Mike Butler: A Giant Treaty Rort?

Does Treaty of Waitangi policy amount to a rort that has grown beyond the wildest dreams of those who set it up and is now too large and too deeply embedded for any government to dismantle?

That is the question that emerged from spending a couple of months updating the treaty settlement financial redress total at Treaty Transparency 1975-2026 HERE 

 
The word “rort” describes a scheme that takes unfair advantage of a public service, loophole, or resource.

Mike's Minute: Medicine for foreign aid money is a no-brainer

From our “he would say that, wouldn’t he” file, comes the predictable Winston Peters response to the National Party's medicine for aid deal.

National are reading the room. If you have no money and you need to trade one thing for another, does medicine beat aid?

Yes, hands down.

Olivia Pierson: New Zealand - Beyond the Boats Invading our Mother Country

The only souls still possessed of political zeal are those whose fervour is the fervour of the wolf. What they see is a flesh-and-blood civilisation, meaty and unguarded, to be looted for the survival of their own mangy pack. I mean the commies, of course: the Greens, Labour, Te Pati Maori, the gauchely named Opportunities Party, and the Islamic interest that travels openly in their company. Should these packs ever come into serious power, the country will be eaten out from its porn-soaked reproductive organs to its essential guts, and the devouring will be euphemised as gritty “real life” until the old guards are gone — the Boomers, and we of Generation X.

Andrew Dickens: National’s trade-off between foreign aid and medicine shows how far we've fallen

National’s trade-off between foreign aid and Pharmac is a sign of just how far we’ve fallen.

Firstly, our spend on medicines through Pharmac has always been woefully low. It pales beside Australia’s investment and that’s never made sense to me.

Simon O'Connor: The five-letter word media won’t say

From a failed airline hijacking to riots in France, our inability to name causes and motivations is undermining our ability to respond to reality.

There seems to be one five-letter word that much of the mainstream media cannot simply bring itself to say: Islam.

As you know, in recent days, yet another Islamic terrorist has sought to bring death to innocents. On this occasion, it was an attempt to hijack an aircraft and then use it as a flying bomb into Tel Aviv. Had the terrorist succeeded, hundreds, if not thousands, would have died.

Peter Williams: There’s the Bloody Ball. Use it!

The Nats still have a chance but they have to change tactics

In the famous Ranfurly Shield challenge of 1985 Auckland - the challengers - led Canterbury 24-0 at half time. The legendary Canterbury coach Alex “Grizz” Wyllie strode to the middle of Lancaster Park with a rugby ball under his arm - it was only a 5 minute break back then and players never left the field - and said to his team “there’s the bloody ball. Use it!”

Then he stormed off. His shell shocked players responded brilliantly. They lost the match 28-23 but they were in the game right to the final whistle.

Fast forward to the 2026 election. The National Party is down and out. Metaphorically they are behind 24 nil.

Kerre Woodham: Where is Labour's pay equity funding actually going to come from?

Finally, after much hinting and promising and ooh, winking and teasing, Labour's revealed how it will fund the core pay equity policy it has been promising for the past three years.

Except that they didn't.

Richard Prebble: A free bus would be cheaper

I could have saved the Greens the consultancy fee. I would have told them for free that their idea is nuts.

But they do not have to take my word for it.

The Greens campaigned for an Auckland-to-Hamilton passenger rail service that Labour agreed to.

Guest Post: An Axe With No Handle

Guest Post on GoodOil by LilBaP

The books are on fire. Wellington is arguing about the colour of the cover. We watch with interest and we are also the ones paying.

Damien Grant, on Stuff last week, opened Treasury’s pre-election forecast and read it out loud, which is more than most have managed.

Wednesday October 7, 2026 

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Roy Morgan Poll: In September National-led Government increases lead over Labour-led Parliamentary Opposition (52% vs. 41.5%)

The Roy Morgan New Zealand Poll for September 2026 shows the National-led Government (National, ACT & NZ First) up 3% to 52%, increasing its clear lead over the Labour-Greens-Te Pāti Māori Parliamentary Opposition, virtually unchanged at 41.5%, and 6.5% supporting Opportunity. This is the largest lead (10.5%) for the National-led Government for two years since September 2024.

Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: Directing more money to Pharmac is the sensible choice

So, Winston Peters is pretty upset, as you would expect, about National's plan to take money from the foreign aid budget and use it to fund medicines through Pharmac. But from where I'm sitting, that seems fairly sensible, doesn't it?

Breaking Views Update: Week of 4.10.26

Wednesday October 7, 2026 

News:
New support service for whānau at Kaitāia Family Court
Families going through the Family Court in Kaitāia can now get extra support through a new service, Te Atatuhi.

Run by Tuhiata Mahiora and Te Whare Ruruhau o Meri Trust, support workers will work alongside the Ministry of Justice’s Family Court navigators (kaiārahi) to help whānau before, during and after their time in the Family Court.

1News Verian Poll: Opportunity still in kingmaker seat as Greens hold strong

Opportunity continues to hold the keys to power and the Greens remain in a strong position to play a significant role in the next government, the latest 1News Verian poll results show.

With Opportunity set for 7% of the vote, and National leader Christopher Luxon having ruled out working with the party, today’s results point to a route to power for Labour.

Mike's Minute: Labour's fiscal plan is a failure

With the period of digestion now complete, I think it is more than fair to suggest that the Labour Party's fiscal plan has been marked a failure.

This is not just me, but as far as I can read virtually every journalist and commentator, including economists, say so.

This politically should be a disaster. Economic credibility, this election in particular, is everything.

Richard Prebble: A super policy

Opening ACT’s election campaign, David Seymour made the most consequential policy pledge of the election.

All the other parties are proposing, in one form or another, to make KiwiSaver compulsory.

Andrew Dickens: Why Doesn't National and Act have the same pressures as Labour?

So Labour finally released their fiscal plan in the weekend.

It was much anticipated. In fact commentator after commentator for weeks now have been demanding it.

Now it’s being dissected. And mostly by the current coalition parties.

Geoff Parker: Claire Charters’ Constitutional Revolution — The Case She Still Has To Prove

Professor Claire Charters is making a sweeping and consequential claim. In her new book, Sovereignty: The Case for Constitutional Transformation, she argues that New Zealand’s constitutional foundations are “unjust, illegitimate, illegal” and require fundamental transformation.

After listening to her interview with Simon Mercep, however, I am left wondering whether she has actually proved her case.

Richard Prebble: A grumpy old man

I remember being 16 years old. Only my friend Jim Middleton, who went on to become the ABC’s chief political correspondent in Canberra, and I had any interest in politics.

At university among my fellow students, it was only the Vietnam War and the fear that we might be conscripted that generated interest in politics.

Lindsay Mitchell: Welfare missing from the 2026 election campaign

Welfare is markedly missing from 2026 election campaign issues.

There's been far more debate about Super: its cost, means-testing and the age of eligibility. New Zealand is an outlier. Australia, the UK and the US have a qualifying age of 67. Whether NZ joins must be decided. Super isn't sustainable.

But what of working-age people? The percentage of 18-64 year-olds on a benefit is 12.8% - up from 9.9% ten years ago. That's around one in eight people unable or unwilling to support themselves.