Articles in ‘Central Government’

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has used a major pre-Budget address to the New Zealand Business Association to outline what he described as a new era of “national resilience,” warning that the global rules-based order is weakening and New Zealand must urgently adapt to a more volatile world. In a wide-ranging speech titled “Securing New Zealand’s Future,” Luxon argued the world is shifting from one governed by international rules to one…

30 March 2026 – The NZ Outdoors & Freedom Party (NZOFP) has today announced its landmark media reform policy, calling for an immediate end to the "editorial filtering" of political discourse and the opening of Parliament TV to all registered political parties. · The announced policy follows a recent meeting between Party Leader Sue Grey and Parliamentary Services to discuss direct access for parties to broadcast their policies. NZOFP contends…

The New Zealand Government has unveiled detailed contingency measures for managing a potential fuel crisis, confirming that a four-phase national rationing framework is now in place should global supply disruptions worsen. Caption and photo credit: https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/business/590794/government-reveals-details-of-fuel-crisis-rationing-plan-and-who-will-be-prioritised · The plan—modelled loosely on the COVID-era alert system—signals a…

Winston Peters says New Zealand has formally notified World Health Organization (WHO) that it has rejected the proposed amendments to the International Health Regulations. · In a statement made today on social media, Peters said New Zealand informed the WHO Director-General through New Zealand’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in Geneva, invoking Article 61 of the International Health Regulations to officially decline the amendments. ·…

The New Zealand First English Language Bill has passed its first reading in Parliament, marking an early legislative milestone for the party’s policy agenda this term. Party leader Winston Peters described the vote as a victory for “common sense,” saying the legislation would provide clarity around the status of English in New Zealand law. · “This bill provides clarity and certainty in legislation of the official status of the English language…

Broadcaster Duncan Garner recently told listeners that Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer is “not fit to hold office” after she shared a social media post referencing the violent death of Captain James Cook. Summarised by Centrist · Garner described the post as “sickening and evil,” arguing that a political leader should never “publicly celebrate online the anniversary of another person’s violent death or murder.” He said the post…

1) Core message · Seymour’s central pitch is: New Zealand is drifting from “first-world” performance, people (especially young Kiwis) are leaving in growing numbers, and the fix requires unpopular but “necessary” reforms—led by ACT—focused on smaller government, higher productivity, fiscal discipline, and equal rights before the law. · 2) The frame: “warning lights on the dashboard” · He repeatedly uses the metaphor of five warning lights…

WELLINGTON — New Zealand First leader Winston Peters has reignited a long-running debate over the future of the Māori electorates by calling for a nationwide referendum on whether the Māori seats should continue to exist. Peters made the proposal following the recent Tāmaki Makaurau by-election, in which Labour’s Peeni Henare was defeated, and citing what he described as repeated instances of what he views as inappropriate behaviour by Te Pāti…

Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has criticised Reserve Bank Governor Anna Breman for publicly backing US Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell while he is subject to a criminal investigation in the United States. Summarised by Centrist · Peters said the Reserve Bank of New Zealand is “statutorily independent” of government on monetary policy, but that independence does not extend to commenting on US domestic politics. · “We remind the…

In my previous column, I argued that the Manage My Health breach revealed a hollowed-out state. But there’s something even more damning than the structural failures I outlined. This wasn’t a bolt from the blue. It was foreseeable. And it was ignored. Previous column click here · The most uncomfortable fact about the theft of 430,000 medical documents isn’t that hackers got in. It’s that someone tried to warn us six months earlier, and nothing…