Caleb Anderson: State media coverage of the 2026 election warrants scrutiny

It is now widely believed, by a significant portion of the population, that state media, in its current form, is incapable of moderating its left wing bias. It seems wedded to ideological positions that make neutrality near impossible, has even given up attempts at even the appearance of neutrality, and is happy to wear its bias on its sleeves. 

Caleb Anderson: The Simplified Life: How the West Lost Its Mind to the Left Brain

It is interesting to reflect on whether ideas corrupt people, or people corrupt ideas. While inevitably a mix, we seem very often to lean toward the latter. The most dangerous thing you can do to an idea is to strip it of its context, and hence of its complexity.

Caleb Anderson: Fascism - the uncomfortable truth

It is pretty standard for the far left to throw the accusation of fascism at the political or institutional right. This has become common currency when the left encounter something, or someone, they don't like.

It saves arguing the case. Just throw the insult, and assume it will stick. Throw it often, and it becomes orthodoxy.

Caleb Anderson: Marxism in Disguise

In the 1960s, an ideology was seeded within our universities that would have a profound effect on our nation's direction of travel. Barely discernible to the majority at first, it moved slowly through our public institutions, filtered into our schools, and gradually corrupted the body politic.

Caleb Anderson: Authenticity and the Unexamined Life

Socrates is known for his claim that the unexamined life is not worth living. What did he mean by that, and what implications does this have?

I have spent thousands of hours counselling others, often young people. I have been struck by an explosion in the number of young people (and not so young people) who seem devoid of direction, desperate for certainty, lost in the convenience of dogma.

Caleb Anderson: What's really at stake in this election?

One of the preeminent features of humanity is its capacity for contemplation. Interesting things happen when that contemplation reaches the boundaries of the known (or certain).

There is a very real sense in which postmodernism operates like a cult. It has a breathtaking propensity for making claims that are neither rational nor scientific—claims that openly affront reason and common sense.

Caleb Anderson: The NZ First Conundrum - and its potential undoing

Last week Shane Jones issued a warning to the Waitangi Tribunal indicating, basically, that NZ First expects them to stay in their lane.

There was something odd about this media release, both in respect of content, and in respect of timing.

Caleb Anderson: New Zealand's True tipping point may be closer than we think

It certainly appears that New Zealand, and the West generally, is facing a number of utterly persistent, concurrent, and often interconnected crises.

Worrying signs are evident in many Western economies. Health sectors are under strain, racial tensions simmer, immigration tensions persist, and crime, media, governance, adherence to (and respect for) due process, freedom of speech, parenting, and so on, seem to be breaking down. The speed at which this is happening has taken most by surprise.

Caleb Anderson: The Education Conundrum - Complementary Opposites

Media have been delighted to run a story on the opinions of five anonymous teachers bemoaning current curriculum changes. The anonymity implies that these teachers would be reprimanded for the positions taken, unlikely, and their unanimity indicates the views of the profession at large, also unlikely.

Caleb Anderson: Information and intelligence are not the same thing

It seems that we live in an age of abundant information. But is this making us more, or perhaps less, intelligent? Why, with vast amounts of information at our fingertips, are we more uncertain, divided, and confused, on so many fronts?

We are swimming in information and drowning in confusion.

Caleb Anderson: Binding Citizens Referenda - could this work?

Increasingly Western voters are losing confidence in the governments they elect, not in New Zealand alone.

Commitments made before elections are frequently ignored or traded, influencers seem to exert disproportionate leverage in shaping policy, while bureaucrats delay and obstruct, and politicians obfuscate.

Caleb Anderson: Postmodern mischief and the dismantling of truth

Postmodernism has turned the world as we know it on its head, it has unsettled the western political order, compromised our institutions, contaminated our universities, and undermined objectivity and reason.

Postmodernism's greatest danger is its denial of a universal human nature, seeing this, in spite of compelling historical and scientific evidence to the contrary, as primarily socially, rather than biologically, determined.

Caleb Anderson: The psychopathology of the left and the slow death of decency

Recent controversy around disparaging comments about Nicola Willis made by a prominent member of the labour caucus at a closed-door workshop give pause for thought. The response by the Labour leader, when asked to explain, was simply that he had reminded his caucus to be cautious with their words as they could become public.

Caleb Anderson: The Denial of Complexity in the Search for Simplicity

I initially trained to be a history teacher, but have spent most of my career in school administration. I have sometimes thought that, in retirement, I would give my time to the nearest secondary school, at no charge, for the simple privilege of working with their senior history students, inculcating a love for the discipline, and maybe to encourage some students to further their studies of history at the tertiary level.

Caleb Anderson: Dare to be a Daniel

The words below will be familiar to those who grew up in Christian homes. Whether you view Daniel in truth, or in archetype, his story bore/bears witness to the willingness of some to stand for principles in spite of the cost.

Caleb Anderson: The Ethical Void - Why the West’s True Crisis is a Moral One

The Western world today is in the grip of a profound crisis, yet we remain blind to a significant contributing factor. We debate economic trends, political polarization, and social fragmentation, as if they are distinct (stand alone) issues, failing to realize they are mere symptoms of a deeper, more fundamental affliction: the collapse of ethical standards of inquiry, discourse, and conduct ... and the absence of generally accepted moral boundaries.

Caleb Anderson: The Economic Smoke Machine – Ignoring the Real Crisis

For decades, we have been told that "it’s all about the economy." It is the ultimate political conversation stopper, a blunt instrument used to narrow the scope of public debate to GDP, inflation rates, and the cost of living. While economic security is undeniably crucial, this relentless refrain has become a masterclass in distraction, masking a deeper, more insidious erosion of our social fabric, and inevitably of any sense of common good.

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.

Caleb Anderson: The Unlearning of Education: How NZ Schools Lost Their Way

For decades, New Zealand boasted an education system that was world class—a place where foundational knowledge, critical thinking, and academic rigour, were paramount considerations.

Walking through a school today, however, it is hard not to feel a profound sense of loss. We have witnessed in real time the slow, methodical, deliberate, and calculated erosion of traditional academic standards. These have been replaced by a "child-centred" philosophy that, in practice, seems to focus on everything except the core disciplines of reading, writing, and mathematics.

Caleb Anderson: Critical Race Theory - At what price?

It is sometimes difficult to fathom the thinking, ultimate intent, or even psychological condition, of many proponents of Critical Race Theory. Those most active in promotion of Critical Race Theory are almost cultish in their singular, and unwavering, embeddedness in the cause, and discordant, unstable, aggressive, and inconsistent, in their messaging.