Geoff Parker: The symbolic coup of New Zealand

New Zealand is witnessing a striking revival of Māori iconography (symbolism) - tattooed faces or chin, bone/greenstone pendants used as identity markers, the flag of the Māori sovereignty movement flying at public events and governmental buildings, carved posts (pou) appearing in places where no such markers ever stood before and Māori carved gateway entrances (waharoa) installed at school entrances. Supporters call this a cultural renaissance. But there is a deeper political message woven through these symbols, one that goes beyond cultural pride: a deliberate statement of rejection of European civilisation and the legitimacy of the country’s colonial foundations.

Caleb Anderson: Top prize at this year's prize giving goes to ...

The present government inherited an education system in freefall. Its achievements in the education domain after two years of government significantly outstrip achievements by any government in over forty years.

Without delay the government initiated programmes and policies ...

Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: Is taking long summer breaks a cause for concern?

Here's a question for you... is our summer holiday too long?

Are we going to the beach and staying away from the office for too long?

There's a chap called Toss Grumley who thinks so, he's written a column about it. He's a young mover and shaker, business advisor, director, investor in multiple New Zealand entities.

Ryan Bridge: Is Coster really sorry?

Andrew Coster's three weeks of silence and negotiating speaks volumes about the sincerity of the apology delivered yesterday.

If you really felt that way, if you hadn't until yesterday realised what had gone on, which he had of course, he saw the report long before any of us did, then surely, you'd have come straight out starting blocks with an apology to Ms Z.

Breaking Views Update: Week of 30.11.25

Friday December 5, 2025 

News:
Māori Party expulsion: Judge reserves decision as Mariameno Kapa-Kingi challenges ouster in court
Justice Paul Radich will tomorrow [5/12/25] reveal his judgment regarding former Te Pāti Māori MP Mariameno Kapa-Kingi’s challenge of her expulsion from the party.

John McLean: Partisan Penfold

Paula has stopped pretending...to be a proper journalist

Paula Penfold was once a pretty credible journalist. Her journalistic investigation of Teina Pora’s wrongful conviction for rape and murder was admirable and contributed to the quashing of his conviction and a multimillion dollar settlement for Pora.

Chris Trotter: Hard Choices.

If she is serious about balancing the books, and restoring Pay Equity, Labour’s finance spokesperson, Barbara Edmonds, cannot avoid imposing austerity on her party’s own voters.

LABOUR COULD WIN IN 2026, but the fiscal and monetary conservatism of its finance spokesperson makes victory increasingly unlikely. Barbara Edmonds promise to “balance the books” hasn’t just handed over Labour’s hopes of electoral victory to Fortune as hostages, it’s sold them into slavery.

Simon O'Connor: Now for the excuses

There will be many excuses from Zohran Mamdani once his policies fail, yet until we appreciate the reasons why he won, these excuses will succeed.

As anticipated, Zohran Mamdani has won the New York mayoralty. He will be the 111th mayor, and while I am not remotely interested in numerology, this figure could well be seen - tongue in cheek - as an early sign of the emergency ahead.

Matua Kahurangi: Serious allegations against Willie Jackson and MUMA raise alarming questions

Explosive allegations have emerged from veteran political figure Matthew McCarten, raising deeply troubling questions about Labour MP Willie Jackson and the Manukau Urban Maori Authority (MUMA). If McCarten’s account is accurate, Jackson has used his political influence to interfere in an employment dispute involving his own wife, Tania Rangiheuea, the CEO of MUMA. The allegations go far beyond poor judgement. They cut right to the heart of political integrity and proper governance.

Kerre Woodham: What would it take to get police trust to 80%?

It's been 12 months since Richard Chambers became New Zealand's Police Commissioner. And by crikey, he's had a busy old time of it, a little bit of a poisoned chalice. There's been the clean out of the police hierarchy following the McSkimming scandal – or really, scandals. And two months after his appointment, police officer Lynn Fleming was killed in the line of duty in Nelson on New Year's Day.

Bob Edlin: Lenient judge in theft case says $360 is a “relatively small amount” .......

Lenient judge in theft case says $360 is a “relatively small amount” – but what can shoplifters expect under tougher legislation?

ACT MP Parmjeet Parmar emailed PoO today to whoop about “today’s introduction of a new law expanding citizens’ arrest powers and introducing infringement fees for shoplifters…” It shows her party’s continued commitment to standing up for retailers, she said.

Click on to her link and you will find it’s not yet a new law. It’s a bill.

JC: Labour and Left Media Have High Hopes

Last weekend the Labour Party held their annual conference: their tax talkfest where they chew the fat and think about how many new taxes they can get away with imposing on us, the poor sods who are obliged to pay up. They believe the way to grow the economy is to tax the hell out of everyone, particularly the ‘rich pricks’ that rank as enemy number one. The irony is it is an illusion: the negative effects on the economy outweigh the positives.

Mike's Minute: Still more questions to answer for the Reserve Bank

The mail I'm getting got a bit more official yesterday with Fitch suggesting they think the Reserve Bank isn't done.

A lot of people thought the Reserve Bank was done cutting because fill-in Governor Christian Hawkesby basically said as much last week.

Thursday December 4, 2025 

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Ian Bradford: Some Arguments Against Climate Alarmists

Skepticism is the highest of duties; blind faith the one unpardonable sin - Thomas Huxley, 19 C Biologist

Sea Level Rise

Alarmists continue to push sea level rise, plus the rise is accelerating as yet more propaganda. Let’s go back in time.

Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: Coster did nothing wrong, but still had to go

In the end, I think Andrew Coster had to go.

Look, you realize he's won a big victory today, don't you? Cause it's a big admission from the Public Service commissioner today that Andrew Coster didn't do anything wrong himself.

He hadn't committed any personal wrongdoing and it's a big admission also that there was no cover-up.

Ryan Bridge: How was a former Covid response lead able to steal $1.8 million?

This story should shock everybody, but it won't. Sadly.

The headline? Former Covid response lead Alister Thorby stole $1.8 million from DHBs.

From us, taxpayers.

Chris Lynch: Food Safety pushes back again after principal disputed cause of mouldy lunches

New Zealand Food Safety has issued a new statement on the mouldy lunches at Haeata Community Campus, reiterating that the evidence points to a human error at the school as the most likely cause.

New Zealand Food Safety is a unit of the Ministry for Primary Industries.

The follow up statement has been released after the school’s principal continued to publicly suggest the problem lay with the provider, appearing on multiple media outlets this morning.

David Farrar: Labour winning all the Māori seats would be good for NZ

Radio NZ reports:

“I think Te Pāti Māori has got themselves into a world of difficulty. They’re not in any fit shape to play a constructive role in the current Parliament, much less a future government,” he told RNZ head of Labour’s annual meeting in Auckland on Friday night.

Ani O'Brien: The lunatics are taking the government to court

PATHA to take the government to court over puberty blockers

A handful of activists, with a tenuous grip on reality and a plethora of mental health issues between them, are dragging the government into the courts over the puberty blocker ban.

On 1 December 2025, the Professional Association for Transgender Health Aotearoa (PATHA) filed an urgent injunction seeking to block the upcoming ban on new prescriptions of puberty-blockers for “gender-dysphoric youth” set to take effect on 19 December.