Geoff Parker: Matthew Tukaki is wrong - water is not sovereignty

Matthew Tukaki’s recent article “Wai Is Life” argues that because water is spiritually and culturally central to Māori identity, Māori must therefore exercise authority over water governance in New Zealand.

It is a seductive argument. It is also wrong.

Breaking Views Update: Week of 1.3.26

Thursday March 5, 2026 

News:
High Court reaffirms customary marine title for Ruapuke Island under tougher law
The High Court has confirmed that the Ruapuke Island Group whānau retain Customary Marine Title over waters surrounding the island in Te Ara a Kiwa, also known as Foveaux Strait, following a rehearing under newly amended legislation.

In a judgment released on 26 February, Justice Churchman found the applicant group met the revised and more restrictive legal tests introduced by the Marine and Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) Amendment Act.

Ryan Bridge: The oil price danger zone for inflation

If this is still going on in two or three weeks, lots of countries, including ours, will start to feel the pinch.

Brent Crude Futures topped out at $85 a barrel overnight, the highest price since 2024.

JP Morgan says it could hit, worst-case, $120.

Mike's Minute: This is where Labour and Hipkins have got it wrong

If you ever want an example of why Chris Hipkins is not going to be the next Prime Minister, watch Question Time yesterday.

He has made a twofold mistake.

Mistake number one is being a Labour MP obsessed with esoteric, wonky subjects like United Nations treaties and charters.

Bonner Cohen: Waste from “clean energy” piles up across the U.S.

Long known as the nation’s leading producer of oil, Texas in recent years has also surged to the top of the heap in wind energy, with over 19,000 wind turbines operating in the state.

West Texas and the Panhandle have emerged as the gusty go-to places for putting the Lone Star State at the forefront of what was said to be America’s transition to clean energy. Ground zero for this enterprise is Sweetwater in Nolan County. Located 40 miles west of Abelene, Sweetwater is sometimes called the “Wind Turbine Capital of Texas.” But now the small city and its environs are experiencing the downsides of that distinction. It turns out that clean can be very dirty indeed.

Roy Morgan: Support for National drops to lowest in six months, just ahead of Labour

Roy Morgan’s New Zealand Poll for February 2026 shows the National-led Government (National, ACT & NZ First) on 48.5%, down 3.5% points from a month earlier, now just 1.5% points in front of the Labour-Greens-Maori Party Parliamentary Opposition on 47%, up 3% points, the latest Roy Morgan New Zealand Poll finds.

Stephen Weese: The Water Crisis Is Real

But AI is not to blame.

Recently there have been a lot of memes and social media posts going around that claim that AI (because of its cooling requirements) is using up all of our water. Suggesting that, in fact, the crisis is so bad that we will soon be unable to take showers. Since I work in this field, I can tell from the surface that this is likely exaggerated, and I decided to take a deep look at the numbers, new AI cooling technologies, and what is causing the real global water crisis.

Melanie Phillips: Choosing lawfare over warfare

The fanaticism of the Iran regime is mirrored by a fanatical belief in international law

Has Britain entered the war against Iran? Well, yes… and no. In trying to dance carefully around a large trap door, Sir Keir Starmer has merely succeeded in falling straight through it.

Bruce Cotterill: Cost of living: Why prices never really fall and $7 coffee is here to stay

There is plenty of chat about the cost of living.

In fact, the people and politicians alike are talking about it at every opportunity. It’s usually in the form of something like “we have to get the cost of living down”.

And why not? It feels like it just keeps on going up.

Kerre Woodham: Mutually assured destruction - will it work again?

I was listening to the podcast ‘The Rest is Politics’ last night. The speakers were saying that Trump's inclination to invade countries at will, will almost certainly result in nuclear proliferation and will drive countries to find protection in the shadow of Russia and China. The thinking being, what will stop the big orange guy from invading me? Nuclear warheads. Or a mate as big as he is. And then what do you know, a couple of hours later President Macron announced that France is to boost its nuclear arsenal and extend the deterrent to cover other European countries.

Bob Edlin: After 12 years in Parliament, Mayor Little may have been conditioned to taking a dip in unsavoury waters

Wellington mayor Andrew Little made headlines around the world after he took an afternoon dip last week, hoping to assuage public fears after a breakdown at a local waste water treatment plant pumped raw sewage into the ocean and faecal matter was sprayed on coastal homes.

Millions of litres of raw sewage have flowed into the waters off Wellington’s picturesque south coast beaches since the breakdown of the Moa Point facility on February 4.

John McLean: Blobudsman shows his true colours

New Zealand’s Chief Ombudsman unlawfully sides with the forces of opaqueness and censorship

On 17 November 2025, Sean Plunket, Founder and CEO of media channel The Platform, complained to New Zealand’s Chief Ombudsman, John Allen.

Plunket’s asked Allen to “urgently investigate and review” the Broadcasting Standards Authority’s refusal to provide Plunket with all correspondence and documentation relating to the BSA’s “Provisional Interlocutory Decision” that the BSA has jurisdiction to consider complaints against The Platform. Plunket had formally requested that information from the BSA, under the Official Information Act 1982. Here’s Plunket’s request to the Ombudsman:

Wednesday March 4, 2026 

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Ryan Bridge: AI can't master all the jobs

There’s been a lot of chat about AI replacing jobs lately.

And I get it, there are signs it’s happening. For certain roles, especially more junior ones, the threat is real.

But there are some things a computer will never know and never be able to do.

Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: Why doesn't Luxon want to take a position on the Iran strikes?

All right, we need to talk about Chris Luxon and that performance yesterday.

“Oh, I mean… we obviously understand… we’re not saying that… what we’re saying is… we… we… we understand this… I don’t know how to be any clearer, guys…”

You know what’s going wrong here, eh? The Prime Minister doesn’t want to say what he actually thinks. He doesn’t want to take a position on the air strikes on Iran.

Eliora: The Number of Parties Was Insane

Will NZ right-wing patriots fracture like in the last general election?

At the last NZ election there were, deep breath… 19 registered political parties contesting the general election. On 16 September 2023, the Electoral Commission stated:

JC: Left Leadership Blows the Mind

And not, in this case, in a good way. In fact, if you think about it, practically never in a good way. My thinking has always been we were all born with the same amount of grey matter but there are occasions when one starts to wonder.

I’m talking about our political leaders’ reactions to the war with Iran. Anyone with a modicum of intelligence can see the necessity for the military action that has been taken. Even our prime minister has removed his woke glasses and donned ones showing realism. He saw there was no other choice.

Ani O'Brien: What it actually costs to live "green" like Chris Hipkins

Forget "let them eat cake", now it's "let them have solar"

It’s election year so we are getting served up a whole load of political storytelling. The parties have their narratives, but our political leaders are also shaping the way they want to be seen by the New Zealand public. Chris Hipkins’ strategy hasn’t changed. He is still running as the “relatable leader,” the “practical dad.” He is also trying to balance his image as pro-environment, proactive on climate change, without being seen as a fruitloop. The hardcore environmentalists will vote Green, he just needs to demonstrate that he is on board with the kaupapa, so to speak.

Colinxy: Gloriavale Christian Community - New Zealand’s Most Famous Active Cult

Gloriavale is one of those topics I’ve largely avoided over the years—not because it isn’t important, but because it is unusually difficult to write about responsibly. Neutral sources are scarce. Sensationalist sources are plentiful. And the official narrative tends to oscillate between “idyllic Christian commune” and “totalitarian nightmare,” with very little sober analysis in between.

Mike's Minute: What did the unions achieve?

I watched a woman from one of the unions explain how much work had been done to settle their claim.

The allied health workers have signed off their deal. That’s 12,000 physios, social workers, etc. There was more work to do, she said.