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Supplied: Science Media Centre The UN General Assembly has adopted last year’s International Court of Justice ruling that countries – including Aotearoa – have an obligation to protect the environment from greenhouse gases. The resolution was originally proposed by Vanuatu and co-sponsored by New Zealand in 2023. Although NZ did not co-sponsor the resolution this time, early reports suggest that NZ did vote in favour. The Science Media Centre asked experts to comment. James Renwick, Professor of Climate Science & Physical Geography, Victoria University of Wellington, comments: “The latest vote in the UN General Assembly means countries have an obligation…
Opinion: Noah Meagher AI is undoubtedly a big deal in the world of education. Many schools are introducing AI curricula to help students engage with these new technologies – and rightly so. But those conversations need to run alongside a deeper one: what is education actually for? Education has long been justified by its economic utility and its preparation of students for productive participation in society. But as AI encroaches on that utility, we must ask whether such a justification was ever truly sufficient. If a machine can outperform humans on most cognitive tasks, then an education built primarily on…
Supplied By SNAP Aotearoa New Zealand Wellington Archbishop Paul Martin recently encouraged New Zealand Catholicsto contribute more actively to parish life and to foster priestly and religiousvocations. (“Archbishop: Get involved and support the Church’s mission,”CathNews New Zealand, 1 May 2026) This raises an awkward modernquestion: contribute what, exactly? From the outside, the institutional model of the Catholic Church can appearremarkably unchanged. Women answer the parish phones, organise theflowers, coordinate the meals, clean the linens, manage the diaries, and keepthe entire operation functioning quietly in the background.Meanwhile, men remain visible at microphones and near collection plates, fillingother frontline supporting roles. One suspects the Archbishop’s appeal for “greater participation” may translateloosely…
OPINION: MickeySavage This is a bit of a slow burner of an issue and relates back to the time that Luxon’s reign was in turmoil. Last month the news broke that Luxon had ghosted senior National Party whip Stuart Smith after Smith wanted to tell him how disgruntled the National Party Caucus was with his leadership. This Thomas Coughlan article set out all of the details. This occurred shortly after the cabinet reshuffle that was not originally planned that put the boot into Chris Bishop. Then there was the release of diabolical polling and talk about a group of five National MPs…
The Māori branch of the Anglican Church has named Susan Wallace as bishop-elect of Te Hui Amorangi ki Te Waipounamu diocese. Of Kai Tahu, Ngāti Whātua and Ngāti Wai, she will become the second Māori woman Anglican bishop, and the first with a moko kauae. She will become one of four women bishops in the church in Aotearoa, and the first for the Māori diocese of Te Waipounamu. Te Hui Amorangi ki Te Waipounamu serves the South Island, including Stewart Island and the Chatham Islands. Archbishop Don Tamihere, head of Te Pīhopatanga o Aotearoa, reflected on what Wallace brings to…
OPINION: Zoran Rakovic. New Zealanders increasingly shoulder Treaty burdens not theirs to carry—learning Māori rites, obeying Crown guilt, and performing cultural submission. Here’s why. 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 not their own, speak in a borrowed tongue they do not understand, and recite protocols they do not believe—just to win the favour of cultural gatekeepers they neither elected nor dared challenge. In modern New Zealand, this is not…
TESTIMONY: Kyla Gillespie: I was born and raised in a Christian home in British Columbia, Canada, in the ’80s. I had always loved Jesus and followed him with a childlike faith. I can remember, at 3 or 4 years old, being abused by an elderly family member. Through my mom’s quick response, it never happened again. But my difficulties were not over. I began to feel confused about my gender. I can still hear my mother’s voice: “You’re not a boy, Kyla. You’re a girl. Do you understand?” Once, I was sitting by the ice rink where my hockey team…
Opinion: Graham Adams The path to election glory has traps. NZ First’s prospects at the election after a run of good polling are being talked up by increasingly enthusiastic commentators. But if a week is a long time in politics, more than six months is an eternity. And there are traps aplenty for the party to navigate before November 7. Listening to the media, however, you might think the continuing rise of Winston Peters and NZ First is unstoppable. Podcaster and veteran newsman Duncan Garner has predicted NZ First could hit 20 per cent of the party vote while Danyl…
Opinion: Bryce McKenzie. Bryce Mckenzie, co-founder of Groundswell NZ explains clearly what is happening in Gore and why it is relevant to all of New Zealand.We’re writing to update you on the proposed Gore District Plan, how it will affect all of New Zealand, and our latest step to take our campaign for property rights to the courts.This isn’t just about Gore, but the ever-expanding ways interest groups use planning legislation to wedge themselves between landowners and the legitimate uses of their land. It’s Gore today, but it could be any council tomorrow.And, before anyone gets carried away, this isn’t…
OPINION: Karl du Fresne “I’m not going to play that game,” Christopher Luxon said – rather lamely – when Tova O’Brien asked him how many Maori National MPs were in his cabinet. “It’s not a game,” countered O’Brien, doubtless trying hard to conceal her glee at having so easily caught the prime minister out. Oh, but it is a game. The game is called scalp-hunting and it’s commonly practised by journalists and broadcasters who mistakenly think their role is to make politicians squirm. The funny thing is, no one can recall the game being played when Jacinda Ardern was PM.…
OPINION: Andrew CopsonChief executive, Humanists UK The retraction of the Bible Society’s report on Gen Z church attendance (YouGov withdraws survey said to show rising church attendance in England and Wales, 26 March) is a welcome moment of clarity, but the “fraudulent” data identified by YouGov only tells half the story. The report’s central premise, that young people are flocking back to the pews, was always an outlier when measured against the gold-standard British Social Attitudes (BSA) survey. Our new analysis of the BSA data shows that six in 10 people aged 16 to 34 identify with no religion. Furthermore, this…
OPINION: Mark Creech, After watching an episode of “House of David,” (Amazon Prime) I found myself drawn back into one of the most familiar and yet most profound scenes in all of Scripture. It was the moment David faced Goliath. On that battlefield, Goliath was more than just a giant – he was defiance personified. Day after day, he hurled insults not merely at Israel, but at Israel’s God. His size, his armor, his voice, his sheer presence all declared the same message: Your God cannot save you. For a time, it seemed as though that message was winning. The armies…
By Greg Laurie The death of the Ayatollah has sent shockwaves through the Middle East. Many Iranians are rejoicing around the world, hoping this marks the end of decades of oppression. This regime has backed terror groups—like Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis—and persecuted its own people—including Christians. Yet despite intense opposition, Christianity has grown dramatically in Iran through house churches and underground believers. Persecution often fuels spiritual awakening. Remember, modern-day Iran is ancient Persia—the land of Esther, Daniel, and King Cyrus, whom God called His “anointed” in Isaiah 45. God has worked in that nation before. Iran is not simply…
Opinion: Kelly Williams As we enter the Easter season and look to Holy Week, we want to center our attention on the significance of Christ’s work of redemption for all of humanity. The Apostle Paul did the same thing for the church at Corinth in the first century. He reminded them of these three words, “Jesus became sin.” These three words changed the course of history and not only history but eternity for all who believe in Jesus Christ’s sacrificial work on the cross. Two thousand years ago, the Apostle Paul said this to the Corinthian church about Jesus: “For…
by Annie Mcbrydie I am writing as an ordinary New Zealander who, like many others, is feeling the growing pressure of rising fuel costs. After reviewing the recently announced fuel relief package, I feel compelled to speak up. While the intention to support struggling families is acknowledged, the reality is that the current approach leaves a significant portion of the population without meaningful assistance. By targeting support primarily through existing schemes such as Working for Families, only a relatively small percentage of households will see direct relief. Meanwhile, the majority of working New Zealanders are left to absorb the full…
OPINION: Caitlin Brown. I have a proposal: what if we collectively stopped going to work, refused to pay taxes, and boycotted every institution that doesn’t serve the people? It would be a massive wake-up call for a government that acts like a parasite on society. Unless we take a stand together, nothing will change. Of course, there will always be those who side with the establishment over their own neighbors, so we may never have everyone. But if enough of us fight for our freedom and mental well-being, we can achieve this. Why are so many people afraid or embarrassed…
OPINION: Billy Brown After 15 years building infrastructure across the South Pacific and Australia, I came home to New Zealand a couple of years ago and saw a fundamental shift in our culture. We’ve moved away from meritocracy, productivity, and operational excellence. Instead, too many of our state-owned enterprises have drifted into DEI, wokeism, and left-leaning ideology. It’s simple: if you’re publicly owned, your fundamental job is to deliver operational excellence. That means meritocracy. That means productivity. That means returning a healthy dividend back to the government and ultimately to the New Zealand taxpayer. Just like Air New Zealand, TVNZ…
Opinion: Aaron Spencer. New Zealanders, in general, have had very little interest in the apparently baffling complexities of geopolitics, economics, and the way history doesn’t repeat…but does often rhyme. Our main preoccupations have been work, rugby, BBQ’s, holidays, and the inter-personal relationships and dramas of family and friends. And if the Jones’ are climbing the property ladder, buying a boat, and upgrading the car “that’s good enough for us as well”. Herd behaviour around what we should aspire to has well and truly been the order of the day and, in case there was any doubt, there was always an…