Your Daily Ten@10 - 2026/016

This is edition 2026/016 of the Ten@10 newsletter.

Hi all,

This is the Ten@10, where I collate and summarise ten news items you generally won't see in the mainstream media.

Enjoy!

• 🌍 The Greens' Silence: The Greens, traditionally tied to environmental causes, have been missing in action as New Zealand faces devastating weather events and the Mt Maunganui disaster, which should have been an opportunity to tie climate change to real human suffering.
• 📉 Declining Support: The party's polling continues to decline, plagued by scandals, a lack of focus, and a failure to address ordinary people's concerns, especially around economic issues.
• 🌱 The Solution – Eco-Populism: The Greens could revive their momentum by embracing eco-populism, combining climate action with addressing the cost-of-living crisis. This approach is gaining success overseas with leaders like Zohran Mamdani and Bernie Sanders.
• 🔥 Corporate Greed: The Greens could channel voter anger at corporate greed, framing climate politics as a battle against the wealthy elites who profit while ordinary families bear the costs of the green transition.
• 🏠 Chlöe Swarbrick's Paradox: While Swarbrick champions material redistribution, the Greens' campaign lacks focus on economic justice, instead prioritizing identity politics, with little to no direct challenge to the corporate powers making life harder for New Zealanders.
• 💸 The Cost of Living: The Greens' current focus remains on culture wars and identity issues rather than offering a clear economic message to address rising living costs, making them increasingly irrelevant in the eyes of voters.
• 🔴 The Missing Populist Pivot: For the Greens to capture the public's attention, they need to focus on economic justice, name corporate villains, simplify their policies, and embrace anti-establishment energy. They need to stop playing it safe and challenge the system head-on.
• 🏛️ The Stakes: New Zealand's climate policy is in retreat, and the Greens risk being sidelined unless they reconnect with the struggles of everyday Kiwis and reclaim their environmental mission through a lens of economic justice.
• ⚖️ Anti-Establishment Opportunity: The Greens have the chance to position themselves as the real anti-establishment voice in New Zealand, especially as the country grapples with corporate excess and climate inaction. If they don't step up, others will seize this opportunity.