David Farrar: Labour’s do nothing agenda

Henry Cooke points out:

At this point in 2023, National had launched its income tax policy, its FamilyBoost childcare policy, its renewable electricity generation policy, its policy on interest deductibility for rentals, its brightline test policy, some of its Overseas Investment Act plans, its boot camp and gang patch policies, its youth welfare policies, its “Local Water Done Well” repeal of Three Waters, and a whole bevy of other promised reversals or initiatives.

Ani O'Brien: A week is a long time: 2 May 2026

Sherman is suspended from Parliament for 5 days

The Maiki Sherman saga has now expanded well beyond the original “faggot” incident. The TVNZ Political Editor is alleged to have used a homophobic slur toward Lloyd Burr at a ministerial event in 2025, an incident confirmed by Finance Minister Nicola Willis, who said she heard “offensive language” and shut the event down. The story, which had circulated privately for months, became public this week when I wrote about it on this Substack. This has triggered scrutiny not just of the incident itself, but of how it was handled and essentially covered up. The fact that TVNZ issued legal threats to another media outlet who was investigating the matter, raises massive concerns.

Mike's Minute: Here's what the Parliamentary briefing on food plant closures will show

The Primary Production Select Committee is going to have a look into, well, primary production. Namely, the Hawke’s Bay scenario of Heinz and McCain's, both of whom have announced closures and job losses.

A briefing is different to an inquiry, just in case you are thinking the committee is going to come up with something tangible.

Bob Edlin: You would read more with Seymour – about anti-money laundering legislation, at least

ACT leader David Seymour and news media editors obviously have strongly differing ideas of which happenings should be headlined.

On RNZ’s Midday Report yesterday, Seymour played down the dispute between the PM and New Zealand First leader Winston Peters over the release of emails which flushed into the open the urge by Christopher Luxon to support the United States after it and Israel had attacked Iran.

Net Zero Watch Samizdat: Net Zero is taking us for a spin

UK

Miliband bans tumble dryers

The sale of traditional tumble dryers is to be stamped out in a net-zero drive that will push consumers toward more expensive machines that take longer to dry clothes.

Graham Adams: Hikoi threat over Treaty clauses review

Fighting talk from a TVNZ journalist.

The government’s review of Treaty clauses in legislation has mightily displeased one of the resident Māori activists at 1News. A column by Te Aniwa Hurihanganui that accompanied her televised news segment last week is titled “Govt risks another colossal hikoi if it weakens Treaty obligations”.

Mike's Minute: I like the cut of Anna Breman's gib

We can thank the new Reserve Bank Governor for ending the week on a high note.

New charter details were announced yesterday.

Charters and Reserve Banks were once as dry as old dust but these days I think we have a new understanding of the importance of their role.

Saturday May 2, 2026 

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Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: It's a matter of time before we head to the Strait

I’m inclined to think that at some stage and in some way we will be helping the US to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. It’s been revealed by American media that Trump has told US embassies around the world to pressure governments to help. Australia is considering assistance and so are we.

Ani O'Brien: The media lawyers up - the chilling effect is coming from inside the house

I received a legal letter this week too

In the days since I published my piece on Maiki Sherman and the “faggot” incident, the story has moved on. The incident itself is no longer really the point and in this second part I am focused on the lengths media went to in order to prevent the incident being reported on and how legal threats appear to be creating a state of paralysis in the industry.

We now have the extraordinary situation where media outlets are reporting on each other for using legal threats to suppress stories.

David Harvey: Gravitas in Political Journalism

This is an article about political journalism. It has been prompted by recent events surrounding an unreported incident at a function hosted by the Minister of Finance. What unfolded there did not redound to the advantage of one of the participants.

The way the media ignored it was a disgrace. The fact that the story was broken by Ani O’Brien on Substack demonstrates the power of citizen journalists. The fact that Mainstream Media hopped onto the bandwagon and started reporting the story demonstrates how easily they can be left in the dust and how they struggle to catch up. It is an example of why there is still a large absence of trust in MSM.

Bob Edlin: Remember when John Key backed down on mining plans?.....

Remember when John Key backed down on mining plans? Let’s see if Luxon can dig in and hold his ground

The Minister responsible for RMA Reform shied from giving guarantees about protecting the Waitākere Ranges under new planning and development laws when questioned in Parliament yesterday.

The PM was no more committed to protecting World Heritage sites. To the contrary, he declared he was gung-ho about mining – and he wasn’t too fussed about where miners should dig.

Rodney Hide: Media’s Intersectionality Trap - Māori Wahine Trumps Gay White Man

TVNZ Political Editor Maiki Sherman — the first Māori women to hold the job — repeatedly shouted the homophobic slur “faggot” at openly gay journalist Lloyd Burr during a pre-Budget drinks event in Finance Minister Nicola Willis’s parliamentary office on 13 May 2025. Multiple witnesses, including parliamentary staff and journalists from rival outlets, confirm the exchange was loud, ugly and disruptive enough to shut the gathering down. Sherman claims it was retaliation for a racial slur; Burr denies it. The facts are clear enough: a senior state-funded journalist used a vile anti-gay epithet in a professional parliamentary setting.

JC: ‘Gotcha’ Tova Learns the Hard Way

This article is at odds with former contributions from Cam Slater and Peter Williams. While both made valid points, this article sets out to analyse why Luxon made the right call in giving Tova her own ‘gotcha’ moment, which she so richly deserved. Luxon has better things to do than waste time with an imbecilic journalist.

Toxic Tova has just been dealt a hard lesson. The lady has been around long enough to have learnt the skills required to conduct an interview. She probably did learn them but decided they weren’t for her. Like many journalists with a far-left bent, the true purpose of an interview simply doesn’t suit their adversarial style when it comes to interviewing someone they don’t like.

Peter Williams: What's in a name?

Cromwell's new edifice and what it should be called

Earlier this decade it was decided that the old Cromwell Memorial Hall, about 20 kilometres from where I live, had to be demolished because it was an earthquake risk.

It was another example of bureaucrats convincing politicians to take a Chicken Little approach to old buildings in the wake of what happened in Christchurch in 2011.

Mike's Minute: Parent prosecutions were a deterrent

It probably wasn’t a surprise to learn the parents being prosecuted over their kids not going to school didn’t turn up to court.

So the reason the justice wheel turns so slowly is partially because of those sorts of folks.

I doubt any court action will achieve a lot in this specific case. But then you can argue it probably wasn’t supposed to.

 Friday May 1, 2026 

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Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: Is the coalition really in crisis?

Look, I’m not as excited about the Winston Peters-Chris Luxon emails meeting as clearly some people are.

I mean, there are people predicting the collapse of the coalition as a result of this and others describing it as a coalition in crisis.

Ryan Bridge: We need less fighting, more long term thinking in Wellington

There's no reason parties on left and right in New Zealand politics can't work together to get stuff done.

This week we've seen it with the India FTA. It's essentially just deal-making.

Breaking Views Update: Week of 26.4.26

Friday May 1, 2026 

News:
Te reo Māori first in name for Cromwell’s $45.8M events centre
Cromwell’s new $45.8M events facility will be known as Te Puna Mahara - Cromwell Memorial Events Centre.

The name was confirmed at a Central Otago District Council meeting in Alexandra on Wednesday (April 29).