King’s Birthday Honours 2026 Rewards the Establishment
Barry Soper gets journalism honours. Elizabeth Rata gets education honours. Martyn sees no public virtue here, just the establishment pinning medals on itself.
Election 2026
-
-
Wayne Brown Auckland: The Mayor the City Deserves?
Wayne Brown may be a grumpy propertied boomer, but Martyn says that is exactly why he fits Auckland: a city managing decline without disturbing property prices.
-
Gleichschaltung and Far-Right Momentum in NZ
Ian Powell warns that New Zealand is far from Nazi Germany, but far-right momentum, neoliberal drift and authoritarian instincts should not be dismissed.
-
Elizabeth Rata Dame Honour Sparks Education Backlash
Elizabeth Rata has been made a dame. Critics see more than an honour. They see the Government rewarding a curriculum agenda that walks back bicultural education.
-
Budget 2026 Offers Little Relief for Children in Poverty
Save the Children says Budget 2026 offers little comfort to families choosing between heating, fuel and food, while young people face fewer opportunities.
-
Budget 2026 Fails Climate and Fuel Crises
Greenpeace says Budget 2026 repairs roads wrecked by climate change while refusing to cut the pollution causing the damage. That is not a plan.
-
Chlöe Swarbrick Budget Speech 2026: No Plan
Chlöe Swarbrick calls Budget 2026 austerity in slow motion: a country made poorer while corporations profit and public services are left to crumble.
-
National Reopens NZ Nuclear-Free Policy Debate
New Zealand’s nuclear-free stance helped define us as an independent country. Chris Hipkins says National should stop hinting it is up for negotiation.
-
Budget 2026 Debt Monsters Are a Right-Wing Scam
The Right cuts revenue, creates the hole, then screams about debt monsters. Martyn says Budget 2026 is austerity theatre designed to protect private wealth.
-
Budget 2026 and the Managed Decline of New Zealand
The Alliance Party says Budget 2026 is managed decline in spreadsheet form: cuts to public services, more militarisation and nothing for working people.
