I’m a big fan of history and knowing who or what places are named after – whether good or bad. So for those interested, these are who or what NZ cities are named after.

• Auckland – George Eden, 1st Earl of Auckland (1784 – 1849, First Lord of the Admiralty, Governor-General of India
• Christchurch – probably named after Christ Church, Oxford
• Dunedin – Dùn Èideann, the Gaelic name for Edinburgh
• Hamilton – John Fane Charles Hamilton (1820 – 1864), British naval officer, killed in NZ Wars
• Hastings – Warren Hastings (1732 – 1818), 1st Governor-General of Bengal
• Hutt – Sir William Hutt (1801 – 1882), Chairman of the NZ Company
• Invercargill – Cargill’s mouth of the river, named after William Walter Cargill (1784 – 1860), founder of Otago settlement
• Gisborne – William Gisborne 1825 – 1898), 1st NZ Cabinet Secretary
• Kapiti -boundary of Tara and Rangitāne
• Napier – Sir Charles James Napier (1782 – 1853), British major-general, stoped the customary burning alive of widows in India
• Nelson – Admiral Horatio Nelson (1758 – 1805, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronte, won Battle of Trafalgar
• New Plymouth – named after Plymouth City in Devon
• Palmerston North – Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston (1784 – 1865), UK Prime Minister
• Rotorua – te reo for second lake
• Tauranga – te reo for “resting place,” or “safe anchorage
• Wellington – Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington (1769 – 1852), UK Prime Minister, defeated Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815
• Whanganui – te reo for big bay or big harbour
• Whangarei – unclear. possibly te reo for to wait for Reitū and Reipae

1. Early categorization of students and direction into narrow pathways creates carnage.

When at teachers’ college in the 1990s I came across a text with a photo of a Maori man doing road work and the caption: “Where would we be for roads in New Zealand without the Maori worker?”

You could change the photo/caption today to: “Where would be in Rugby/League without the Maori/Pasifika players?”

In the mid-1980s, when I started high-school, the entry cohort did a couple of flimsy tests and, without any understanding of the children’s previous contexts, or home life, etc – we were placed in one of 3Academic1, 3A2, 3Commerce1, 3C2, 3Practical1, 3P2 and a group in 3Thanksforcomingandpleasedon’tstay long – unless you are good at rugby.

I happened to be in 3A1, then 4A1 and had the dubious benefit of learning French and German – which to be fair did help me know how to pronounce words in war comics. It is of note that;

– only two out of 30 in my class were Maori. And – at least 30% of the school population was Maori.

– there was a tiny bit of movement between the A1 and A2 classes – but none between the categories.

– plus – I got caned too often – especially by the French teacher who didn’t appreciate someone saying F%$k followed by “pardon my French”.

For anyone who thinks that this kind of categorisation does not happen today – I can assure you it is rife – just not as blatant. Many schools – even prominent ones – see their Year 9 intake in three ways;

– someone with high academic ability/potential – and therefore of benefit to the school’s reputation.

– someone with high sporting ability/potential – and therefore of benefit to the school’s reputation.

– someone else.

A positive article in the Herald this week talked about a number of schools trying to turn around their achievement data. There was one statement though, that indicates the deflection that schools use when challenged on their LEAVERS data: “School-leaver data counts those who leave mid-year for a job or an apprenticeship, for example, which is more likely among those at schools with high EQI scores.” There are three problems with that statement;

– very few schools do exit interviews or keep any record as to how many of the students move into jobs or apprenticeships and the stats do not back up the assertion. For instance, for Northland College (featured in the article) 50% of their students leave before 17yo. In 2023 they had 58 school leavers and 38 were not enrolled in further study (20 were in some form).

– In fact low to mid-range EQI schools (ie wealthier ones) have a greater proportion go into work/apprenticeships or further study

– we have a significant decline in the number of apprenticeships across the country and only a 50% completion rate. I often hear people say that the “know of tradies making a great income – running a business, etc”. No doubt it is true that there are some but we seldom refer to the carnage of non-completion and that many who begin end up as long-term low-income labourers – if working at all.  It also does not tell you about the struggles of those tradies when, for example, the construction sector is weak, or how often they have to go through the task of laying off staff.

As every genuine sports coach knows – early specialisation is fraught with long-term problems. It is the same in academic/vocational learning.

2. What “vocations” will be needed, lucrative or even exist at all in the child’s future is completely unpredictable.

This is more true now than ever before.

Two quite distinct examples make this clear.

– For much of the past 20 years “coding” was a vocational course/pathway the was pushed widely. Now, a google search using AI tells me:

“Decline in Entry-Level Hiring: Since the rise of AI coding tools, early-career software engineers (ages 22–30) have experienced a decline in employment, as companies use AI to replace tasks traditionally done by junior developers.”

– Even building is likely to face huge changes. Here is a stunning example from Japan. It is well worth a read/watch. The headline is:

“This startup built Japan’s first 3D-printed two-story home. It wants to solve the country’s construction crisis”

https://edition.cnn.com/2026/05/07/business/japans-3d-printing-construction-sector-crisis-hnk-spc

At a deeper – and much more important – level, education has to be driven by the need to allow the whole person to develop. Functionality is of far less importance than humanity. People taking a positive place in society exceeds that of just serving the econo

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Stuff reports:

Just six months out from the election, Stuff understands rank-and-file Te Pāti Māori MPs are considering whether to break away from the party.

Labour this week confirmed its candidates for the seven Māori electorates. But Te Pāti Māori is still working out who will run for the party.

That search for candidates will become even trickier if it loses sitting MPs.

Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke, a young star of Te Pāti Māori who holds the Hauraki-Waikato seat, is said to be considering her future with the party.

She has been speaking to her electorate, her supporters and iwi, about what her next steps as their representative should be.

Back on 28 November I blogged:

I understand that Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke is consulting her electorate over the next two weeks on whether she should remain with Te Pati Maori under its current leadership.

Only took six months for others tp catch up 🙂

With Kapa-Kingi sitting in a limbo-land not quite in, but not quite out of Te Pāti Māori, and Maipi-Clarke actively considering her future, there is just one other rank-and-file MP left in the party.

That is Tāmaki Makaurau MP Oriini Kaipara.

Last year, Kaipara supported Kapa-Kingi during the feud between the Tai Tokerau MP and the party’s leadership.

Again in November I noted:

Also new MP Oriini Kaipara is battling with TPM leadership over control of her own electorate, and there is speculation the Greens may be a backup option for her if the TPM schism is not resolved.

It will be interesting to see what they decide.

The scale of losses for UK Labour in their local elections is beyond massive. So far it is:

• Lost 59% of their Councillors
• Lost 56% of their Labour controlled Councils
• Lost 100% (3/3) of their Labour Mayors
• Lost 15% of their Scottish Parliament MSPs
• Lost 80% of their Welsh Assembly MPs

I predicted at the end of 2025 that Starmer would not survive the year. I think that is still looking a good prediction.

The Herald reports:

New Zealand First leader Winston Peters says the fees-free university scheme, which covers the final year of tertiary education study for students, will be scrapped in the upcoming Budget. 

Peters was asked by Newstalk ZB’s Heather du Plessis-Allan whether the scheme, introduced under Dame Jacinda Ardern’s Labour Government, was “wasteful spending” and whether the coalition would cut it. 

“I’ll give you a Budget leak right here, right now, the answer is yes,” he said. 

“We are going to reshape and repurpose it for the trades and all sorts of industries where we do need it and where we can get a far better payback for our money and pay far less money doing it.”

Exceptionally pleased to see the fees free policy go. It was a hugely expensive wasteful policy from Chris Hipkins that subsidised students from wealthy families and did nothing to increase participation from lower income families.

Less pleased to see Winston (presumably) unilaterally reveal Budget decisions. He would not tolerate that if he was Treasurer.

I’m saddened by this. I don’t think you should be pushed out of your job due to one bad thing you said. We need less cancel culture, not more. People should be able to make mistakes and not lose their jobs because of them.

I do think the incident was reportable, just as if it had been a press secretary who had said what she said.

If Maiki had done a public statement similar to the above the day after it happened, then the final paragraph would not have occurred (in my opinion).

NZ First voted against the Singapore free trade agreement in 2000. It is that FTA that has led to this latest extension:

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said he discussed the potential for other countries to join a landmark deal that ensures essential supplies like fuel and pharmaceuticals make their way to New Zealand during a crisis. 

The deal, signed between New Zealand and Singapore today ensures essential supplies like food and fuel will continue to move between the countries during times of crisis. 

Singapore, which imports 90% of its food, will continue to get food from New Zealand, while New Zealand, which imports 100% of its refined fuels (petrol, diesel, and jet fuel), will continue to get fuel from Singapore. 

The deal guarantees neither country imposes export restrictions on the other for an agreed list of goods. 

So far, some of the essentials identified by New Zealand and Singapore include food, fuels, medical equipment and construction materials.

This agreement with Singapore is our biggest protection against losing all our imported fuel as the Iran crisis continues. It means Singapore has our back, no matter what. And if NZ First had their way, we never would have had this agreement. They voted against the FTA back in November 2000.

The Spinoff reports:

Both Labour and National governments have considered the idea of breaking up the big two but ultimately decided against it. A 2023 analysis by MBIE suggested forcibly breaking up the supermarkets could cost as much as $3.8 billion over 20 years, mostly due to the loss of economies of scale. It could make wholesale and distribution costs higher, which could in turn mean higher prices for consumers.

Some solutions end up costing consumers more!

The problem is a shortage of grocery stores. And the reason for that is a shortage of land to build them on. There aren’t many sites that are big enough for a supermarket and near enough customers to be viable. That makes them very expensive. Whenever a suitably large site does come up, the big two snap it up. 

That is the real problem.

Housing advocate Marko Garlick, writing on his personal Substack, proposed an idea called the National Policy Statement on Supermarket Development.

He argues that with a simple regulatory statement, the housing minister could order councils to make zoning changes that would instantly enable hundreds more supermarket-sized sites in appropriate areas.

The minister could require councils to zone for a certain number of large-scale retail sites based on growth projections, remove all anti-competitive zoning rules, or allow smaller “metro” supermarkets as-of-right across medium-density residential areas. He could also state that supermarkets are a “matter of national significance” which should be considered in all consenting decisions.

Garlick’s concept essentially copies the architecture of the 2020 National Policy Statement on Urban Development by Labour’s Phil Twyford which required councils to zone for more housing and allow taller buildings in central areas. 

This seems like a worthwhile policy – take what has worked in housing, and apply it to supermarkets.

The Media Council has upheld a complaint by Winston Peters against The Post over a fake cost blowout article.

The article claimed the ferry project was $167 million over budget. It said it had blown out from $1.7 billion to $1.867 billion. But it hadn’t.

The November 2025 said the total budget for the replacement programme would be $1.867 billion, of which the government would contribute $1.7 billion. The journalist then saw the $1.867 billion figure and incorrectly thought this mean a blowout of $167 million.

Now everyone can make mistakes. It is worth noting though that if the journalist had checked with the Minister’s office, they could have pointed this out to them.

What is extraordinary is that the journalist and their editor both refuse to accept they were wrong.They are literally arguing the equivalent of black is white. To quote:

“In circumstances where estimated costs exceed confirmed and secured funding, it is entirely reasonable to characterise a project as being “over budget” or under budget pressure in practical terms. That characterisation reflects standard reporting practice on infrastructure projects and is grounded in the documentary record.”

This is just bullshit. The estimated costs are identical to the announcement in November. They are not over budget. You can point out that the funding side is not yet finalised, but you can’t argue that it is over budget.

The Media Council come down on the side of reality:

The central claim in the headline and article is that the total cost of the ferry replacement project is “over budget”. There is no evidence that is true. …

The article reads as if the $1.867b estimate is an over-spend of the government’s $1.7b allocation. It is not. It is simply a restatement of the total project cost. …

As such both the article and the headline are inaccurate and mislead the public. 

The original mistake is forgivable (albeit it, still avoidable by checking). What is unforgivable is continuing to maintain that the article was accurate.

Radio NZ reports:

Teachers specialising in music, physical education, science, technology and history have slammed draft curriculums covering their subjects.

The groups in these areas tend to be dominated by activists who have a very ideological view of education.

A submission from Bay of Plenty science teachers said the curriculum’s “guiding kaupapa of ‘excellent equitable outcomes, reflecting the Treaty of Waitangi/Te Tiriti o Waitangi’ is not evident anywhere in the science draft”.

And they think this is a bad thing!

Physical Education New Zealand managing director Heemi McDonald told RNZ the draft would take physical education back to the 1950s and 1960s, when the subject was focused on sport.

“It drives physical education back down to a skills-and-drills kind of approach,” he said. “If we look back in our past, like maybe in the 50s and the 60s, the PE curriculum was very much sports skills and drills, and the discipline has moved significantly from that time along with the world.”

McDonald said the subject had moved on significantly, and the draft failed to recognise the importance of learning about movement, identity and relationships through physical education.

For example, he said five-year-olds needed to understand how they moved, how to work with other people and skills to move through the world.

“At its most basic level, that’s what our curriculum should reflect – this idea that our bodies are moving, we move in the world with others, we move in different environments and we all have a different experience,” he said.

Sorry but sounds like gobblygook. Teaching identity through physical education to five year olds. Five year olds just need to run around!

Johnston said many schools allowed about three hours a week for each of the eight learning areas, but the new curriculums set aside more time for English and maths, and less for other subjects.

Again, this is a good thing. Our PISA scores have been declining for decades in English and maths.

The Post reports:

A law change designed to make international bank transfers more competitive has progressed in Parliament this evening, without the support of the National Party.

Labour MP Arena Williams’ private member’s bill would require banks and money transfer services to clearly disclose the total fees and foreign exchange (FX) margins they will earn before customers agree to send money overseas.

This seems like a good law change. Markets are not perfect (but way way better than the alternative). Econ 101 teaches you only get perfect markets if you have perfect information. So while I am wary of regulatory burdens on businesses, ones that give consumers better information tend to be laudable.

Winston Peters voted against and campaigned against the China free trade agreement, that came into force in 2008. Look at what happened to our exports to China since then:

Winston called it a “disaster of an agreement”. If there was a prize for being most wrong, Winston would win it for that. And he is trying to do it again.

Winston has opposed every free trade agreement with an Asian country. He was against Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong and all the others.

The Herald reports:

The Government will disestablish the Broadcasting Standards Authority after deeming the media regulator’s role “doesn’t make sense” amid an evolving industry.

Media and Communications Minister Paul Goldsmith today confirmed the Government had agreed a process to wind down the BSA and “investigate self-regulation options”.

The Government had been considering the future of the authority, first established in 1989, after it determined it had jurisdiction over online broadcaster The Platform.

“The BSA regime was designed for a broadcasting environment that is rapidly disappearing,” Goldsmith said.

“Today, audiences move seamlessly between traditional broadcasting, on‑demand services, podcasts and online platforms – yet only a small portion of that content is subject to the BSA’s regulatory oversight. It doesn’t make sense.”

This is an excellent decision. Congrats Paul Goldsmith.

There has been a principled case for abolishing the BSA for many years – articulated above by Paul Goldsmith. We already have a media self-regulator in the Media Council. The BSA can disappear and complaints against broadcasters (the vast majority are also members of the Media Counci) will go to them. So I have supported BSA abolition for a long time. I prefer media regulation to be done by industry, not by a government appointed entity.

But also the BSA has acted appallingly in their attempt to unilaterally declare they can hear complaints against The Platform. They have not acted in good faith. And bad behaviour should have consequences, and now there has been one.

I do feel sorry for the BSA staff who will lose their job in due course. But they should blame the BSA board members who signed off on such a bad faith decision.

The Herald reports:

Members of the public are due to get greater insight into the thinking of those on the powerful Reserve Bank committee that sets interest rates.

The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) and Finance Minister Nicola Willis have agreed to a new charter that will see members’ individual views on how to set monetary policy publicised.

So, members’ views on how the Official Cash Rate (OCR) should be set will be disclosed in meeting minutes, as will their rationales – even if they all share the same view.

Currently, the committee discloses if its members vote differently on how to set the OCR. But it doesn’t say who voted for what.

For monetary policy watchers, this will be a useful move. When there is a divergence of views, it will be very useful to see who voted what way, and why.

The NZIER Shadow Board always published the views of individual members, and their rationale. It will be good to have the real decision maker do the same.

The Herald reports:

Labour leader Chris Hipkins says he is open to discussing whether New Zealand’s superannuation should be means-tested. 

Hipkins told Newstalk ZB’s Kerre Woodham he would not want full means-testing of the country’s pension but added “there are questions”. 

“I don’t want to do this on a unilateral basis, I think these need to be conversations across the Parliament about whether somebody who is still working full time, earning a six-figure salary should be claiming superannuation. 

“I am open to a conversation about that, but I think it has to be done in a constructive, bipartisan way.”

Asked how long such discussions between parties could last before something happened, Hipkins said, “I guess it depends whether there is an appetite across the Parliament to even have that conversation”.

I hope there is. I think the current scheme (without means testing) should be locked in for everyone born before 1981. But for those aged 45 or under, the replacement scheme should be:

• Age of eligibility 67, and increases by 1 year for every two year increase in average life expectancy over 82 (so if it becomes 86, then eligibility at 69).
• A non work tested benefit for those aged between 65 and the eligibility age, set at 1.25 times the jobseeker benefit
• Annual adjustments to NZ Super of CPI +0.25% so it increases in real terms, but not as fast as wage growth
• Means testing with NZ Super abating if you earn $180,000 at 25c per dollars above that, so fully abated at $280,000

This would provide a generous but affordable scheme for the future.

Dear MPs

Deeply thankful for those who responded to mt previous email. Well done to those that are genuine interested.

For every list MP, and for every electorate MP you need to know the current state of education in NZ. 

Those that have replied are stunned that the top 50 NZ high schools have an average of 85.6% of their leavers with University Entrance.

They are also stunned that the bottom 50 NZ highschools have an average of 4.8% of their leavers with University Entrance.

Schools, community organisations and MPs are also stunned that the 2025 leavers data will show that we now have 20% of our school leavers have no qualifications at all. Ministry papers also predict that the new qualifications framework will have a negative impact on the achievements of students from marginalised demographics. 

As you head to the stage to defend/promote education policies … you need the most up to date data.

Please be in touch if you are actually interested in the young people of NZ. To many of you have your head in the sand …. our up your butt.

Alwyn Poole

[email protected]

Four members’ bill were drawn from the ballot. They are:

1. Better Regional Boundaries Bill by Tim Costley. Would require all government entities that have regions to align their regions with local government boundaries within five years. Small but useful.
2. Concealment of Location of Victim Remains Bill by Tom Rutherford. Would deny [pa]role to convicted killers who don’t disclose the location of their victim’s remains. Excellent.
3. Criminal Records (Clean Slate) (Additional Eligibility) Amendment Bill by Tangi Utikere. Expands the clean slate regime from those who were given non custodial sentences to include those who received a prison sentence of up to 12 months. Hard no from me, as to get sent to prison you need to have done some seriously bad stuff which should not be wiped.
4. Crimes (Virginity Testing Practices) Amendment Bill by Priyanca Radhakrishnan. Creates a criminal offence with a maximum five year term for virginity testing. In favour of banning this. Five year maximum term might be a bit too harsh though.

Fox News reports:

The State Department is rolling out limited-edition U.S. passports to commemorate the 250th anniversary of American independence. The new passport designs, obtained exclusively by Fox News Digital, prominently feature President Donald Trump’s image on the inside cover. 

His megalomania has no limits. Pity the poor Americans who have to use a US passport.

For those who think this is all fine, just imagine how you would feel if say your NZ passport had a huge photo of Jacinda in it. I doubt you’d be too happy.

As far as I can ascertain, no other country in the world puts an elected politician on their passports.