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Faster, cheaper … but better? The devil in the RMA reform detail
Anaylsis: When the government this week unveiled reforms to finally replace the RMA, many of us would have been glad to see the back of it, writes Bill McKay.
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Data reveals what crash delays really cost Auckland
11 Dec 2025Analysis - Rolling back speed limits ignores the hidden costs of delays caused by an increased number of crashes, Timothy Welch writes.
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Why the government shouldn't bring oral nicotine pouches to NZ
11 Dec 2025Tobacco and nicotine companies want to introduce oral nicotine pouches, claiming these are a "cleaner way to enjoy nicotine".
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Through the mill: Tokoroa’s tough year was about much more than job losses
10 Dec 2025Around the world, small towns built around a single industry or company are feeling the effects of decisions made far beyond their borders.
Comment & Analysis headlines with summaries.
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Will NZ's new tertiary strategy encourage more entrepreneurs?
9 Dec 2025Universities and polytechnics are now expected to promote innovation, accelerate commercialisation and build significantly stronger entrepreneurial capabilities.
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How the internet has become worse - and how to fix it
Analysis: One theory explains how the internet became 'ensh**ified'. Audio
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Why your credit card rewards might shrink
Banks are scaling back credit card perks as regulators tighten the cap on interchange fees. Audio
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NZ rejecting emission targets risks international law breach
5 Dec 2025Analysis: The government rejected the Climate Change Commission's emissions target recommendations.
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Analysis: Can Andrew Coster come back from this?
4 Dec 2025Analysis - Writers had their fun calling it 'Coster's Last Stand', and like the general's doomed battle, it ended with a crushing fall, writes Craig McCulloch.
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No time to relax for Liam Lawson
4 Dec 2025Analysis: The New Zealand driver can probably afford to sit back and take a couple of deep breaths following the 2025 Formula 1 season, but he won't have long to relax, writes Barry Guy.
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Putin sends Trump's messengers packing
Analysis - The Russian president does not want a deal, and the sweetness of being begged is something he relishes. Audio
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What led Trump to pardon foreign leader convicted of flooding the US with drugs?
3 Dec 2025Analysis: US President Donald Trump says his country is at war with drug-smuggling "narco-terrorists".
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The clam invasion threatening our drinking water
2 Dec 2025Nothing prepared me for the rapid transformation unfolding in the Waikato River since the invasion of the Asian clam, Adam Hartland writes.
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The narrow window to stop the yellow-legged hornet
1 Dec 2025Unless New Zealand rapidly scales up its search effort, we could soon be confronting an incursion far tougher and costlier to stamp out.
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The Phillips tragedy is a chance to fix a broken system
28 Nov 2025When children go missing for years, the public has a right to understand if agencies acted with the necessary urgency and coordination, writes Anna Marie Brennan.
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Trump vows immigration crackdown after DC shootings
28 Nov 2025It took only a few hours for the president to turn what he called "an act of evil, and an act of terror" into a full-blown argument for a crackdown on immigration.
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Māori face harsher sentences than NZ Europeans for similar drink-driving offences
27 Nov 2025People of Māori descent are over-represented at every stage of the criminal justice system.
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Your risk of catching Covid-19 is at its lowest since 2020 – here’s why you should still get boosted for Christmas
27 Nov 2025After nearly four years of continuous Omicron circulation - should you get a Covid booster?
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UK tax hikes likely to be costly for finance minister
27 Nov 2025Rachel Reeves is now the most unpopular finance minister since records began, according to a pollster, and was knocked off her stride by the early release of the key budget forecasts. Audio
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Move against war hero shows Trump's quest for vengeance is endless
Analysis: The US President's retribution campaign just took two embarrassing steps back and one giant leap forward.
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Could the latest Ukraine talks actually end the war?
26 Nov 2025Explainer: Meetings in Switzerland. Talks in the United Arab Emirates. A possible Ukrainian presidential visit to the United States.
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Dead rats and discord: What next in the Peters-Seymour stoush?
21 Nov 2025Analysis: Expired vermin are a built-in feature of MMP, as every party makes compromises, writes Craig McCulloch.
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Puberty blockers ban: Politicians overriding doctors sets dangerous precedent
23 Nov 2025Analysis: The government's ban on puberty blockers for gender-affirming care prioritises politics and ideology over decades of expert clinical guidance and patient safety evidence. Audio
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Did Plunket founder Truby King really believe in eugenics?
21 Nov 2025King's reputation has taken a battering due to his apparent association with eugenics - but is that fair, asks historian Barbara Brookes.
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New index challenges common beliefs about drug use and harm in NZ
20 Nov 2025A common proxy for judging a drug's harm is the extent to which it is linked to dependency.
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Tongariro at risk of losing its unique biological legacy
17 Nov 2025Analysis: The sight of flames tearing across Tongariro National Park last week was heartbreaking for lovers of the landscape.
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Will drug testing drivers really make roads safer?
14 Nov 2025Police can now stop any driver, at any time, to screen for four illicit substances - cannabis, cocaine, methamphetamine and MDMA.
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Two blasts a day apart in India and Pakistan's capitals fray regional nerves
The political shockwave caused by the blasts are a stark reminder of the lingering security issues that fester below the surface throughout the region.
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