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Comment & Analysis
Comment & Analysis headlines with summaries.
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Is Labour's first election policy a fizzer?
21 Oct 2025Analysis - The 'Future Fund' is as much about optics as economics, but a lack of detail has left Labour exposed, writes Craig McCulloch. Audio
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The leaked email that finally forced Charles to act on his brother
19 Oct 2025Analysis: Something had to be done, the question was whether he would do it himself or if his brother would be forced to show him the door.
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Why claims of ‘transformational’ school reading improvement are premature
20 Oct 2025Comment - student achievements in phonics don't translate to claims students are better at reading, and clear data is only available for 516 pupils nationally, a senior lecturer in education says.
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Is the internet entering its Victorian era?
17 Oct 2025Analysis: The popularity of social media bans suggests a resurgence of conservative values in our digital lives.
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True political fights of One Battle After Another happen on the edges of the frame
17 Oct 2025Review: One Battle After Another is among the most exciting Hollywood films to hit cinemas this year.
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Jim Bolger: The master of the 'smoke-filled room'
Analysis: The former prime minister was never afraid of expressing his opinion, even when facing brutal polling and stormy political seas, but he was skilled at picking his fights. Audio
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It's been 50 years since the Balibo 5 were killed in Timor-Leste. No one's been held accountable
16 Oct 2025On October 16, 1975, five journalists were killed in the remote Timorese town of Balibo. To this day, no one has been charged with their deaths. Known as the "Balibo...
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Who are the groups battling Hamas for control in Gaza?
16 Oct 2025More than two dozen Palestinians have been killed in recent days in clashes between Hamas and members of various clans.
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Polls and trolls: Is violent online abuse turning women away
15 Oct 2025Tory Whanau's candid speech on the relentless online abuse she faced as Wellington mayor would not been reassuring for candidates waiting for local election results.
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Why Trump shouldn't be thanked for Gaza ceasefire
Analysis: "Thank you," said giant letters etched in the beach in Tel Aviv. But should anyone be thanking the US president?
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Europe worries it’s already at war - and America hasn’t noticed
10 Oct 2025Analysis: For 80 years Europe considered its peace inviolate. Now, it can no longer be sure.
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Trump exerted leverage for Gaza deal but tough questions remain
Analysis: There are a host of unresolved issues that could still trip up implementation of the initial phase and impede progress toward the next, analysts say. Audio
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Can Trump really win a Nobel Peace Prize? Yes: here’s how
8 Oct 2025His supporters say he deserves the prize already, while his detractors mock the pursuit entirely - pointing to his controversial policies as disqualifying.
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Not voting in local elections is rational: voters need better reasons to engage
7 Oct 2025On the available evidence, more than half of New Zealand voters think the effort to vote in local elections is unlikely to be worth the return.
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Opinion: Nicola Willis is right - the economy isn't that bad
Blaming the current state of the economy on Willis' leadership ignores aspects of the bigger picture, writes Dennis Wesselbaum.
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How a public grocery chain would disrupt NZ's supermarket duopoly
Analysis: Its focus would be generic products, staples and low-cost commodities - the categories stretched households need.
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Mormon leader Russell Nelson has died aged 101. What’s next for the church?
1 Oct 2025Analysis: Several controversies engulfed the church during Nelson's leadership, including the naming of the church and church members in various government and media reports on alleged child sexual…
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Flickering fortunes: National's energy plan unlikely to light up polls
Analysis - The recent energy announcement looks unlikely to give National a lift in the deadlocked polls. Audio
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Protest or crime? Parliament bill blurs the line
Submissions are open on a bill that could fine or jail people for "unreasonable" protests near private residences.
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Government takes softly softly approach to energy reform
Analysis - The government's response to electricity sector reform has been talk of significant changes followed by gradual, piecemeal measures that disappoint many, Gyles Beckford writes.
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Trump has again changed his mind on Ukraine. But for how long?
25 Sep 2025The Kremlin keenly analyses Trump's behaviour and has proven to be a good judge of how far they can stretch his patience, writes Nick Paton Walsh.
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UN finding of Gaza genocide adds pressure for NZ to recognise Palestine
21 Sep 2025Analysis: Labour wants sanctions, protesters are marching, but the coalition government is keeping its decision under wraps until the UN General Assembly.
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How kings, queens and Churchill's ghost worked their magic on Trump
Analysis: Britain gave the US President a welcome fit for the king he often pretends to be.
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Analysis: Trump's anti-media blitz is straight from a strongman's playbook
The US President appears to be running the same game as the Hungarian prime minister.
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