

In today’s opinion piece, the question is a big one: Should New Zealand ban the words Māori and Pākehā?

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

As a former academic, I know how onerous research publication can be. Before being published in a professional journal, an article must undergo peer review. Many articles don’t survive this process. Most require revision before both the reviewers and journal editors are satisfied.

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

From Michelin stars to school lunches, sublime, ridiculous. I think it's safe to say none of the school lunches on offer will be getting Michelin stars. Then the last lot probably wouldn't have either. A scathing report has been issued by the Auditor General, which says only 50% percent of the meals delivered by the new school lunch programme in 2025 complied with the Ministry of Education's nutrition standards. We haven't talked about the school lunches for a hot minute, have we?

Bob Edlin: Luxon is coy about which reports on homelessness he has read.....

Luxon is coy about which reports on homelessness he has read but gushes about how Michelin stars are shining on tourism

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.