Dr Eric Crampton: For more help and less noise

Parliament is supreme but it is not infallible.

Governments often propose policies that are wrong in principle. And even when policy is right in principle, it is easy to make mistakes when drafting legislation.

Dr Bryce Wilkinson: Two suggestions for handling a deluge of submissions.

How should a select committee respond to a deluge of submissions? Does it matter if many submissions are part of a campaign playing on whipped up fears?

Such questions now confront our select committees. A process-oriented Bill before Parliament has apparently attracted over 133,000 whipped up submissions.

Elizabeth Rata: Extracts from Submission to the Consultation on the Draft English Curriculum

Language and Trust in the Curriculum

Political interests control the curriculum’s language when disciplinary authority is usurped by ideologies. This happened to the New Zealand curriculum from the 1990s. Within a tightening straitjacket of permitted language, words were disconnected from meaning. George Orwell described this ideological tactic as thought corrupting language and language corrupting thought. The solution was to let meaning choose the word.

The Te Matawai Maihi Maori Strategy and Implementation Approach launched by Cabinet Directive in December 2018 illustrate what happens when words choose meanings to serve ideologies. Te Maihi Karanua’s three Audacious Goals were to drive the meaning of public policy. The goals were truly audacious with ‘Aotearoatanga’ intended as the outcome for Audacious Goal One – a transformation of what New Zealand is as a nation.

David Lillis: Shakespeare in the English Curriculum?

A Draft Curriculum for Comment

The Ministry of Education has made available its draft New Zealand Curriculum for English, Years 7 – 13 and for Mathematics and Statistics, Years 9 – 13. Each is a knowledge-rich curriculum and so we can be very encouraged that New Zealand is now receiving subject-level curricula that will help to enable first class education for all students of every background and across all schools. However, the capability of teachers to deliver a knowledge-rich New Zealand Curriculum across all subjects may need further development and possibly we must address Initial Teacher Education. At present, the underlying philosophy of university teacher education may not provide the best fit with the new curriculum approach.

The draft curriculum for English is available for comment until 13 June 2025 (Ministry of Education, 2025a). That for Mathematics and Statistics has a more limited timeframe, and is available for comment until 28 April (Ministry of Education, 2025b). A description of the design of the draft curriculum for English is given in the appendix to this article.

Fiona Mackenzie: Co-Governance Bites in NZ’s Largest City

If you think the previous National Government’s Independent Māori Statutory Board (IMSB) is already wielding too much power in a compliant Auckland City Council, brace yourself for further attack on our democracy by its tribal representatives.

One third of New Zealand’s population are having their rights further eroded by the radical interpretation of a permittable (but not mandatory) ‘Deed of Acknowledgement’ in the Waitākere Ranges Heritage Area Act 2008. These innocuous words are being used to facilitate 50/50 co-governance over a significant portion of Auckland’s landmass - with more to come.

David Seymour systematically DISMANTLES arguments against the Treaty Principles Bill

David Seymour hosts a press conference in response to the release of the Justice Select Committee’s report on the Treaty Principles Bill.

Click to view

Dr Don Brash: Shame on National and Christopher Luxon

The following is written by Don Brash in his capacity as Hobson's Pledge trustee.

So desperate are Christopher Luxon and the National Party to ignore their supporters, they are returning the Treaty Principles Bill from the Justice Committee over a month early.

The committee led by National MP, James Meager, has today tabled its report on the Bill – a report not due until May!

Peter Williams: The Results are in

But the submissions score surely does not tell the real story

It was probably just coincidence but within two hours of me posting my previous Substack asking how many submissions on the Treaty Principles Bill were opposed and how many were in favour, the chair of the Justice Select Committee James Meager very kindly produced the numbers.

In case you missed them, he reports that of the more than 300,000 written submissions 90 percent were opposed to the Bill, 8 percent were supportive of it and 2 percent were unstated.

Garrick Tremain: Three Waters submissions

 Here is Garrick Tremain's cartoon commentary on Three Waters submissions ignored ! 

Cam Slater: They Never Asked Before, Why Ask Now?

The Government has decided to ask Aucklanders what sort of harbour crossing they want. They think we are stupid and have forgotten the last bridge debacle that Michael Wood, the Transport Minister and bridge salesman, tried to sell us. A cycle bridge, which cost us tens of millions of dollars in consultancy fees, only to be scrapped. They never asked before, so why ask now?

Stuart Smith: National’s Response to Three Waters

The Three Waters debate is heating up as the Finance and Expenditure Select Committee, or FEC as it is known, begins to hear evidence on the Water Services Bill. The Three Waters legislation will enable the establishment of four Water Services Entities with convoluted co-governance structures that will take control of rate payer owned assets. FEC received 88,324 submissions which had to be hard copies because the government used their majority to stipulate this in the hope that it would reduce the number. As a result, select committee staff were forced to wade through mountains of paper to collate submissions.

Lindsay Mitchell: Most open and transparent govt ever

Most open and transparent government ever. That's what the Prime Minister, who charged herself with bettering outcomes for NZ children, promised. 

I monitor the Ministry of Social Development's website daily.

Today the following notice appeared:

Every five years, New Zealand reports to the United Nations about what they are doing to make sure children’s rights are met. 

The government has apparently prepared a response and says:

We would like your feedback on how well the Government has responded to the issues raised by the Committee.

Frank Newman: Money matters and mediation

Last week was Money Week. I thought every week was money week but apparently we only need to think about money one week of the year and the remainder of the time we can think about the various other causes that have weeks attached to them.

One of the major daily newspapers has been running a series of columns with money tips from our political leaders. I am not sure why one would actually ask a politician for money advice when the government consistently spends more than it earns. It would be more logical to ask for money advice from those who are good at managing money - but then they are not chasing votes and most do not seek publicity.

ICRP: Independent constitution group invites submissions

Independent constitution group invites submissions

Submissions on New Zealand’s constitutional future may be made to the Independent Constitutional Review Panel, chair David Round said today. The independent panel has opened submissions because the government’s official Constitutional Advisory Panel (CAP), which begins receiving public submissions this week, has consulted mainly with Maori, with the general public largely unaware of its existence.