This is edition 2025/53 of the Ten@10 newsletter.
Welcome back. It's 2025 and 20 years since I started writing about politics and anything else that took my fancy. Thank to my VIP members for making this site what it is today. In July we will be having a 20th birthday celebration. Stay tuned for more announcements.
This is the Ten@10, where I collate and summarise ten news items you generally won't see in the mainstream media.
Enjoy!
1. NZ’s trust crisis – A Revolt against oligarchy
Bryce Edwards
- 📉 New Zealand's trust in institutions has plummeted according to the 2025 Edelman Trust Barometer: government trust is at 45%, business at 54%, and media at 35%.
- 🇳🇿 Overall trust index has fallen to 47%, marking New Zealand's entry into "Distrust" territory for the first time in 25 years.
- 📊 Economic anxieties and perceived unfairness contribute to a "Crisis of Grievance," with 67% feeling disadvantaged by government, business, and the wealthy.
- 🔍 Kiwis increasingly distrust leaders and worry about deliberate misinformation, with only 19% optimistic about future generations' prosperity.
- 🌏 Similar sentiments globally highlight New Zealand's part in a broader pattern of democratic malaise and mistrust in institutions.
- 🌏 New Zealanders express higher than average belief that the "system" is stacked against them.
- 📉 Trust in institutions declines, splitting public discourse between addressing grievances and dismissing them.
- ⚖️ Calls for fairness and accountability highlight dissatisfaction with entrenched elite favoritism.
- 🏠 Focus on practical solutions like housing and education urged to rebuild trust and improve lives.
- 💰 Structural issues include opaque political influence and weak disclosure rules on political donations.
- 🌍 Global distrust trend extends across Western democracies, reflecting widespread cynicism.
- 🇺🇸 Americans, especially the young, exhibit profound distrust in government institutions.
- 🇬🇧 UK faces plummeting trust amid Brexit fallout and economic challenges.
- 🌐 Grievance against the system seen globally, driving populist movements challenging established elites.
- 🌱 Rising public discontent in New Zealand seen as potential for democratic renewal through structural reforms.
