Breaking Views Update: Week of 5.4.26

Monday April 6, 2026 

News:
Research funding provides rangatahi with hands-on education about climate change
Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi has been awarded nearly $300,000 in research funding from the Centre of Research Excellence Coastal People: Southern Skies to give rangatahi a hands-on education about climate change.

David Lillis: Workplace Bullying and the Education and Workforce Select Committee

Recently I published a submission that I had made on the Health and Safety at Work Amendment Bill and indicated that I had asked to make a related verbal presentation to the Education and Workforce Select Committee (Lillis, 2026). The 5-minute presentation, given on 30 March, covered workplace bullying. See:

Caleb Anderson: The Economic Smoke Machine – Ignoring the Real Crisis

For decades, we have been told that "it’s all about the economy." It is the ultimate political conversation stopper, a blunt instrument used to narrow the scope of public debate to GDP, inflation rates, and the cost of living. While economic security is undeniably crucial, this relentless refrain has become a masterclass in distraction, masking a deeper, more insidious erosion of our social fabric, and inevitably of any sense of common good.

Pee Kay: “…the language is the lifeblood that fosters Māori identity.”

This Auckland University newsletter was sent to me by 1 of my mailing group.

Comments I have received so far –

…….even if not compulsory. 2023-26 is viewed as a short pause.

They need their heads read! What do they think this will do for their international ranking, or the attractiveness of the university to the parents of Asian kids wondering where to send them for higher education! Absolutely bonkers!

Dr Oliver Hartwich: The end of the golden bargain

Campaign slogans used to sell the future. In 1960, John F. Kennedy promised Americans a ‘New Frontier’. Bill Clinton chose Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Don’t Stop’ as his anthem. Tony Blair swept into Downing Street to D:Ream’s ‘Things Can Only Get Better’. Gerhard Schröder promised Germans he would not do everything differently but many things better.

These were statements of faith: the future would be an improvement on the present, and democratic politics was the vehicle that would take you there.

Dr Eric Crampton: A small tweak that could avert driverless car gridlock

Friction, at least as a metaphor for real-world inconveniences and minor hassles in doing things, is usually viewed as a bad thing. Something best done away with, if possible.

And that’s usually true.

But some frictions are load-bearing. Get rid of the friction, and important things can start falling over.

Matt Ridley: The gas price shock will expose Britain’s catastrophic energy misjudgment

Since a fifth of the world’s liquefied natural gas has to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, it is no surprise that the price we pay for natural gas has spiked sharply upwards. That’s bad news for people trying to heat their homes, use electricity, start an AI business, make chemicals, find employment or buy almost anything. Energy is the lifeblood of the economy.

Bob Edlin: Invercargill weakened its democracy to give tribal groups voice......

Invercargill weakened its democracy to give tribal groups voice – but one of them has relinquished its privilege

PoO must confess to having focused on the $33,000 costs of an Invercargill City Council “Code of Conduct” investigation, thereby failing to note the savings gained from a tribal group’s decision to relinquish a place on council committees.

The council four years ago voted to enable two rūnaka to appoint representatives to committee posts. But two voices have been trimmed to one.

David Farrar: Keep history on bank notes

The Bank of England has announced that they plan to replace famous historical figures from their banknotes, and replace them with cute animals. No I’m not joking. They cite a poll and the fact animals are harder to counterfeit.

Sunday April 5, 2026 

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Victor Davis Hanson: Iran, Anti-War or Anti-Trump? The Left’s ‘Hysterical’ Opposition to Iran War Explained

Victor Davis Hanson breaks down the media hysteria over Iran, anti-Trump protests, and the stakes for 2026. After everything Donald Trump has taken on, will division hand Democrats the win?

Click to view

Geoff Parker: When Did 'Consultation' Become 'Partnership'?

Lately I’ve noticed something creeping into the way government agencies talk — especially Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency.

An increasing number of projects now seem to involve “partnering with mana whenua. (Maori tribes)”

Not consulting. Not engaging. Just partnering.

That might sound like a small shift in language, but it’s doing a lot of heavy lifting.

Because here’s the simple question that doesn’t seem to get asked:

When did consultation become partnership?

Judy Gill: New Gods for a Dying Church

Or syncretism preparing the path for a one-world religion?

Contents

1. Syncretism and the absorption of Matariki into Catholic language and liturgy

Ani O'Brien: A week is a long time: 4 April 2026

BREAKING! Stop the press! Biggest news of the week!

Duncan Garner drove on a suspended license. Our media were on top of the story from the moment news broke. Push alerts. Banners. So serious was the reporting that Garner’s dear mum got into a state because she thought he had been hauled off to prison. But these journalists missed the real scoop. No, I’m not talking about the Leader of the Opposition being caught in another lie (although that happened). You heard it here first on Thought Crimes… back in the day Duncan Garner was banned from the annual media golf tournament aged just 22. How has he got away with it for so long? Why is he able to roam the streets freely without at least an ankle bracelet? He must be cancelled immediately! Tear up his goddamn passport!!

Simon O'Connor: BSA - Ideologically compromised?

The Broadcasting Standards Authority (BSA) decision to include online broadcasting under its jurisdiction is an overreach, ideological, but also part of a global push to control speech.

So the Broadcasting Standards Authority (BSA) has just granted itself more powers, notably to empower the complaining class an opportunity to harass those online sharing their views.

Dr Bryce Edwards: Democracy Briefing - The Political editors deliver their verdicts on Luxon’s reshuffle

Yesterday I wrote my own analysis of Christopher Luxon’s Cabinet reshuffle, arguing it was fundamentally about a Prime Minister punishing his rival and rewarding his loyalists. Today I want to go through what the political editors are actually saying about it, because on several points, the verdicts line up.

How the reshuffle was rushed into existence

Bob Edlin: Advice to Todd Stephenson - leave the patsies to others...

Advice to Todd Stephenson: leave the patsies to others and press on with promoting common sense in state agency names

ACT MP Todd Stephenson has used his right to question government ministers in Parliament to toss a patsy about the Government’s response to the prospect of a fuel shortage.

He could be accused of squandering his right.

Patrick McLaughlin: Capturing the Administrative State, Word by Word

Congress can tell you, to the dollar, what a new program will cost over ten years. It’s much harder to answer a simpler question: how much regulation are we adding—or subtracting—when we change the rules of the game?

We treat fiscal policy like a ledger. We treat regulation like a weather report: lots of feelings, few numbers.

David Farrar: Why are taxpayers lending money tied to airports?

Shane Jones announced:

A project to extend Hamilton Airport runway will receive a $6.5 million loan from the Regional Infrastructure Fund, boosting resilience for Waikato and the national aviation network, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says.

Dr Michael John Schmidt: WCC’s Actions Are a National Moral Hazard

At the heart of the Wellington City Council’s (WCC) decision to transfer water assets to a new, externally governed entity lies a fundamental ethical failure. These assets were not created by the Council, nor do they belong to councillors in any moral sense. They were paid for by Wellingtonians over generations through rates, charges, and debt serviced by the public. The Council holds them in trust, charged with their care, maintenance, and prudent management on behalf of the community.