The War on News: ACT Wants to Arrest Kids & Winston’s ‘Baby Bonus’
This week on The War on News, Martyn Bradbury takes on ACT’s plan for disruptive students, Christopher Luxon’s refusal to sack Winston Peters, and New Zealand First’s controversial proposal for cash payments to citizen parents.
🏫 ACT Wants Tougher Powers Against Disruptive Students
ACT is proposing new powers allowing teachers to physically remove disruptive students from classrooms, with students who resist facing exclusion and potentially police involvement.
Martyn argues New Zealand schools don’t need another punishment regime — they need counsellors, teacher aides, wraparound services and proper support for struggling children.
Disruptive behaviour affects every child trying to learn. But does escalating classroom discipline into physical confrontation actually solve the problem — or create another one?
🇳🇿 Luxon, Winston Peters & the Lawrence Xu-Nan Controversy
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has criticised Winston Peters’ comments about Green MP Lawrence Xu-Nan, but Peters remains Foreign Minister.
That raises a much bigger political question: just how far can Winston go before Luxon is prepared to act?
Martyn argues Luxon’s dependence on New Zealand First has left the Prime Minister politically trapped — unable to discipline a coalition partner without threatening the stability of his own Government.
👶 Winston’s Citizen-Only Baby Bonus
New Zealand First has also proposed a cash payment for babies born to New Zealand citizen parents as part of its push to increase the country’s birth rate.
But restricting eligibility according to citizenship status raises serious questions about permanent residents, immigration, belonging and exactly which New Zealand families politicians believe deserve support.
If financial assistance for raising children is good social policy, why shouldn’t families living and contributing here receive it too?
ACT wants tougher classrooms. Winston wants citizenship-based baby incentives. Luxon can’t control his coalition partners.
We need ACT out of our schools and Winston out of our wombs.
It’s not news. It’s the War on News.
