Guest Post: The Numbers do not Lie

A guest post from Owen Jennings on Kiwiblog:

Everyone seems to have an opinion on Christopher Luxon’s future. Why not? He is Prime Minster, after all. He has to be open to scrutiny.

But, is what we are encountering the normal, hurly burly of politics and strong media coverage? Or is there some other force at play? Some homework, using Artificial Intelligence, suggests there is and it’s something that should concern every New Zealand voter.

Guest Post: How to Change Your Polling Overnight

A Guest Post by Danny Bright on GoodOil.

An open letter to Christopher Luxon. Here, at no cost to the taxpayer, are some things that could change everything almost overnight. You don’t need all of them. Pick three. Stand behind them. Mean them. And watch the polls respond.

Dear Mr Luxon

It seems nobody in your administration is telling you, or you’re just not listening to them, so let me have a try.

Guest Post: One Thing Leads to Another

A guest post on No Minister by Kerry Butler

When those in positions of power enact a policy that is meant to be “limited” to specific groups involving exceptional circumstances, such benevolence invariably ends up extending beyond the original intent.

We‘ve witnessed a classic example of this incremental creep in Welfare.

Maori Activists are very aware of the fact that when they push for “special” treatment of whatever sort for Maoridom, that’s really just about getting their foot in the door, i.e. knowing that it will lead to more.

Guest Post: The Problem Isn’t the OIA – It’s the bureaucracy behind it

A guest post by Rhys Hurley on Kiwiblog

Taxpayers have a right to know what is being done with their money. The Official Information Act (OIA) is one of the only tools they have to find out.

Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has, however, asked his officials to review the cost of this system and even floated the idea of restricting access to some of this information.

Guest Post: Another proposed "Treaty racket"

Guest Post by John McLean on No Minister

Guess what! The pale faces of the tribal elite have just thought up a new way of extracting more money out of the long-suffering taxpayer. This time it’s TEETH.

That master of one-sided bias and misinformation, the taxpayer funded Radio New Zealand, reported on 20 March, 2026, that the reason why so many Maori have bad teeth is because of “colonisation”. Without bothering to check the accuracy of what it was reporting it gave its piece the blazing headline of “Calls grow for Universal Te Tiriti consistent dental care”.

Guest Post: On the long-term costs of New Zealand Superannuation: more affordable now?

A guest post on Kiwiblog by Michael Littlewood:

As New Zealand’s population ages and, in particular, as the proportion of over-65s increases, the cost of New Zealand Superannuation (NZS) is rising. We know that and it doesn’t help us understand the issues to create headlines that catastrophise the expected costs.

The pensions payable in the future, public and private, will be claims on tomorrow’s economy, so the best way to express the expected cost of NZS is as a proportion of tomorrow’s economy. At present, this is probably best measured by the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This is not a perfect measure, given the number of factors that bear on its calculation, particularly for long periods into the future. But it’s the best we have.

Guest Post: KiwiSaver, the employment contract and Budget 2025

A guest post on Kiwiblog by Michael Littlewood:

KiwiSaver is about to change again. The Budget announced an increase in the minimum employee contribution (from 3% to 4%) over three years and in the matching minimum contributions paid by employers.

The government is also cutting its own contribution from a 50% match to the first $1,042.86 of members’ contributions to 25%. So, the maximum taxpayer subsidy drops from $521.43 a year to $260.72. It will also be income-tested so that the highest paid employees (receiving more than $180,000 will lose that.

Guest Post: PM must reverse the ‘Power of General Competence’ to stop activism in local government

A guest post by a reader on Kiwiblog:

As powerless ratepayers face the ongoing tyranny of marxist councils over rates bills and the local government minister’s repeated demands for sensible spending fall on deaf ears, the Prime Minister continues to ignore the obvious solution.

Guest Post: Cultural reports - You didn’t think you’d get rid of me that easily, did you?

A guest post by a reader on Kiwiblog:

I regret to inform you that cultural reports are back, wearing a wig and a false mustache.

In March 2024, Parliament passed the Legal Services Amendment Bill, which abolished public legal aid funding for section 27 reports, also known as “cultural reports”. Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith stated:

JD: It Is a Public Service Defence Strategy

Guest post on The Good Oil by JD

Back in the day I ran one of the larger sales forces in Australasia in one of the most competitive of industries: Office Equipment. And if you think loan sharks, used-car salesmen and the parliamentary wing of Te Pāti Māori are the best exemplars of fanatical, self-interested aggression, you’ve never seen a pack of OE salespeople chasing down a photocopier order. But I digress.

Guest Post: New Zealand’s Doctor Shortage Isn’t Real—It’s a Policy Failure

A guest post on Kiwiblog by Marley Joseph:

New Zealand’s public hospitals are facing a doctor shortage, yet Health New Zealand—the bureaucratic body overseeing our public health system—continues to artificially limit the number of hospital internship positions available to newly qualified doctors. Without these placements, graduates cannot gain full registration and are effectively locked out of the workforce. Meanwhile, instead of hiring more permanent staff, hospitals are forcing already overworked junior doctors to take on unsafe levels of extra shifts just to keep the system running. This isn’t a funding issue—it’s a case of government mismanagement and poor workforce planning that is burning out staff and driving talented doctors overseas.

Guest Post: Ignore the rumours: the IPCA are awesome

A guest post on Kiwiblog by Lucy Rogers:

It was with slight reservations that in November 2023 I laid a complaint to the Independent Police Conduct Authority about the police wrongfully arresting me. Literally everyone seemed to distrust the IPCA. At first I was cautious but kept an open mind. A few months later this progressed to extreme stress when someone purporting to have firsthand knowledge of the IPCA’s practices told me things about the IPCA that I later discovered to be factually untrue.

Guest Post: Social justice takes precedence over law in census investigation

A guest post by a reader on Kiwiblog:

David Seymour obliquely referred to the pervasion of a social justice agenda in New Zealand in his first interview of 2025 on The Country, with words to the effect, Government officials (and universities) have gone rogue implementing identity ideology (with private enterprise following suit!)

Guest Post: The Trump 2.0 investigations

Kiwi in America writes on Kiwiblog,

As monumental and consequential as Trump’s 2nd term policies and Cabinet picks are, and the scope and pace of the initial Executive Orders are a stark reminder of how much Trump wants to get done and how fast he wants to do it, under the radar somewhat will be a series of investigations that will shed light on many of the most egregious and even audacious acts of the Biden Presidency and of the conduct of the so-called ‘deep state’ and its supporters.

Guest Post: The dead bodies deal

A guest post on Kiwiblog by Lucy Rogers:

It’s headline news: Israel and Hamas have reached what some Western media outlets are having the nerve to call a prisoner swap arrangement. (For example, see NBC News’ article Israel and Hamas reach deal on Gaza ceasefire and hostage release, which says that the deal will “free dozens of hostages held in Gaza, as well as Palestinianis [sic] in Israeli jails” and compares the plight of Palestinians in Israeli jails with that of Israeli hostages held in Gaza).

The terms of the deal

Simone Seymour: How NZ Consumers Are Being Ripped Off

Simone Seymour writes as a Guest Post on Goodoil.

All quite legally...and it’s not the government.

Shrinkflation, extortflation, ‘shrinkage’: words that refer to the evil phenomena of paying the same for less. All without realising you’re being deceived.

Guest Post: PhDs

A guest post by a reader on Kiwiblog:

The taxpayer subsidised study for 7355 PhD students in 2023. These are both foreign and domestic students. Because the foreign students pay domestic fees, NZ is considered a cost-effective place to do a PhD.

Breaking down those 7355 (data from the TEC website):

Guest Post: Maori Party threats

A copy of the following letter was forwarded to Michael Bassett. Deputy PM, Winston Peters has also tweeted a copy of the letter saying:

"It seems the Maori Party have sent this letter to all companies who have applied for fast track consideration.

If true, they have shown what extremist economic morons they are and how little they value the future of our country.

Guest Post: Abraham Lincoln and the Treaty of Waitangi

A guest post by Peter Lynn published on Kiwiblog.

In 2005 I went on a pilgrimage with a group of Americans to Gettysburg, site of the pivotal battle of the American Civil War. At the climax of our visit, I was the only person willing to attempt Lincoln’s address. It was rendered in a kiwi accent with quite a bit of fudging but to sustained applause- very polite people Americans.

“Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth, upon this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal—–”

Guest Post: Peter Ellis Case Blows Up New Zealand – Twice

A guest post on Kiwiblog by Peter Lynn:

The strengthening of Tikanga is ominous for New Zealand.

In the 1980’s and 1990’s there were sporadic hysterias about paedophile rings and satanic abuse in various western countries.

In 1993, 35-year-old homosexual Peter Ellis, who had been working at the Christchurch Civic Childcare Centre was tried for offenses against children and found guilty. Four female workers were discharged.