Radio NZ reports on a poll of 328 Maori, which asked about Te Pati Maori. They asked who should lead TPM, and the current leaders did not come out well. They got: So that just 24% for the three leaders. The other MPs were: That’s 39% for one of the four MPs who are estranged […] The post Little support from Māori for TPM leader and deputies first appeared on Kiwiblog.

The post General Debate 29 December 2025 first appeared on Kiwiblog.

Here’s my 20 predictions for next year, which I’ll score at the end of the year. I got 13.5/20 right for 2025. The post Kiwiblog’s 2026 predictions first appeared on Kiwiblog.

Radio NZ reports: Business confidence has hit its highest level in 30 years on improving activity and on expectations of an economic rebound. ANZ’s Business Outlook survey showed headline confidence rose 7 points to a net 74 percent expecting better conditions. The more closely followed own activity outlook measure also rose 7 points to 61 […] The post Business confidence at 30 year high first appeared on Kiwiblog.

The post General Debate 28 December 2025 first appeared on Kiwiblog.

Radio NZ reports: John Campbell is returning to RNZ, as the new co-host of Morning Report alongside Ingrid Hipkiss. RNZ’s Chief Audio Officer Pip Keane said the field of applicants for role on the flagship news programme was impressive but Campbell stood out . “John’s experience as a journalist and host is exceptional, but equally important is […] The post Good for Morning Report, but not necessarily for Radio NZ first appeared on Kiwiblog.

The Herald reports: A Pukekohe man found in possession of extremist Islamic State content, including beheadings and terror attacks in Europe, has failed in his bid to secure a discharge without conviction. However, his application for permanent anonymity was granted. Why? He has been convicted of serious crimes, and is obviously potentially dangerous. This deprives […] The post Potential terrorists should not get name supression first appeared on Kiwiblog.

The post General Debate 27 December 2025 first appeared on Kiwiblog.

The Auckland University Freedom of Expression Statement looks very good. It is clear with few weasel words. Key extracts: The University actively fosters and supports lawful and constructive debate by its staff and students on any topic, including with the participation of external speakers invited by a staff member, or a recognised student association or student […] The post Auckland Uni gets it right first appeared on Kiwiblog.

David Fisher reports: A drawn-out internal fight at the union for Corrections’ officers has seen the organisation lose repeatedly in the Employment Court after trying and failing to push two members off its executive. One of those members is the union’s vice-president Glen Jenner who was elected to the role in June on a platform […] The post The totalitarian union first appeared on Kiwiblog.

Simon Moutter is the Chair of Kāinga Ora, formerly known as Housing NZ. He sent the e-mail below to a few acquaintances of his, and one forwarded it onto me. With permission, I am blogging it below because I think it is such a good and interesting read. The post Observations from the Kāinga Ora Chair first appeared on Kiwiblog.

The post General Debate 26 December 2025 first appeared on Kiwiblog.

This is both very funny and very on brand for Wayne Brown. The post Merry Christmas from the Mayor first appeared on Kiwiblog.

The post General Debate 25 December 2025 first appeared on Kiwiblog.

The post Merry Christmas 2025 first appeared on Kiwiblog.

David Harvey has a good critique of the proposed social media ban for under 16s. I certainly support the intent that we should keep under 16s off social media. The linkage to poor mental health outcomes is incredibly powerful – especially for girls. Even those who support the idea of a ban concede that enforcing […] The post A good critique first appeared on Kiwiblog.

Donald isn’t really a big fan of the 1st Amendment, is he! The post It’s treason to report on the President’s health! first appeared on Kiwiblog.

The post General Debate 24 December 2025 first appeared on Kiwiblog.

With almost 1,500 votes in 12 hours we have the winners. National MP of the Year Labour MP of the Year Minor Party MP of the Year MP of the Year The post 2025 Kiwiblog Award winners first appeared on Kiwiblog.

The Guardian reports: US diplomats have been ordered to return to using the Times New Roman typeface in official communications, with secretary of state Marco Rubiocalling the Biden administration’s decision to adopt Calibri a “wasteful” diversity move, according to an internal department cable seen by Reuters. The department under Rubio’s predecessor Antony Blinken switched to Calibri […] The post War on a woke font! first appeared on Kiwiblog.

Radio NZ reports: “I’ve seen media comments. I’ve had those right from day one. The reality is, I came into politics four or five years ago on our second-worst election result. “The National Party was in a state of civil war, we’d had five leaders in five years. The media was used to a daily […] The post National before Luxon first appeared on Kiwiblog.

The post General Debate 23 December 2025 first appeared on Kiwiblog.

Voting is now open for the 2025 Kiwiblog Awards. Finalists were selected based on the number of nominations they received. The contest for National MP of the Year is between The contest for Labour MP of the Year is between The contest for Minor Party MP of the Year is between: Finally for overall 2025 MP of […] The post 2025 Kiwiblog Awards voting first appeared on Kiwiblog.

I was sceptical when Christopher Luxon said prior to the election that he thought they could do a free trade agreement with India within three years. India has been a notoriously challenging country to do FTAs with, and the relationship between governments was quite poor under Labour. The thought of a comprehensive FTA so quickly […] The post NZ and India agree an FTA first appeared on Kiwiblog.

The embed may not work, so follow this link to watch a tyre thrown down a hill. It just goes, and goes and goes …. The post Captivating first appeared on Kiwiblog.