Breaking Views Update: Week of 12.4.26

Saturday April 18, 2026 

News:
Shane Jones invited to support law change to protect local democracy
ACT Local Government spokesperson Cameron Luxton is calling on NZ First Minister Shane Jones to back a simple law change to protect democratic accountability, following his comments on the Far North District Council.

“After an unusual attack on Councillor Davina Smolders, who stood up against co-governance by stealth at the far North District Council, Mr Jones now says he opposes co-governance after all. There’s an unmistakable signal he can send, if he’d like to support elected councillors like Davina, and reinforce his commitment to one person, one vote at every council in this country,” says Mr Luxton.

Ani O'Brien: Useful idiots? The vegan astroturf organisation that has tricked Kiwi farmers

How “Fair for Farmers” risks turning Kiwi farmers into foot soldiers for anti-farming activists

Note: I was a vegetarian for 10 years and previously worked at the SPCA. I am a believer in high animal welfare standards and think that many animal welfare groups do a great deal of good work. Many of them are a bit nuts though.

There I was, scrolling the apps, when a familiar Kiwi farmer’s face appeared with a message that sounded quite good. I halted in my tracks and bestowed a view on the video’s tally. The gist was that our imported farming products should live up to our national animal welfare standards. Fair enough, right?

Duggan Flanakin: Is America on the verge of a nuclear renaissance?

It has been more than seven years since President Donald Trump signed the Nuclear Energy Innovation and Modernization Act (NEIMA) into law – and it has taken all seven years (including four during the Biden Administration) for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to issue a final rule implementing its provisions.

John McLean: Little Excuses

What Wellington’s Mayor can and should do to help fix New Zealand’s Capital City

Danyl McLachlan is a self-described “Wellington based writer and the author of two novels”. Dude Danyl has recently produced two articles on the Whys & Wherefores of Wellington’s Woes, for The Listener (re-printed in The Herald). You can hopefully read them below.

John MacDonald: Luxon's leadership is more than just a party matter

After hearing Chris Bishop on Newstalk ZB this morning, there are two things about the National Party and its leader that I am in no doubt about.

I am in absolutely no doubt that Christopher Luxon has to stand down before he’s pushed.

Dr Eric Crampton: The superpower that could unlock billions for Kiwirail - or another railway company

Imagine waking up and discovering that, overnight, you had been granted superpowers.

With a touch of your finger, you could cause new housing to emerge in places with housing shortages. It would cost you next to nothing. You could just do it.

Imagine further that, for decades, you had not had a real job and depended on cash handouts from your increasingly-annoyed parents. With your superpower, you could change all that and deliver housing for people who need it into the bargain.

Peter Dunne: The issue of Prime Ministerial incapacity

Donald Trump's erratic behaviour has led to increasing speculation that United States legislators may invoke the 25th Amendment to the United States’ Constitution to remove him from office. Respected media outlets like the New York Times have been openly raising questions about the President's sanity and therefore his capability to remain in office.

David Farrar: MBIE’s taxpayer funded waiata sessions

The Taxpayers’ Union released:

While Kiwi businesses are facing economic uncertainty, the Ministry supposedly responsible for helping businesses has been spending our money on Workplace Waiata – i.e. staff singing sessions in their Wellington offices.

And this isn’t just a one-off thing: At their swanky Wellington offices, MBIE were hosting 30 minute sessions every work day, every week!

Mike's Minute: Is the boss responsible for a death in a major company?

Not a lot of coverage has been given to the failed appeal by Tony Gibson.

He was the head of the Port of Auckland, a worker died and he was charged under health and safety and found guilty.

It was the Health and Safety at Work Act of 2015, and he was the first person of a large operation to be charged and found guilty under it.

Friday April 17, 2026 

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Guest Post: One Thing Leads to Another

A guest post on No Minister by Kerry Butler

When those in positions of power enact a policy that is meant to be “limited” to specific groups involving exceptional circumstances, such benevolence invariably ends up extending beyond the original intent.

We‘ve witnessed a classic example of this incremental creep in Welfare.

Maori Activists are very aware of the fact that when they push for “special” treatment of whatever sort for Maoridom, that’s really just about getting their foot in the door, i.e. knowing that it will lead to more.

Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: Why are we moaning about the pharmacy announcement?

We can be a bunch of moaners in this country, can’t we?

Now, from my point of view, that announcement yesterday - which we talked about on the show - that pharmacists may soon be able to hand out a range of publicly funded medicines without patients having to go to a GP first, is a no-brainer.

Andrew Dickens: Facial recognition – the rise of Big Brother or a necessary tool?

Bunnings have begun rolling out facial recognition technology in its New Zealand stores, saying it's needed to protect staff and customers because violent incidents continue to rise, despite the fact we've got tough on crime, and we've had a bit of a crackdown. The first two stores to switch on the facial recognition technology are in Te Rapa and Hamilton South, both in the Waikato, but a nationwide rollout is planned. The company says the technology will help identify serious repeat offenders, it will reduce theft, and they do this after what they say is a sharp increase in threatening behaviour.

Mike's Minute: The reality of NZ vs Australia's fuel response

Like a school report, the International Monetary Fund forecast for the global economy arrived in yesterday's post.

No one escaped the Trump carnage. The UK in particular is in trouble, as is potentially Australia.

Australia was warned not to exacerbate wartime inflation. It was a slap down, a mark against the Government and a big reveal into the way Albanese and his cronies run the place.

DTNZ: Pharmacies set for expanded healthcare role

The Government has unveiled a proposal to expand the role of community pharmacies, allowing them to provide easier and more affordable treatment for a range of common conditions from June.

Health Minister Simeon Brown and Associate Health Minister David Seymour said the move aims to reduce pressure on GP services and improve access to care, particularly for families struggling with long wait times.

Dr Bryce Edwards: Democracy Briefing: - New Zealand's media trust is still in crisis

The annual AUT report on trust in New Zealand’s news media is out today, and the headlines reporting it are mostly positive. This is because trust is up. The decline has stopped, for now. Unsurprisingly, some media organisations are already taking a victory lap. Be sceptical.

Yes, there has been a genuine improvement. For the first time since the survey began in 2020, the number of New Zealanders who say they trust the news in general has risen: from 32% last year to 37%. Trust in the news people personally consume also edged up to 50%, from 45% in 2025. The improvement is real. But the context matters enormously, and it’s easy to lose sight of it amid the cheerful framing.

Vance Ginn: Property Taxes Invert the Moral Order of Ownership

A property deed should mean ownership, not a renewable lease from the government.

Yet that is what property taxes amount to in practice. A family can earn the income, buy the home, pay off the mortgage, maintain and improve the property, and still owe the government every year merely to retain possession of it. Miss enough payments, and the state can seize the property. That may be common. It is not normal in any morally serious sense.

John MacDonald: No one wants to pay more tax, but...

Do we need more taxes

There are two ways we can look at it. Does The Government need more tax revenue? Yes, I think it does. Which is why those tax cuts after the last election have backfired so badly.

And do we want to pay more tax? When push comes to shove, probably not. But that’s human nature, isn’t it?

Andrew Dickens: The debate over the Bendigo-Ophir mine

I want to start off with the Bendigo-Ophir mine near Cromwell, and the question is should it get fast track approval? The Australian company Santana Minerals has applied to build four open pits in the Dunstan Range near Cromwell, the largest of which would be one kilometre long and 300 metres deep, and it's alongside a two kilometre long tailings storage dam which would stay there forever.

Bob Edlin: Te Papa is now being criticised for trying to reduce staff numbers...

Te Papa (which has one fewer Treaty pieces among its exhibits) is now being criticised for trying to reduce staff numbers


Uh, oh. PoO couldn’t muster a team to report on the doings of E tū members at Te Papa Tongarewa, who rallied this afternoon to save jobs after the museum proposed a restructure that would axe 14 roles and realign dozens more across the organisation.

Members were to hold a rally at the Te Papa forecourt from 12pm to 2pm and were inviting the public to attend in support.