Ani O'Brien: He knew - The paper trail Chris Hipkins can’t explain

Either there was a massive conspiracy to deceive the Minister in charge or that Minister is lying

I genuinely didn’t know what I was looking for when I went searching through FYI.org on Friday night. I was confused by timelines that weren’t making sense and increasingly implausible deniability.

Olivia Pierson: Trump didn't blink

On March 26 President Trump laid out an important truth: NATO countries have done absolutely nothing to help sort out that “lunatic regime” in Iran, which by all accounts has been militarily smashed to bits. “The USA needs nothing from NATO,” he said calmly.

Before Trump even became President in 2016, he said then he was going to “rethink NATO.” I guess he's done just that.

I caught the Promethean Action live stream, also on March 26th, and Barbara Boyd hit the nail on the head: “He did not blink. He is reordering the entire world.”

Dr Don Brash: Hidden in the Agenda: When Your Vote Isn’t Enough

The following is written in Don's capacity as Hobson's Pledge Trustee

While the hard-working people of Otago go about their lives, the Otago Regional Council (ORC) is moving pieces across the board that fundamentally change who makes key decisions in that region.

A few days ago, ORC held a council meeting, and we spotted something in the agenda that made us tune in to the livestream. Decisions were being made about the new Integrated Catchment Management Board (ICM), and yet again, a council was ignoring principles of democracy and appointing unelected members to decision-making roles.

Colinxy: The Public Sector as Political Actor - When Bureaucracy Forgets Its Job

The Principle We Pretend Still Exists

New Zealand’s public service is supposed to operate on a simple constitutional rule:

The government decides; the bureaucracy implements.

Not “interprets.” Not “nudges.” And certainly not “advocates.”

Yet every few months, we discover, again, that parts of the public sector have quietly redefined themselves as political actors with taxpayer funding.

Dave Patterson: Is Putting Troops on the Ground in Iran a Good Idea?

As the conflict in Iran continues, a debate is ongoing as to whether the US should put combat troops on the ground in Iran. Naysayers claim such an escalation is unnecessary and puts ground forces at risk. Those who favor the action are as resolute that without soldiers occupying Iranian real estate, there is no winning. Both positions are at opposite poles of the argument. Those against envision an invasion force storming the beaches and airdropping from the skies with enormous casualties. Those in favor believe that there is no opportunity to bring the Tehran government to submission without significant US forces on the ground. Neither position is necessarily right.

Damien Grant: Is this moment that the PM forces me to eat my words? I hope so

While our collective focus is on the impending economic collapse driven by a lack of petroleum, my attention has been diverted by a speech given by a relatively obscure, but important, government apparatchik. The Reserve Bank chief economist Paul Conway.

The problem with government economists is their language is constrained by the necessities of convention. They would describe an invasion of Orcs pouring over the balustrades howling with bloodlust as an incoming negative external shock with the potential for adverse economic outcomes in the short to medium term.

Deborah Palma: How Clear Property Rights Built the American Frontier

Property was clearly defined, so the future made sense.

In the mid-19th century, the town of Peoria, Illinois, originally established as a French outpost in the 18th century, underwent a period of rapid expansion. Although not a newly founded settlement, its transformation during this period reflects a broader pattern seen across the American frontier. Within a few decades, it evolved into a regional agricultural and commercial hub. This was not the result of luck or central planning. The decisive factor was clear, recognized, and transferable property titles. Farmers knew that the land they cultivated belonged to them. Merchants felt secure investing in warehouses, mills, and river transportation. Families built homes with the expectation that their children would inherit the fruits of that effort. Where property was clearly defined, the future made sense.

Alwyn Poole: How endemic is this type of spending in government Ministries?

A few years back two schools I was involved in managing took the Ministry of Education to formal mediation on six non-performance issues on their part.

While all of the outcomes remain confidential I can comment on one of the processes for their response.

Monday March 30, 2026 

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Pee Kay: Are these two......

the biggest threats to the continuance of democracy in New Zealand?

Ryan Bridge: There's still too much uncertainty around mining

New Zealand First’s mining policy hits all the right notes but ultimately is not worth the paper it’s written on.

I’ll tell you why.

On the whole, Kiwis don’t mind a bit of mining, so long as there are good jobs to be had in the right place — preferably not the middle of Milford Sound.

Pee Kay: Farting Against Thunder Continues

On Tuesday, March 10th, an EF-1 tornado destroyed the Dunns Bridge Solar I and II facilities owned by the Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO). The facilities, located outside of Wheaton, Indiana, had 2.4 million solar panels, totaling 700 megawatts (MW) of power capacity, and reportedly cost $1 billion to construct—a little over $1,400

 per kilowatt (kW).

Dr Bryce Wilkinson: The oil price policy traps from the 1970s which the Government should learn from

Brent crude hit $112 a barrel last Friday. Goldman Sachs says it could reach $147 if the Strait of Hormuz stays closed; the futures market predicts it will be $86 in six months. Anyone who knew for sure could make a fortune. But no one does.

The inexorable pressure on governments to “do something”, always has dangers New Zealand has been here before. Twice. First in 1973–74 and again in 1979–80.

Dr James Kierstead: Another academic freedom case

Academic freedom has become a major concern at universities across the English-speaking world in recent years. Speakers have been disinvited, papers retracted, and academics disciplined or even dismissed for things they have said or positions they have taken. My 2024 Initiative report on academic freedom at New Zealand universities demonstrated that academic freedom is also at risk here.

Dr Oliver Hartwich: Just the opening act

The Strait of Hormuz is closed. Flights through the Middle East have been cancelled. Petrol has surged well past $3 a litre.

Four thousand shipping containers of New Zealand meat and dairy sit stranded on rerouted vessels. Tourism operators are fielding mass cancellations. The Reserve Bank Governor gave an emergency speech to business leaders on Tuesday.

Henry Olsen: The immigrant's odyssey

Christopher Nolan’s adaptation of The Odyssey is expected to be a big hit this winter. Closer to home, Kiwis may want to discover another perilous journey: that of at least 80,000 foreign neighbours, through cumbersome bureaucracy, to reach these shores across the wine-dark Tasman Sea.

Tell us, O muse, of what it takes to acquire an Accredited Employer Work Visa!

Ele Ludemann: Incompetence or worse?

Derek Cheng writes : Chris Hipkins says he never got the ‘unnecessary risk’ advice on teens and Covid vaccine. This Cabinet paper shows otherwise:

Then-Covid Response Minister Chris Hipkins received advice about the potential risks of a second Covid-19 vaccine dose for teenagers at a time when tens of thousands of them had yet to get a follow-up jab.

David Farrar: Hold my beer, Willow-Jean, says Ginny

It was almost beyond dispute that Willow-Jean Prime was the worst Labour Education Spokesperson in living memory. It is hard to think you can do worse than having your leader criticise the Government for a lack of consultation over NCEA, and then learn Willow-Jean personally ignored or declined three personal requests from the Minister to brief her.

Lindsay Mitchell: Hipkins under-performing and underwhelming

Opposition leader Chris Hipkins does a regular slot with host Nick Mills on the Wellington NewstalkZB morning show.

On Wednesday, much of the half hour was consumed by the host trying to extract from Hipkins what Labour would be doing about the fuel 'crisis' if in government. This was fastidiously avoided with various excuses, one being that, as opposition, they weren't privy to the kind of information the government has. Yet later in the show, when pressed on how long he thought the Iran conflict would go on, Hipkins said, "The official advice we got yesterday, when we met with the government and thankfully they did give us the opportunity to get a bit of a briefing, was even if the conflict ended quickly there will be months of disruption to fuel supplies so as a result, we are going to experience higher fuel prices for longer." So that excuse didn't wash. Luxon's crystal ball is no clearer than Hipkin's.

Mike's Minute: Here's the problem with the Reserve Bank economists

The problem with people like Paul Conway, who is the Chief Economist at the Reserve Bank, is they “know” some stuff.

They sound good in a speech, but their record exposes them badly.

Paul gave a speech this week to the National Financial Advisers conference.