Breaking Views Update: Week of 16.8.26

Thursday August 20, 2026 

News:
‘Parallel sovereignties belong in a parallel universe’: Shane Jones warning to the Waitangi Tribunal
NZ First deputy leader warns tribunal its future is at stake as ministers weigh review findings

New Zealand First deputy leader Shane Jones is warning the Waitangi Tribunal that sweeping change is coming should his party return to government following this year’s election, telling the body that “if you continue to thwart the democratic mandate of small parties like New Zealand First, you are imperilling your very existence.”

Dr Eric Crampton: The troubling gaps in Treasury’s performance.....

...and in its knowledge of how it might tackle them

New Zealand’s Treasury has two big jobs that nobody else can do.

They’re both highlighted in the first line of Treasury’s ‘Who we are’ website. Treasury is “the Government’s lead economic and financial adviser and steward of the public sector financial management systems.”

June’s Performance Improvement Review for Treasury did not go well at all on one of those big jobs. It may point to issues in staff capabilities.

Mike's Minute: Our access to Australia could soon be limited

I couldn’t understand it at the time, but you may remember four years ago then-Prime Minister Ardern did a deal with Anthony Albanese over our access to Australian citizenship and welfare.

Essentially, they gave us a bunch of stuff we previously hadn't had.

JC: She’s a Must to Avoid

Many reading this will be old enough to remember the Herman’s Hermits song, “She’s a Must to Avoid”. That is how the leader of the Opportunity Party, Qiulae Wong, presented in last weekend’s Q+A interview with Jack Tame. Mr Tame, who does not often inspire me, deserves credit for pushing to get to the bottom of what Opportunity stands for. This was no easy task, as Wong has an unflappable streak, where every criticism or query is met with a smile and is seamlessly brushed away. The interviewer therefore has to dig deep and press for answers that the audience wants. Tame’s ‘dog with a bone’ technique often frustrates me, but on this occasion it was necessary.

Ani O'Brien: Don Brash & Te Pāti Māori agree on a strategy

How both sides of politics are thinking strategically about voting.

After 30 years of Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) representation, we may finally have reached the point where everyone works out how to properly game the system at the same time. For most of the MMP era, political parties have called for “two ticks” with a few notable exceptions like the Epsom electorate. The idea has been to not encourage voters to think too hard about the fact that they have been given two separate votes because parties would very much like both of them.

Kerre Woodham: Auckland's harbour crossing - a discussion that goes round in circles

I can imagine 50 years from now, the morning host on ZB 9am to Noon will be nearing retirement and they'll have talked about everything, as I have done over my time here. So, they'll be opening their show on the 18th of August 2076, and they'll say, “Harbour crossing, tunnel or bridge? Meola Reef crossing or a bridge alongside the existing one? 0800 80 10 80.” And 50 years from now, the discussion will begin again and again and again.

Bob Edlin: ACT wants to ban working-time karakia in the public service....

..... but MBIE shows why more prayers might be a blessing

The Taxpayers’ Union has drawn attention to the cost of daily prayers and sing-songs in just a few of the country’s many state agencies.

Fair to say, the union’s figure – around $3.5 million – is a small drop of the $180 billion or so spent by the government in 2024/25.

Guest Post: Why excessive house prices are damaging NZ’s economy

A guest post by David Schnauer on Kiwiblog

 

Compliments to Ashley Church for a well argued Post headed “Declining house prices are killing our economy”. In this Post, I put the opposing case. High and appreciating house prices have not been good for New Zealand. Instead they have done and continue to do this country major economic damage.

David Farrar: Labour denies a tax it had in the ballot!

Simeon brown points out:

After National alerted New Zealanders to the 11 new taxes on the table between Labour and its coalition partners, Chris Hipkins claimed that two of the taxes are not Labour Party policy.

Chris Hipkins and the Labour Party cannot be trusted on tax, and today they’ve again proven why, National’s Campaign Chair Simeon Brown says.

Mike's Minute: Why all the angst around the Opportunity Party?

I have been surprised, and not surprised, by two aspects of the Opportunity Party.

1) I'm not surprised by the media's fascination,

2) I am surprised at the amount of angst shown by people increasingly alarmed at the prospect they may be heading for Parliament and some sort of influence.

Wednesday August 19, 2026 

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Ryan Bridge: Don't hold your breath for a new Harbour crossing, Auckland

We've been waiting for decades for somebody to build a new bridge, or a tunnel, or anything across Auckland's harbour.

The consultant bill is now $100 million across the current National and former Labour Governments.

JD: On the Qiulae Wong Interview

Guest post on The Good Oil by JD

Having watched Qiulae Wong, the Opportunity Party leader, being interviewed by Jack Tame, it is clear that she, and presumably those who advise her, have no idea when it comes to the two key planks of their manifesto. What will be the effect of their increased tax and land tax impositions and the Universal Basic Income, with all of the costs thereto attached?

Ashley Church: Could an MMP loophole return a centre-right government?

If you’re a centre-right voter, there’s a fair chance that a sense of dread has started to descend as you watch the National Party consume itself from within. The latest episode was the second leadership challenge of the year, this time involving Chris Penk, who has now lost his portfolios and announced that he won’t be standing at the November election.

But as dramatic as these latest events are – none of this should really surprise anyone. The events unfolding are the direct and entirely predictable consequence of a National party that came into government in 2023 with an enormous mandate for change, then inexplicably chose to deliver almost none of it.

Guest Post: An Urgent Matter of National Significance

Guest post by William Chambers on No Minister

Maori favouritism (racial division) has reached the point of being a form of apartheid in New Zealand. The fact being, there are hundreds of preferential “provisions” along with 96 Acts of Parliament exclusively benefitting those of Maori heritage.

This racist situation has eventuated through what could be described as deceitful manipulation of pertinent information. Which only an insignificant percentage of us are fully aware of. So, we are vainly trying to get the truth out there through Forums, Blog Sites and emails to each other.

Peter Williams: Should Nats follow the TPM Method?

Their best chance is to get a swag of electorate MPs

The lead story on Sunday night’s 1News was about Te Pati Māori and its plan to chase just the electorate vote.

For them, it makes sense. The party is hovering around three percent and dropping. They currently hold six electorate seats but two of their MPs have left the party after the internal squabbling.

Labour seem favourites to win Te Tai Tonga (all of the South Island and some of the lower North) and Te Tai Tokerau – parts of West Auckland and all of Northland.

DTNZ: Vance warns of ‘rising interest in socialism’ in US

Republicans risk losing younger voters unless living standards improve, the vice president has said.

The US Republican Party must address the economic pressures facing Americans or risk driving more young people toward socialism, Vice President J.D. Vance has said.

Vance made the remarks in an interview with Fox News on Thursday, pointing to the cost of housing a

David Wojick: UN Green Climate Fund emission reduction claims are fraudulent

A database of Green Climate Fund (GFD) “projects” reveals that almost none are actual projects. Most are just specialized junior funds. Each has a supposed emission reduction number, but these are just fantasy guesses since no actual projects are involved. Thus, the GCF emission reduction claims are fraudulent.

The database is here.

(I might never have found it since it is in the voluminous UNFCCC site not the GCF site, but AI found it immediately when I simply asked for “GCF projects.” This is a good example of how AI can improve research.)

Melanie Phillips: Gaslighting on steroids

Jews must fight back against verbal ethnic cleansing

One of the most pernicious effects of the Soviet system of mind control was what’s called today “gaslighting,” the belief that you are guilty of the insanely preposterous things of which you are being accused but of which you are in fact innocent.

In the Soviet-style war of defamation that’s been waged against Israel ever since the Hamas-led attacks on October 7, 2023, the Jewish people have been relentlessly gaslighted.

Bob Edlin: IRD apologises for the boors among its bureaucrats....

....but it does not explain discriminatory tax decisions

The Inland Revenue Department has ducked the key question about its dealings with an aggrieved taxpayer.

The Post reports the taxpayer’s plaint under the heading –