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by Bonnie Flaws Newly released documents show expert advice was disregarded, and the admin-first approach to censuses, which ditches enumeration, was adopted for the next national census anyway. The Future Census Independent Evaluation Panel produced its report evaluating five possible [...]

by William McGimpsey Introduction This White Paper offers an analysis and argument in favour of economic nationalism. It provides a brief theoretical sketch of what economic nationalism is, and how it differs from the economic policy approach currently dominant in [...]

by Rachel Stewart There are things we never want to know about. I get it. But there are also things we need to know about. How can you fight if you don’t know what you’re fighting for? I know you’re [...]

by Ani O'Brien Minister Karen Chhour has made the decision to rename Te Puna Aonui. The name translates to "spring of enlightenment" or a "source of wisdom and collective action" and the minister says it is not clear enough to New Zealanders what the venture is [...]

by Bonnie Flaws One of the key points raised in my four part investigation into Stats NZ, was the legality of its Integrated Statistical Data System. Because no matter who I asked the answer was vague. So I will update readers with [...]

by Bjorn Lomborg Madrid knew solar and wind power were unreliable but pressed ahead anyway. When a grid failure plunged 55 million people in Spain and Portugal into darkness at the end of April, it should have been a wake-up [...]

by Nick Clark A peculiar economic paradox appears to govern infrastructure development in modern New Zealand: the more we spend on infrastructure, the less we seem to get for it. This uncomfortable reality was a key takeaway from last week’s [...]

by John Porter American political economist Benjamin Friedman, author of Religion and the Rise of Capitalism, a basic reassessment of the underpinnings of today’s economics, once compared modern Western society to a bicycle whose forward momentum was kept going by continuing economic growth. He [...]

by Peter Dunne In politics, things often turn full circle. National's current musings about the future of regional councils following New Zealand First’s call for their abolition is the latest example. Regional councils were established following major reforms instituted by [...]

by Peter Williams The legislative relationship between New Zealand education and the Treaty of Waitangi is a recent one. Up till 1989 there was no reference to it at all in the prevailing Education Act. It was taught as part [...]

by Rachel Stewart The news has been heavy lately. Like really heavy. So this week let’s have a change of pace. I don’t know about you but, if nothing else, I need it. Now, I’ve always believed that if you [...]

by Lindsay Perigo A wisp of Wordsworth to begin with this morning: "For oft, when on my couch I lie In vacant or in pensive mood They flash upon that inward eye  Which is the bliss of solitude And then [...]

by Bonnie Flaws The New York Times headline that had the internet going crazy over Palantir The big news this last week or two, at least in some circles, has been the news reported in the New York Times, that [...]

by John Robertson New Zealand was supposed to be a secular democracy. But blink, and suddenly we’re living in a tax-funded theocracy built on ghost stories and cosmic real estate claims. Let’s say it flat-out: this country is being governed, [...]

by Dr Muriel Newman Who’s running our country? It seems like a simple enough question. In New Zealand, our Parliament is sovereign. With National, ACT, and New Zealand First commanding a majority of votes in the House, the elected Coalition hold [...]

by Rachel Stewart The world’s in a perilous place right now. But you know that. In a perfect world, there would be no nuclear weapons. Full stop. But we don’t live in that world. The reality is they do exist, [...]

by Lindsay Perigo It would be fair to say quite a bit has happened since the last Perspective. Calling as I did for the removal and banishment of the Chinese Communist Party from all facets of New Zealand life, I [...]

by Simon O'Connor Many former leaders of New Zealand have made much of New Zealand’s independent foreign policy, our commitment to the international rules based order, and human rights, and yet appear to throw such principles to then wind when [...]

by Roger Partridge Few ideas haunt economic debate as relentlessly as the “trickle-down” theory. Perhaps it’s the appeal of attacking something that no one has ever argued. The theory supposedly claims that making the rich richer benefits everyone as wealth [...]

by Bruce Cotterill Last week, I managed to get myself caught up in a lively conversation with a couple of mates. It wasn’t heated. But it was one of those discussions that no one was going to win And then [...]

by Don Brash Having listened to my discussion on foreign policy with Sean Plunket on 10 June, I feel the need to clarify my position. Let me start by saying that I have a high regard for Sean Plunket. He [...]

by Rachel Stewart If you despise Trump, those LA riots are “peaceful protests.” The progressives – it’s such an oxymoronic word, isn’t it? -  that run California, and the bulk of the media, are clinging to that framing. Just as [...]

by Simon O'Connor Phil Goff, a former Labour MP, Minister, and High Commissioner to London, recently wrote an op-ed on the Israel-Gaza conflict, published by Stuff. Much was made of Mr Goff being a former Minister of Foreign Affairs. I decided, as [...]

by Lindsay Perigo I want to tie up a loose end from last week first, and before that, to comment on a frightening one-page ad in the Sunday Star-Slimes, propaganda organ of the Far Left, over the weekend, and before that [...]

by David Lillis Variable Management across the Board Hearing of continual problems in New Zealand’s workplaces has prompted this article as a comment on management and leadership. Perhaps the environments where I have worked were not typical of New Zealand’s [...]

By Zoran Rakovic In no other Western democracy does the ordinary citizen so enthusiastically offer themselves as a sacrificial vessel for the errors of their rulers. In no other civil society are people so eager to drape themselves in guilt [...]

by Dr Muriel Newman As New Zealand stands at the halfway point towards the 2026 election, let’s do a quick stocktake on the state of play. The polls have remained tight throughout the entire period National, ACT, and New Zealand [...]

By Roger Partridge Q: What is the Regulatory Standards Bill? A: It’s a modest proposal requiring governments to explain the rationale for new laws and regulations, test them against time-honoured principles like rule of law and property rights, and disclose [...]

by Ani O'Brien The way media and the chattering classes are carrying on you would think Minister Chris Bishop had suggested Stan Walker was “bound to get slapped up” and declared the way to resolve their political differences would be through a [...]

by Eric Crampton The United States has the world’s best universities. At least for now. Those universities have, in turn, attracted the world’s best researchers. According to the National Foundation for American Policy, immigrants earned 45 of the 112 Nobel prizes [...]

By Bryce Wilkinson Governments have many roles, but some are of fundamental importance. A vital role is to secure citizens in their persons and possessions. I am amazed by the extent of public opposition to this long-standing principle. It has [...]

by Ani O'Brien I am pro-choice. That means exactly what you think it does: I support women’s right to choose to terminate a pregnancy should she not want to go through with it. But it also means a whole lot more [...]

by Rachel Stewart ‘Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.’ At this time and juncture, that legendary line has never felt more germane. We are in an era of turbocharged history modification; it is either [...]

by Alwyn Poole The Whitehouse recently released a document titled: Make America Healthy Again. The health trends listed are stark – and the needed solutions are clear (even if is going to be like doing an Aircraft Carrier doing a u-turn [...]

by Lindsay Perigo So, we have a new deputy Prime Minister. But I'd like to start with some REALLY good news! And I don't mean, but easily could, the triumph of a Trumpian nationalist in the Polish presidential election, notwithstanding the [...]

by Mike Butler The Pioneers – Makers of New Zealand, a new book by writer-publisher John McLean, reminds us of those who built New Zealand, tells how, and explains why their contribution should not be forgotten. McLean descends from an [...]

by Simon O'Connor So, a government Minister has found himself in woke hot water because he dared to give his honest opinion at the recent Aotearoa Music Awards. Chris Bishop, a former colleague of mine and who would happily describe [...]

By Don Brash Almost since I returned to New Zealand from nine years abroad in 1971, there has been a widespread assumption that house prices always go up, if not every single year then almost every single year. And that [...]

By Zoran Rakovic There is much to celebrate in the Māori business renaissance. The recent announcement of the Investment Summit on Māori Business Success, hosted with fanfare and optimism by the New Zealand Government, marks yet another milestone in the [...]

by Dr Muriel Newman The 2025 Budget is done and dusted. While the Government claims growth is their priority, there was little within the budget to suggest it will deliver what they hope. Finance Minister Nicola Willis would have us believe it [...]

by Tim Donner It is an undeniable scandal of mammoth proportions, but one that is – surprise, surprise – still being ignored by major media. It all began in February of 2021, shortly after Joe Biden took the oath of [...]

by Rachel Stewart I’ve come to value my role here with ‘Riding Shotgun’ as that of a harbinger. Yes, sometimes of doom. I’m drawn to bringing to light issues – often unpalatable - that I see as needing to be [...]

by Alwyn Poole Disengagement with the NZ state education system. Not counting students/families opting for private, state integrated and designated character school options – there are four major features of our current enrolment and attendance in the NZ Education system [...]

by Lindsay Perigo Last week, Paul, you asked if I had heard Damn Jabby Jihadi Jacinda Jackboot's address at Yale University. I told you, truthfully, that I had heard about it too late to include in my Perspective, and  that [...]

by William McGimpsey Introduction This paper is about immigration policy in New Zealand. It identifies our current immigration policies as a key problem for New Zealand’s economy and society, and argues for significant reductions in immigration levels and changes in [...]

by Simon O'Connor A friend got in touch last night with some significant news that the Ministry of Health (MOH) had once again botched it’s euthanasia numbers. The reporting failure is so bad, that the Ministry missed nearly half the [...]

by Yvonne van Dongen Of all the elites that betrayed the vulnerable in this ghastly war on women, perhaps the most reprehensible are those in the therapeutic professions, the very professions which should protect their clients. Organisations that should [...]

by Zoran Rakovic The New Zealand Human Rights Commission, in its well-meaning but dangerously misleading tone, declared on its website: “The Treaty does not, as is sometimes claimed, confer ‘special privileges’ on Māori, nor does it take rights away from [...]

by Peter Williams DISCLAIMER: I’m a supporter and small dollar donor to the Taxpayers Union (TPU), a former Board member and a host of their podcasts. Because news editors probably think it’s boring, the state of our economy and what [...]

By Rachel Stewart I thought I was done with the UK’s free speech problem last week, but this week sees further fodder that just has to shared - if only to wise Kiwis up to an modus operandi already afoot [...]

by Alwyn Poole How much is spent in support of parents as the first and most important teacher of their child(ren)? … As opposed to bureacracy/system for the sake of it because it has always been there. What portion of [...]

by Don Brash I don't know about you, but I have had a gutsful of the disrespect and disdain Te Pāti Māori show for our Parliament and for all of us. With their hateful rhetoric and disruptive antics they have [...]

by Peter Williams The line on the official Parliament website is stark. “Te ao Maori competencies and approaches are key considerations in our recruitment practices.” This is not a stock exchange listed or privately held company, or a small or [...]

by Dr Muriel Newman When the Coalition became Government in 2023, their priority was to reverse the devastating social and economic impact of the former Ardern-Hipkins Government. Their failings were universal, but particularly evident in the economy. As a result [...]

by Lindsay Perigo People of my vintage are lucky to have lived at the exact time we did. We have escaped a world war, we have not had to endure a calamitous economic depression, we have enjoyed peace and prosperity [...]

by Peter Williams They’re my favourite lines in TV comedy. Woody to Norm: “Can I pour you a beer Mr Peterson?” Norm: “A little early isn’t it Woody?” “For a beer?” “No for stupid questions.” Here’s my second favourite. “I [...]

by Simon O'Connor I recently attended a medical conference hosted by the Christian Medical Fellowship of New Zealand. As the name suggests, it’s a conference of medical and health professionals who come together to discuss health matters, primarily from a Christian [...]

By Alwyn Poole As the budget nears National/Act/NZF are at pains to say that they are “pulling every leaver”. Prior to the election they made significant promises to reduce the size/spend of bureaucracy. So far they have completely failed. 1. Our [...]

By Dr Michael Johnston Effective policy reform often comes from seemingly minor initiatives. Small changes can lead to significant improvements if they incentivise the right things. The current revisions to the s for the Teaching Profession are a perfect example [...]

By Rachel Stewart For now, free speech in Britain is a thing of the past. How you know it’s a globalist-driven agenda to shut ordinary people up is the fact that it has been occurring under both political stripes – [...]

by Simon O'Connor I am beginning to share some impressions of my recent trip to Israel and the Gaza border. I’ve done a few interviews and shared a couple of photos on social media (I will link to them at [...]

Well, the usual suspects have been rampaging with their Trump Derangement Syndrome all week, especially after his triumphs in the Middle East, including the release of the last American hostage by Ham-Ass filth, the very lowest forms of life. Squawking [...]

By Michael Bassett Now that candidates are gearing up to contest the coming local elections on 11 October, it’s time to ask them serious questions before you vote. The cost of local government has been rising steeply; ratepayers are being [...]

by Simon O'Connor I am beginning to share some impressions of my recent trip to Israel and the Gaza border. I’ve done a few interviews and shared a couple of photos on social media (I will link to them at [...]

by Dr Muriel Newman Education has been described as a passport to the future – as endless generations of New Zealanders can testify. Its transformational powers have the ability to pivot students from lives of disadvantage to futures of opportunity [...]

By Bonnie Flaws Read my four part investigative series One Register to Rule them All: Parts one, two, three and four, about Stats NZ’s Statistical Register and Persistent Unique Identifiers for every citizen. ANALYSIS: So now you know what Stats [...]

By Bonnie Flaws The Hillside Farm bird flu outbreak continues to cost poultry exporters, with only 65% of trade recovered. Yet no detailed risk benefit analysis was done before the decision was made to cull 200,000 birds or halt exports. [...]

By Zoran Rakovic Let it be known: the greatest threat to our nation's future is no longer inflation, climate change, or potholes on State Highway 1. No, it’s 14-year-olds with TikTok accounts. The other day, Member’s Bill Ballot Cake Tin [...]

By Andrew Torba, founder of GAB There’s a storm brewing in America. Not the kind that darkens the sky or floods the streets no, this one is far more dangerous. It’s a sociological atom bomb and it’s sitting at the [...]

By Lindsay Perigo It was with great shock that I saw this in my Inbox last Friday afternoon. Quote: “A Provocateur for Liberty”: "The New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union marks the passing of Sir Robert Jones with sincere sadness and gratitude [...]

By Rachel Stewart Apart from wisdom one of the only advantages to aging is that you tend to have more money. And if you are wise, you’ll likely be cautious about having too much dosh stashed away in banks. I’m [...]

by Simon O'Connor I’m a great believer in gut instinct on various matters. Not so much on deciding whether something is right or wrong, but an initial impression as it were. My gut instinct on the government’s secretive, then rushed, [...]

By Dr Muriel Newman Last week’s revelation by National’s Minister of Maori Development Tama Potaka (a former Maori Party member) that “a new committee led by Adrian Rurawhe is working on formally integrating tikanga Maori into Parliament” has heightened public concern that the Coalition is [...]

By Simon O'Connor As humans, I think we can intuitively identify double standards and sadly, we are surrounded by many in society. Our young are beginning to call this out, but are the adults in the room? I recently was [...]

By Dr Muriel Newman History is replete with governments all over the world using nationalisation to protect a country’s assets and resources in the public interest. The UK is currently in the throes of nationalising British Steel in the public [...]

By Rachel Stewart Today, let’s talk about sanity making a bit of a comeback via the UK Supreme Court ruling where Britain’s top judges decided that a woman, in the eyes of the law, is defined by biological sex, and [...]

By Michael Reddell The IMF’s twice-yearly World Economic Outlook and Fiscal Monitor publications have come out in the last couple of days. If there is gloom in the GDP numbers (eg this chart for the advanced countries, and we don’t [...]

Br Roger Partridge I have no doubt that Peter Smith loves the West. You can feel it in every line of his writing – the anger at its enemies, the contempt for its betrayal, the frustration at its leaders who [...]

By Ron Law As the New Zealand Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Government’s Covid-19 Response continues, the public deserves far more than a sanitised PR narrative. We deserve the truth—and the Commission must have the backbone to deliver it. [...]

By Don Brash Until quite recently, New Zealand Governments of both the Left and the Right were keen to maintain a broadly cordial relationship with China, our largest trading partner, and with the United States, our traditional security partner. We [...]

By Bonnie Flaws Part four of a four part investigation by Bonnie Flaws. Read parts one, two and three. Census 2028 is doing away with the usual population survey in favour of using admin data instead, requiring a Statistical Register It’s initial consultation into [...]

By Bonnie Flaws Part three of a four part investigation by Bonnie Flaws. Read parts one and two. Data protections were watered down in the 2022 Data and Statistics Bill Stats NZ was also given new powers to acquire data not collected for [...]

By Bonnie Flaws Part two of a four part investigation by Bonnie Flaws. Read part one. The Statistical Register being created by Stats NZ doesn’t appear to fit with the Privacy Principles Stats NZ has certain exemptions from the Privacy Act [...]

By Bonnie Flaws Part one of a four part investigation StatsNZ is creating a Persistent Unique IdentIfier (PUI) for each citizen to track them over time in an Integrated Statistical Data System - or 'Statistical Register’. The new system will [...]

By Peter Williams Ever thought of returning to the old system? What a surprise. Teaching is not an attractive career for school leavers or graduates. The number of students training to be in charge of your child’s education has dropped [...]

By Dr Michael Johnston If asked to nominate the main objective of public schooling, most people would probably say that it is to teach young people the knowledge they need to thrive in adult life. However, according to the Education [...]

By Jan Rivers What should have been a completely uncontroversial decision has become a leading new story today with articles and interviews across NZ media.  The Morning Report story was republished in the NZ Herald and on One News and [...]

By Dr Robert Bartholomew Astrology is alive and well in some New Zealand classrooms thanks to the Education Ministry’s push to give indigenous knowledge equal standing with scientific knowledge. In recent years government ministries have produced an array of online [...]

By Lidewij de Vos, Member of the House of Representatives of the Netherlands Chairman, Thank you, Chairman. Climate change is of all times. 150,000 years ago, we were in the middle of an ice age. So were we 20,000 years [...]

By Nick Clark Easter is here, a rare four-day weekend when many of us will travel for getaways, see family and friends, or host those who have travelled to us. Yet Easter can be a trap for the unwary. This [...]

By Lindsay Perigo I concluded last week by celebrating in advance the pending performance by Daniil Trifonov of what aficionados affectionately call the Rach 3: Rachmaninoff's 3rd Piano Concerto. The next night I tuned in to the live broadcast of [...]

By Pepijn van Houwelingen Once again, the radical climate action group Extinction Rebellion (XR) is in the news, this time because of their plan to bombard shops in several Dutch municipalities with butyric acid, a caustic and pungent-smelling substance which [...]

By Dr Muriel Newman US President Donald Trump’s tariff policy is changing by the day, as international investment markets experience unprecedented volatility. It all started last week in the White House Rose Garden, when the President revealed his tariff plan to address [...]

By Don Brash Written by Don Brash in his capacity as Hobson's Pledge trustee This morning, you were meant to open the New Zealand Herald and see a full page ad calling out Christopher Luxon and the National Party for [...]

By Dr Oliver Hartwich There is something tragic about watching the United States deliberately harm itself – especially when the damage spills over to everyone else. President Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ trade tariffs are a disaster for America and the world. [...]

By Rachel Stewart I don’t know what you drive but I mainly drive a Jeep Cherokee. There have been times I’ve wondered whether my Jeep might be targeted for cultural appropriation by white do-gooders on behalf of native Americans, or [...]

By Peter Williams It was probably just coincidence but within two hours of me posting my previous Substack asking how many submissions on the Treaty Principles Bill were opposed and how many were in favour, the chair of the Justice [...]

By Simon O'Connor In recent days, one of New Zealand’s most outspoken charities broke into, and occupied, port facilities causing much disruption. Another charity has been busy promoting healthy eating and spending millions on the likes of the Weet-Bix Tryathlon. [...]