Electoral Commission Requiring Staff To Learn The Treaty Of Waitangi

Dr Muriel Newman and Sean Plunket discuss the Electoral Commission requiring staff to learn the Treaty of Waitangi on The Platform

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The Leighton Smith Podcast: Dr Muriel Newman on this year's hugely consequential general election

Leighton Smith and Dr Muriel Newman discuss the ongoing constitutional shift toward iwi influence, co-governance and race-based policies. In this election year, New Zealand is arguably facing its biggest challenge to date.

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NZCPR: Submission on the Natural Environment Bill and the Planning Bill

NZCPR Submission on the Natural Environment Bill and the Planning Bill

11 February 2026

Committee Secretariat
Environment Select Committee
Parliament Buildings
Wellington

Dear Sir,

Thank you for providing the opportunity to make a submission on the Natural Environment Bill and the Planning Bill.

This submission on is on behalf of New Zealand Centre for Political Research, a public policy think tank established in 2005. 

Muriel Newman: A Personal Message As We Begin 2026

Please Note: Since Breaking Views is a key part of the NZCPR community, this message is important for BV readers...

Dear Reader,

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and New Year.

As we put the finishing touches to our first New Zealand Centre for Political Research newsletter of 2026 — featuring our State of the Nation analysis — I want to personally thank you for being part of our NZCPR community.

David Farrar: Hutt City Council backs down

The FSU announced:

Following a legal battle between Hutt City Council and the Free Speech Union over the Council’s censorship of inserts on Council sites, the parties have agreed to settle. The Council will make several public statements affirming its commitment to free speech, and its role as a gateway for information, not a gatekeeper, says Jonathan Ayling, Chief Executive of the Free Speech Union.

Paul Brennan chats to Jonathan Ayling about Hutt City Council's banning of Sir Apirana Ngata

Free Speech Union Chief Executive Jonathan Ayling joins Paul Brennan on Reality Check Radio to discuss an open letter to Local Government Minister Simeon Brown about a case of censorship - the cancelling of Sir Apirana Ngata by the Lower Hutt City Council.

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Graham Adams: The highly inconvenient Sir Apirana Ngata

The statesman’s views on sovereignty prove troublesome.

Sir Apirana Ngata has a pre-eminent place in the pantheon of Māori luminaries. He is widely regarded as a visionary leader who, in an illustrious political career, championed biculturalism when assimilationist policies were the norm. He energetically promoted Māori language and culture, and land reform. He was an MP for nearly 40 years, and held MA and LLB degrees. He was a Cabinet minister and served as Deputy Prime Minister.

His face graces our $50 note — put there, as it happens, by Don Brash when he was Governor of the Reserve Bank.