Colinxy: Annual Māori Whine Day

February 6th is officially meant to commemorate the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi — a foundational moment in New Zealand’s history. For a time, the day was even rebranded as New Zealand Day, an attempt to emphasise national unity rather than grievance. But over the years, the occasion has drifted far from celebration. In practice, it has increasingly become what many now see as an annual grievance ritual, where the loudest voices dominate the headlines.

Graham Adams: Media in damage control after by-election

Last Saturday’s Tāmaki Makaurau by-election in which Te Pāti Māori’s Oriini Kaipara trounced Labour’s list MP Peeni Henare has sparked references to November’s hikoi as a turning point in engaging Maori voters. Yet the extremely low turnout indicates the very opposite.

Māori activists and their sympathisers in the media have feasted long and hard on the hikoi, repeatedly presenting it as a harbinger of the dominant political force they insist disaffected Māori are becoming.

JC: The Left Are Unfit to Govern

Many of us have been aware over our lifetime that the left are unfit to govern. Considering the events of the past week, one could justifiably add the word manifestly. Nobody with an ounce of common sense would consider them a viable alternative to the current government. No one in their right mind would entertain these out of touch loons being let anywhere near the levers of power. They are a complete disgrace, the lot of them, and, whether they realise it or not, they are consigning themselves to the dustbin of history.

JC: Media Should Hang Their Heads

They are completely out of touch politically, both internationally and domestically.

The news media are nothing short of an unmitigated disgrace. They have proven themselves to be a national embarrassment. They don’t deal in reality; they inhabit their left-wing bunker, spout leftist rhetoric and seem to think we will just sit here and swallow it. Well, those of us who, unlike the media, do our research and follow reputable news outlets are aware of the reality and see the BS we are being fed.

Dr Michael Bassett: Dealing with enemies of this ministry

Ever wondered who or what is constantly trying to block the new government’s policies? Why is it that announcements by ministers about the economy, educational changes, new health proposals, reducing the runaway numbers of public servants and combating juvenile crime, are quickly met with so-called leaked bits of advice about how the new ideas have been “tried before and don’t work”? Leading to cocky assertions from the Labour Opposition that the media then highlight. Frequently, the minister is the last person allowed media space.

Cam Slater: A Legacy Media Person Who Gets It

Heather du Plessis-Allan is the only legacy media person who seems to get what it was that Winston Peters was trying to say, even as those around her were losing their collective minds.

David Farrar: The media never pushing left MPs hard

Liam Hehir writes:

Unpopular stances held by politicians can come under intense scrutiny. Sometimes.

Consider Christopher Luxon's pro-life position on abortion. Under repeat questioning, he painted himself into a corner by saying that the termination of a pregnancy is tantamount to murder, which is not the pro-life position. This sparked relentless questioning by the media and the controversy is still cited by his enemies today.

Bryce Edwards: Political donations, Lobbying, Labour Party recovery, the media’s performance, and National’s questionable reforms

Have political donations and lobbying from the natural health sector led to the incoming government’s decision to repeal the Therapeutic Products Act? That’s the question asked today by RNZ’s Farah Hancock, who looks at the long-running relationship between the NZ First party and industry group, the Natural Health Alliance – see: What is it about Winston Peters and the natural health products industry?

The lobby group ran election advertisements, together with the mysterious S.B. Group, calling for a vote for NZ First. Hancock points out that the party then shot up in the polls, got into power, and included a promise to repeal the Therapeutic Products Act in the new Government’s 100-day plan.

Wendy Geus: Similar Journeys Reflect the Time We’re In

The left-wing media will have you believe the current National Government in New Zealand and Republican party in the US have recently made major radical moves to the right. That they are taking us back to the ’70s or even the ’50s.

That is rubbish and is a deliberate narrative to misrepresent and conceal the radical changes of the past three years (in NZ) by the political left; changes which were not campaigned on and were hidden from us by the most radical and corrupt of any government in our history, with full compliance from the media.

Mike Hosking: The Government has had a good week

Now that we actually have things underway, this Government had a good week.

Taking almost two months after voting to open things is ludicrous, the three weeks of counting that is now under investigation anyway given they cocked it up, the swearing in and speech from the throne on two separate days when it could have been done in one - but at least after all that they have promised a shortened summer break given all there is to do.

Wendy Geus: Luxon Not Dancing to the Government’s Tune

The media’s bullying of National (and Wayne Brown) is becoming a little predictable, like Stuff‘s Glenn McConnell or the Herald‘s Simon Wilson who use storytelling artistic licence to sell the government’s narrative and misrepresent National and the Mayor.

The media’s current fixation is bilingual road signs. Chris Luxon does not bring this issue up; the media do every time. I can confidently say Luxon would rather take a dip in the Arctic Ocean than discuss this political hot potato.

The government’s propaganda arm then make up the narrative to paint him as the bad guy who is ‘struggling with Maori politics’ or ‘keeps returning to this uneasy question’, according to misleading commentary from the rigid worldview of Glenn McConnell.

Damien Grant: Why we need to stand up for the Maureen Pughs of the world

“Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows.”

Readers who have had the benefit of a pre-decolonised education may recognise that line from George Orwell’s 1984. It was written by the protagonist, Winston Smith, as he struggles against the demands of the Party that two plus two could equal five.

In Orwell’s now iconic literary achievement, the threat against reason was coming from above. He did not contemplate that those who sought, and succeeded, in controlling how we think and talk could come from below. And yet, here we are.

The latest victim of our new Orwellian reality was Maureen Pugh.

John Robinson: Where are we going? This is our country, our future to decide

We, the living, are not ruled from beyond the grave by those who lived before us in different times. It is for us to decide our way of life, our culture, our government, our laws.

Let go the shackles of the past

The Treaty of Waitangi was set down, agreed upon and signed in 1840, now (in 2022) 182 years in the past. In the last half-century, the text has been argued over, translated to and fro between English and Maori multiple times with massive changes in the meaning of many Maori words — such as taonga going from property taken at the point of a spear [Hongi Hika: tao, a spear] to “treasures” [Kawharu]), and given newly introduced add-ons (such as “partnership” and “principles”) so there are many and contradictory versions of what was meant and what should guide us today.