When Tree Removal Becomes Risk
Hawke’s Bay, the Mount and the consequences of substituting ideology for environmental science.
NZ Politics
How Authorities Failed at the Mount
The politics were already there, in every decision that led to this point. The question isn’t whether we talk about them. It’s whether we’re honest about what they reveal.
Winston Peters and NZ First: Polling Highs, Historical Trends and Why Polls Are Rubbish
NZ First is probably in their best position ever heading into an election year as part of the governing coalition. The upward swing from five to seven per cent in early 2025 to eight to 12 per cent now breaks the mould.
Face of the Day
MP Judith Collins will start a new job, heading the Law Commission – a Crown entity which reviews the law – later this year.
The Organ Donation Reform Was Agreed but Not Delivered
Millions of taxpayer dollars have been spent with nothing to show for it.
Camper Says Council Vehicle Passed the Slips
She provided photos and video of the initial slips and said a council ute later passed slowly through the affected area, leading campers to believe the risk was being managed.
National’s Poll Doldrums Continue
National must lift its game or risk losing what should be a winnable position. Luxon needs to shake off the boat anchor label fast or the party will keep drifting.
Face of the Day
Hooton revealed the government was planning to U-turn on changes it had made to Auckland densification rules that would allow for two million potential homes to be developed with greater density and building heights in some inner-city suburbs.
A Precedent in NZ Education That May Be Huge
Here is the key question: Given that Māngere College is under statutory management due to their students’ results – will the many schools that are doing worse, or only marginally better, also face that situation? Why or why not?
What To Expect After a Disaster
Even if a disaster is later found to have been foreseeable and preventable, families cannot sue for the deaths themselves. Support comes through ACC and accountability comes through WorkSafe prosecutions, coronial findings, and the public record.
We Are, Truly, a Nation Divided
Ngātiwai’s actions and DOC’s subsequent response of ‘do nothing’ is totally unacceptable. Ngātiwai’s breaking of the law was a deliberate criminal act, but they suffer no consequences.
This Was Not ‘Unprecedented’, It Was Authorised
The dead were not unlucky. They were failed long before the rain fell.
How They Frame the Narrative
The metaphor of truth as a casualty is slightly misleading. Truth does not die accidentally or of natural causes. It is assassinated, early, efficiently, and without remorse.
Luxon Plays the Race Card to Shut Down Legitimate Questions on Mt Maunganui Slip
This is a case of negligence, not racism to point out, and a failure of co-governance that prioritises cultural narratives over practical safety. Why remove trees that were protecting the slope? It begs investigation, not shutdowns from the PM.
AI Buries Global Change Notions
You listening Chris Luxon? “Politicians welcomed the chance to blame others: if a wildfire or a flood devastates your town, point the finger at the changing climate rather than your own failure to prepare.”