Articles in ‘Opinion’

New Zealand likes to describe itself as sovereign. Independent. Self-sufficient. A clean, green island nation standing on its own two feet. But when you strip the slogans away and look at what actually keeps this country running, the question becomes harder to ignore: · How exactly is New Zealand sovereign today? · Because in 2026, New Zealand is more dependent on the outside world than at any other point in modern history. · Not…

There’s an uncomfortable question sitting just beneath the surface of New Zealand politics: · Is our democracy genuinely representative — or has it become a sophisticated form of vote buying? · Under MMP, political parties campaign on policies designed to win support. That’s expected. That’s politics. But what happens after the votes are counted is where the system begins to fracture. · Because under MMP, elections don’t decide policy. ·…

Why? · The latest poll results are showing a progressive decline in the National Party’s support numbers. · It would be pretty hard to go down from their current position but they seem to be doing a good job of trying to sink further in the polls. · Roy Morgan’s New Zealand Poll for March 2026 shows the National-led Government (National, ACT & NZ First) on 47.5%, down 1% point and effectively tied with the Labour-Greens-Te Pāti Māori…

Every time a New Zealander fills up at the pump, around 10 cents per litre is being added through the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS). · At current consumption levels — roughly 8.76 billion litres per year — that equates to: · ~$860 million annually · Not in theory. Not in modelling. Real money. Collected every single day. · A Policy Nearly Two Decades Old · The New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme was introduced in 2008 under the Fifth…

After the failure of the Royal Commission on Covid-19, we are all wondering ‘where to from here?’ We are not alone. The entire biotech industry is now planning future expansion bolstered by the ‘findings’ (???) of pandemic inquiries in multiple countries which have failed to criticise biotech experimentation. Bucking the trend of ‘all systems go’, Alina Chan, a molecular biologist and postdoctoral fellow at the Broad Institute of MIT and…

On April 8, 2026, London-listed Sunda Energy Plc signed a deal to acquire producing oil and gas assets in Taranaki from Matahio Energy. · The deal was announced publicly on April 9, with an effective date of January 1, 2026. · This was not speculation. · This was a transfer of control over producing assets: · Cheal, Cheal East and Sidewinder fields Existing infrastructure Around 1,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day production · And the…

New Zealand’s ministers answer to Parliament for departments they cannot control. They cannot choose, direct or remove the chief executives who run those departments. The Public Service Commissioner makes those appointments. The New Zealand Initiative argues this arrangement is broken. It recommends that New Zealand adopt a version of Germany’s model, where ministers appoint their top officials while a protected career service operates below. ·…

The Free Speech Union commends Minister Goldsmith’s instinct to scrap the Broadcasting Standards Authority and says a proposal by former District Court Judge David Harvey for a unified regulator covering media standards and online harm deserves serious consideration. Goldsmith told the Ryan Bridge Today show he is “tempted to scrap” the 37-year-old BSA, with both NZ First and ACT supporting abolition. Harvey’s proposal goes further, replacing…

And it is still falling · Not stabilising. Not correcting. Falling. · This is no longer a slow demographic shift. It is a trajectory toward collapse. · The Reality No One Is Fronting Up To · For years, fertility decline was explained away as: · Lifestyle change Economic pressure Delayed families · That was acceptable when the decline was gradual. · It is no longer acceptable now. · Because what we are seeing today is different: · Record…

Most people won’t notice it straight away. · You’ll still be able to book a flight. Planes will still be flying. Air New Zealand says the changes are “minor.” · But if you live outside the main centres — you’ll feel it. · A flight you used to take isn’t there anymore. Or it’s at a worse time. Or it suddenly costs a lot more than it did a few months ago. · And just like that, something small changes. · This Is How It Starts · Nelson loses…