Mike's Minute: So yes, Chris Hipkins does think you're stupid

I asked yesterday whether Chris Hipkins thought we were stupid.

And as luck would have it, he answered our question – yes, he does.

First you have the Future Fund, a cornerstone policy, revelation that they aren't telling us who's money goes in and what sort of job creation they are expecting because they got bogged down in the Treaty issues, so we will need to wait until after the election.

Elliot Ikilei: Is this a power company or a cultural ministry?

Have you seen this?

Meridian’s job advertisement [below] is seriously revealing, and not for the reasons the company probably intended.

DTNZ: Arctic sea ice levels remain significantly above 2012 record low

New figures on Arctic sea ice have reignited debate over climate projections after the 2025 summer minimum measured 4.6 million square kilometres — around 35 per cent higher than the record low of 3.4 million square kilometres recorded in 2012.

David Harvey: The Culture of Complaint

An Institutional Problem

I have a book on my shelf entitled “Culture of Complaint” by Robert Hughes. I purchased it in September 1993 shortly after it was published.

It was an interesting book because although it argued primarily about problems in the United States of America, the issues Hughes describes resonate today. The book was prescient in that respect.

Robert Hughes was an Australian-born art critic, writer and producer of television documentaries. He was art editor for Time magazine and is known to television audiences for his TV series on modern art entitled “The Shock of the New” which was brilliant.

Simon O'Connor: Be prepared

The fraying of the international rules-based order and various conflicts - either happening now or possible in the future - should see New Zealand preparing now. There are no excuses for inaction.

During a recent visit by the US President to Beijing, President Xi of China made it clear that Taiwan must become part of China. Xi has frequently talked of Taiwan as part of China, and that it will eventually be reunited including by military force if necessary.

Andrew Dickens: Is the Government counting its chickens before they hatch?

Let's start with the big story of the day: the Finance Minister yesterday unveiling a major plan to shrink the public service. It's putting thousands of jobs on the line, but it is booking, potentially, billion-dollar savings into this year's Budget. So the interesting thing about her announcement —there were precursors to this, so this is stuff we knew, but it's all brought it into focus— is the pure numbers that we're talking about.

Bob Edlin: What state services can learn from Fonterra......

What state services can learn from Fonterra: bigger isn’t always better and merging might not make us better off

Streamlining is one thing. Merging is another.

Finance Minister Nicola Willis drew attention to this when discussing the Government’s public-sector policy objectives yesterday:

David Farrar: Winding back Treaty references

Paul Goldsmith announced:

The Government has agreed to amend 19 pieces of legislation to ensure references to the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi are clear and consistent, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith says.

“Over the last 30 or 40 years, Parliament has made all sorts of references to the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi. Sometimes it’s ‘honour’, or ‘have regard to’, or ‘give effect to’, or ‘take into account’. We need to create some consistency here, in the interests of increasing certainty and supporting compliance. A core foundation of our success as a nation is predictability in the law. …

Thursday May 21, 2026 

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Parmjeet Parmar: No expiry date for serious crime

New Zealand’s promise to new arrivals is straightforward: contribute, obey our laws, and you can build a wonderful life here. But that promise carries an equally clear expectation – the privilege of residency cannot be abused. For those who are not citizens, this is a social contract, and it must be upheld.

Clive Bibby: A bubble that has burst - will politicians ever learn?

One of the hallmarks of the original “Welfare State” concept was its promise of State funded welfare that would meet the basic needs of every citizen irrespective of race, political affiliations or position on the social ladder. It would be available to all.

Breaking Views Update: Week of 17.5.26

Thursday May 21, 2026 

News:
Government updates official branding to highlight English over te reo Māori
The government has updated its official branding to give greater prominence to English over te reo Māori, following a directive from new Public Service Minister Paul Goldsmith.

The Public Service Commission sent the new logo to all ministries and departments this week, telling them to update their websites by the end of June, in line with the coalition's English-first policy.

Ani O'Brien: The Public Service isn’t a six-figure welfare scheme

Some super quick thoughts on the public service reforms

The reaction to Nicola Willis’ pre-Budget speech today went full throttle before she had even delivered it. The proposals were not especially radical, but you would not know this if you interacted with any media today. It was astounding how quickly large sections of New Zealand’s political and media class moved to attack the measures intended to save money and make our government more efficient. The arguments for consolidating our public service and tightening our belts were shut down before they could even properly be debated.

JC: How to Win Big Revealed in Poll

Immediately after the Australian budget Roy Morgan ran a snap poll across 2,348 voters Australia-wide to see where the parties sat in terms of popularity. The poll revealed some staggering numbers. The reasons were listed in detail and many of them could apply equally to the political situation in this country. If National, in particular, want to win big they should take heed of the reasons given for the increased support shown for Pauline Hanson's nationalist party One Nation.

David Farrar: Labour to release key policy after the election!!!

The Herald reports:

Labour has admitted key details about its Future Fund, including the cost to the Crown and which state assets will be rolled into it, will not be released until after voters have gone to the polls.

On Tuesday, Labour’s finance spokeswoman Barbara Edmonds admitted the party doesn’t itself know which public assets will go in the fund, and won’t know until it gets advice from officials after the election.

Richard Prebble: AI Could Make Big Government Even Bigger

On a flight to Wellington the passenger beside me introduced himself.

“I’m from IBM. We are developing for Railways a world-leading wages management system.”

All my alarm bells went off.

Mike's Minute: Labour's lack of detail show they've learned nothing

So let me get this right, just so we know where we’re at.

The Labour Party —who, I'm assuming, still want to be taken seriously this election— have had a major issue up to this point.

They have no policies.

Dr James Allan: No, Trump Hasn’t “Undermined the Rule of Law”

In two recent articles in the pages of Quadrant (March 2026 issue ‘The Temptations of Unfreedom Revisited’ and May 2026 issue ‘Nasty, Brutish and Short-Sighted’), Oliver Hartwich has spent considerable time attacking US President Donald Trump. In the first of these, Hartwich alleged that Trump has systematically violated the rule of law. And that he has undermined the institutional integrity of the courts, law enforcement and the civil service. And that he has weaponised the Justice Department against his political foes. The listed vices go on.

Bob Edlin: City councils: transparency about a suspension in Dunedin but mystery about a resignation in Wellington

RNZ left little room for wondering about Dunedin city councillor Benedict Wong’s suspension from all committees and subcommittees for nine months “because of concerns about his behaviour”.

Wong faced a code of conduct complaint after revealing details about a potential hotel development at Forsyth Barr Stadium to reporters in April.

David Farrar: Government to trim 8,700 public servants

Nicola Willis and Paul Goldsmith have announced the following:

• A target to return the ratio of public servants to the population of 1.0%, meaning a target of 55,000 by 2029

• A sinking lid on operating budgets for agencies that will save $2.4 billion with greater use of AI

• A reduction in the number of core department and ministries from 39 (Australia has 16)