Breaking Views Update: Week of 22.3.26

Wednesday March 24, 2026 

News:
Waihī Estuary’s original name Te Heriheri restored as part of wetland project
An estuary near Maketū in the Bay of Plenty has had its original name Te Heriheri restored as part of an iwi-led project to restore the health of the entire wetland ecosystem.

Caleb Anderson: The Dangers of union of sacred and state

The encroachment of faith systems into the secular state represents a fundamental threat to rational policy design, and civic equality. History teaches that when sacred belief is merged with state power, it inevitably erodes the objective, evidence-based reasoning required for effective governance, replacing policy deliberation with dogma, and dogma's inescapable consequence ... the marginalization of dissent.

Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: The Government is right to have limited the fuel relief package

If you were listening to the previous show - Tyler’s show - you’ll have heard that not everyone loves the package the Government has just announced to help families pay their fuel bills, because it’s not for everyone.

Pensioners have complained that they should be helped as well because they don’t have enough money. Beneficiaries have complained. Diesel users have complained because their fuel has actually gone up much more than petrol.

David Harvey: The Empty Chair

Chris Hipkins and the Bankruptcy of the New Zealand Left

It is my practice in this Substack to write about policies and ideas when I enter the political arena. I try to avoid in personam attacks. Up until now. The world is in a crisis that would probably be even more dangerous than the 1963 Cuban Missile incident (yes – I remember that) and like it or not, New Zealand, like the rest of the world is going to suffer from the fallout from this crisis.

This is a time for people to pull together – to forget about political differences and work towards a common solution for the good of the country. But as Chris Hipkins demonstrates, he is not up for that. And by so demonstrating he is not up for anything else.

David Farrar: Shock - Brooke retires

ACT Deputy Leader Brooke van Velden has announced she will retire at the election, after two terms as an MP. She is only 33 years old and many (including me) thought she would succeed David Seymour as ACT leader.

Aaron Spencer: The Complacent Country

New Zealanders, in general, have had very little interest in the apparently baffling complexities of geopolitics, economics, and the way history doesn’t repeat…but does often rhyme.

Our main preoccupations have been work, rugby, BBQ’s, holidays, and the inter-personal relationships and dramas of family and friends. And if the Jones’ are climbing the property ladder, buying a boat, and upgrading the car “that’s good enough for us as well”. Herd behaviour around what we should aspire to has well and truly been the order of the day and, in case there was any doubt, there was always an older sage on hand to dispense the comforting adage that “you can’t go wrong with property”.

Bobbie Ann Flower Cox: When Judges Go Rogue

Though I am an attorney in practice for almost thirty years now, I have always said that not all issues can be resolved in a court of law. I say this not because I lack confidence in our judicial system, but because not all issues are subject to the decision of a court. In other words, judges can’t have a say in everything! This is the premise behind our stalwart foundational doctrine of Separation-of-Powers where each of our three, co-equal branches of government have their own sphere of influence and power, and each is to stay out of the others’ lanes.

Pee Kay: Local Water Done Well

My [Pee Kay] letter to Simon Watts

To: The Hon. Simon Watts

cc: Prime Minister Luxon, Deputy Prime Minister Seymour, Winston Peters, Katie Nimon MP, Catherine Wedd MP.

Dear Minister Watts,

I write to you as a New Zealand citizen, taxpayer and ratepayer who is deeply concerned at the inclusion of co-governance in local water services being implemented by councils through the Coalition Government’s plan to address New Zealand’s long-standing water infrastructure challenges, Local Water Done Well.

Pee Kay: Local Water Done Well - part 2

A friend of a friend was offered a chance to attend a fundraising dinner where the special guest was Christopher Luxon.

“A small number of seats have unexpectedly become available for our fundraiser dinner event this Thursday, 26 March at 6pm featuring special guest the Leader of the National Party, Christopher Luxon.”

Herewith is his, in my view, great response –

Mike's Minute: What does government help look like?

If the question is "what can the Government do to help you offset the war and its costs?", the answers will not only all be different, chances are no one is going to end up satisfied, or even grateful.

Yet that is the dilemma the Government currently faces, as indeed do all governments.

Kerre Woodham: 'They're must-haves - The Greens' fuel relief package should be seriously considered

In today's edition of Fuel Watch, the Green Party is offering its votes to the National Party to get on with passing what the Greens call a sensible and urgent fossil fuel crisis relief package.

And you know what, it is quite sensible.

David Farrar: Once again left wing protesters rewarded by justice system

The Post reports:

The Crown has dropped its case against a man accused of damaging a Treaty of Waitangi exhibit at Te Papa Tongarewa in December 2023.

A judge in Wellington District Court was told on Tuesday that the move came after defence lawyer Julia Spelman had given the Crown a draft of a defence expert’s evidence for the future trial of Te Wehi Ratana, 31.

Tuesday March 24, 2026 

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Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: What will this election do for New Zealand First?

Now we’ve got to talk about Winston.

If you hadn’t noticed yet - or maybe you didn’t believe it - take a look at Winston Peters’ State of the Nation speech yesterday and you’ll see the proof that this election is shaping up to be New Zealand First’s election.

Ryan Bridge: Don't expect a lolly scramble from the Government

Anyone expecting a lolly scramble from the government today is going to be disappointed.

At best, one or two old Werther's Originals.

As we’ve been talking about for the last few weeks, this government can’t, politically, splash cash when oil’s forcing inflation up.

Matua Kahurangi: National slips, NZ First rises - voters are sending a message

The latest polling is grim for Christopher Luxon and the New Zealand National Party. Support is slipping again, and what was meant to be a steady alternative is starting to look uncertain and out of touch.

Colinxy: Religious Cults and No Exit - Why Leaving Defines Control

The Test of Freedom

The simplest test of whether a movement is a religion or a cult is this: can you leave freely?

• A true religion allows dissent, departure, and freedom of conscience.

• A cult binds its members with fear, coercion, and punishment, making exit nearly impossible.

Dr Bryce Edwards: Democracy Briefing - Who really runs the South Island?

The Press newspaper in Christchurch has just published its “Power List” — a ranking of the fifty most influential people in the South Island. It’s a series of articles that updates the list they published two years. The 2026 edition, compiled primarily by senior journalist Philip Matthews, is worth reading closely. Not just for the names, but for what the list reveals about where power actually sits in Te Waipounamu, and how much of it has drifted away from anyone who ever faced an election.

Pee Kay: Because the Universe is Ruthless and Demands Balance…

Everything in nature, the economy and society seeks balance. When something reaches an extreme, it self-corrects, usually in a furious and violent way. The natural world has a built-in system for self-correction, a correction is inevitable!

But here is the part we often overlook. The pendulum doesn’t gently reset. It swings back with a furious, violent overcorrection, often spilling buckets of blood in the process.

Simon Brown: MCNZ Consultation Draft Statements

on Cultural Competence, Cultural Safety, and Hauora Maori

Introduction:

As a retired medical research scientist with nearly 30 years of experience working in close collaboration with consultant clinicians and teaching clinical training fellows, I wish to provide feedback on the Medical Council’s draft statements. While my career was spent overseas at the intersection of research and clinical practice (Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Queen’s Medical Centre, Queen’s Medical Research Institute) after graduating from Otago (Chemistry), I have observed first-hand the dedication of medics to patient-centred care based on medical need and evidence.