David Farrar: A former TPM co-leader on TPM

Te Ururoa Flavell writes:

1. Māori Party in court with its MPs

2. Two former Māori Party candidate options have gone to Greens. There may be others.

Ani O'Brien: Waitangi 2026 - the year of in-fighting on the Left

Labour and Te Pāti Māori competed in the drama stakes airing their dirty laundry

Waitangi Day is an annual time of remembrance, renewal, grievance, self-flagellation, and competing narratives. The summer ritual at the Treaty Grounds is part civic commemoration, part political theatre, and part family reunion. It is also, the ultimate testing ground for the mettle of centre-right politicians. There is a difference between demonstrating respect and grovelling, and often leaders fall into the trap of the latter.

Waitangi is where speeches are met with heckling and iwi remind the Crown of nearly 200 years of promises as well as issue new demands. This year’s commemorations were charged with protest, apology and juicy gossip, yet they also contained glimmers of hope and common sense.

Matua Kahurangi: Tamaki Makaurau proves over 6,000 retards still have voting rights

Please forgive me in advance, it’s just after midnight and I’m probably at least 15 pints deep by now. I just got back from the pub.

The All Blacks gave New Zealand something to celebrate. So did the resignation of Bussy. Unfortunately, Tamaki Makaurau gave us the exact opposite - a reminder that there are at least 6,031 retards living in that electorate who somehow still get to vote.

Ryan Bridge: Peeni Henare strikes again

At the rate it’s going, this by-election could cost Labour the real election.

Peeni Henare’s popping out policies toxic to the general electorate but popular with the 10,000 odd voters he’ll need to win Tamaki Makarau.

First it was bringing back the gang patches.

Kerre Woodham: What good would repealing the gang patch ban do?

Labour's Tāmaki Makaurau candidate Peeni Heare is standing by a comment that he’d repeal the gang patch ban. He agreed with the notion at an event on Wednesday night. Now, this is despite Chris Hipkins saying no, no, that's not true, we're not going to repeal the gang patch law. Peeni Henare told RNZ he was asked his personal view on the issue, which is informed by whanau experience.

Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: Peeni is harming Labour's chances at government

Seems to me that Peeni Henare's shenanigans in the by-election right now is exactly the kind of thing that Labour has to knock on the head, quick smart, if they want to be in the game at the election next year.

Now, as we were discussing earlier, even though Carmel Sepuloni has told Penny off for saying that he wants to repeal the gang patch ban, he is not backing down.

Steven Gaskell: Straight Talking

Reinventing Tradition: The Art of Making Yesterday Up Today

Welcome to New Zealand, where “tradition” is less about preserving the past and more about rewriting it on the fly with taxpayers footing the bill. Only in Māori culture can something be both a “revival” and a brand-new invention, all while being enforced as if it were chiselled in stone since time began. Point this out and you’re instantly branded a cultural heretic. Because nothing screams “authentic” like rituals cooked up in a committee room sometime around 1987.

Matua Kahurangi: Labour loves the gangs!

Labour is once again being linked with gangs, this time over the gang patch ban. During a debate in Tāmaki Makaurau, Labour candidate Peeni Henare was asked if he supported repealing the ban on wearing gang insignia in public. His answer? “Āe.” Yes.

Centrist: MMP’s weird rule could hand an extra seat to Labour

A by-election in Tāmaki Makaurau could lead to Labour gaining an extra seat in Parliament, not by winning more votes, but because of a strange rule in New Zealand’s MMP system.

David Farrar: MPs suspended

The Privileges Committee has recommended the following consequences for the MPs who disrupted the House, being

* Rawiri Waititi 21 days suspension

* Debbie Ngarewa-Packer 21 days suspension

* Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke 7 days suspension

* Peeni Henare apology (previously decided)

These are all sensible recommendations, fitting the circumstances for each MP.

David Farrar: Two more strikes for the nasty party

Stuff reports:

Labour leader Chris Hipkins has ordered his senior MP Peeni Henare to remove posts on social media ridiculing government ministers including a cartoon image of ACT Leader David Seymour with faeces coming out of his eyes and an anus for a mouth.

Cam Slater: Right Back at Ya!

Labour, along with their handmaidens in the complicit media, have launched a full-on attack against the Government over alleged conflicts of interest with ministers and the tobacco lobbyists. It’s been a rather forlorn attack, but along the way 1News has doxed the Prime Minister’s sister in law, and the rest of the media have played along, hurling all sorts of allegation without any evidence or foundation.

Point of Order: Shane Reit worried - But Peeni Henare sanquine

Independent examination of the Maori Health Authority finds plenty to worry Shane Reti, but Peeni Henare is sanguine

Having found no fresh news on the government’s official website this morning, Point of Order turned its attentions elsewhere and…

Well, we were steered by National’s Health spokesman, Shane Reti, to an independent report on the Maori Health Authority which must be a different independent report from the one that Associate Health Minister Peeni Henare was spruiking yesterday.

Point of Order: Stuff and nonsense.....

......The Post is blinkered when reporting on which Maori (no, not all of them) may suffer from carbon plan

Oh, dear. Our Maori people are being dealt another blow.

That’s the impression given by the headline on an article in The Post headed Carbon plan ‘damaging to Maori”.

Geoffrey Miller: Why is New Zealand’s defence minister visiting South Korea?

New Zealand’s defence minister, Peeni Henare, has had a very busy first half of the year.

In January, Henare was the face of New Zealand’s relief effort to Tonga, following the eruption of the Hunga Tonga–Hunga Ha’apai volcano.

Then, from March onwards, Henare was often involved in Jacinda Ardern’s announcements of military support for Ukraine.

The Government initially decided to supply only defensive (or ‘non-lethal’) equipment to Kyiv, which took the form of body armour, helmets and vests.

Cabinet initially declined a request by Henare for New Zealand to also supply ‘lethal aid’ weaponry to Ukraine – but that decision was suddenly reversed in early April.

Point of Order: Ministers bray about the millions being dispensed for housing (subject to ethnicity) and cultural venues

While the Minister of Housing and her Māori Housing associate were dispensing favours as part of a race-focussed housing initiative for which they are responsible, Kiri Allan was inviting appropriately cultured oinkers to a trough replenished with $13 million of slops.

She described it as a contestable fund, which means there will be some jostling for a share of the goodies, but first in will not necessarily be served.

Community and Voluntary Sector Minister Priyanca Radhakrishnan was of a charitable disposition, too. She announced that following a comprehensive review of the Charities Act, the Government is moving ahead with changes to modernise the legislation that will increase transparency for the public, improve access to justice services and reduce the burden on smaller charities.