They Are Radicalising Our Parliament
Will the coalition accelerate the tribal takeover of our country by agreeing to introduce tikanga into parliament, or will they honour their election pledge to voters and reject it?
NZ Politics
News Briefing: 5 May 2025
Republished with Permission Author: Bryce Edwards BUDGET, ECONOMY, RESERVE BANK Matthew Hooton (Herald): Labour’s credibility demands big new tax promises (paywalled) Vernon Small (Post): Is all this belt-tightening really the best option right now? (paywalled) Liam Dann (Herald): Are Kiwis about to be hit with an ‘austerity Budget’? (paywalled)
New Choppers, Fewer Numbers, and a Sinking Feeling: NZ’s Defence Spending Conundrum
This helicopter deal is a step but it’s a wobbly one. Five to replace eight feels like a downgrade dressed up as an upgrade. The lack of drone investment is a missed opportunity. And the price tag, driven by ‘interoperability’, smells like we’re paying a premium to keep Uncle Sam smiling.
Seymour’s Razor: Slicing Through New Zealand’s Bloated Bureaucracy
New Zealand doesn’t need a government that looks like a corporate org chart gone rogue. We need one that’s lean, mean and focused on results. Seymour’s got the razor out. Let’s see if he’s got the guts to make the deep cuts we really need.
The RBNZ Is Told to Cut ANZ’s Requirements
Yet Australia’s authorities have ordered ANZ to increase them.
Legalised abortion in NZ (Part Five)
And, yes, women do suffer complications, sometimes severe complications, from taking these pills.
On Prisons and Popes
A few thoughts on the government's recent decision to rescind prisoners' voting rights and the passing of Pope Francis. What a combo! Plus, a preview of my trip to Israel.
Is National the Red Under the Bed?
Remember, anarchists never sleep and Minister Potaka has made his anti-democratic intentions for local government very clear.
Auckland Uni Students React to Treaty ‘Indoctrination’
How long taxpayers will agree to support universities which dedicate themselves to ‘decolonisation’ and the overthrow of ‘Western knowledge’ – and boast about it as Auckland University’s newsletter has done – is an open question.
News Briefing: 2 May 2025
Republished with Permission Author: Bryce Edwards PARLIAMENT, PUBLIC SECTOR, WEEK IN POLITICS Lillian Hanly (RNZ): NZ Initiative 'absolutely delighted' Seymour wants to slash ministerial line-up Adam Pearse (Herald): David Seymour proposes abolishing some portfolios and cutting minister numbers Craig McCulloch (RNZ): ACT's David Seymour wants to
Malcolm Turnbull’s Relevance Deprivation Syndrome: A Pompous Lecture from a Failed PM
Turnbull’s RNZ sermon is just another chapter in his long history of self-important drivel. He’s a failed PM who couldn’t hack it at home, so now he’s preaching to the Kiwis like he’s some elder statesman.
Willis Wants Budgets to Be ‘Lolly Scrambles’
Her pre-budget speech is out-of-touch Wellington jokey silliness.
Is MMP Serving Us Well?
It has become increasingly necessary for the centrist parties to garner the support of the fringes and therefore have been forced to adopt positions on matters that they would otherwise consider incidental to their main priorities.
News Briefing: 1 May 2025
Republished with Permission Author: Bryce Edwards BUDGET, ECONOMY Thomas Coughlan (Herald): Government not ruling out cuts to its $521 a year KiwiSaver contribution Gordon Campbell: On Our Austerity Fixation Chelsea Daniels (Herald): Front Page: What could be cut as Government slashes operating allowance for Budget 2025 Bernard Hickey (The Kākā)
Judge Ema Aitken’s Disgrace: A Judicial Scandal That Demands Accountability
How can the public trust Aitken to preside impartially when she’s shown such blatant disregard for judicial decorum?